The Crooked Jades

Bluegrass

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Bird and Beckett 

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Saturday, December 7th, 2024

Bird and Beckett
653 Chenery Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
7:30 show
$30 cover Cash or Venmo at the door.
Reserve seats: call Eric Whittington 415 586-3733
or birdbeckett@yahoo.com

Join us for this not-to-be-missed 30 year celebration show at Bird and Beckett Books & Records.  For this special and intimate show The Crooked Jades return to where it all began, the Glen Park neighboorhood of San Francisco where Jeff Kazor lived above the hardware store for 20 years. In the early days of the band, core trio Lisa Berman and Erik Pearson together with Jeff, took their music to the street on the weekends and played in front of Higher Ground Cafe. With the support of neigbors, like Bird and Beckett - the band was formed, released 9 albums and played world wide!

Special guest pedal steel virtuoso, Bruce Kaphan, will be joining The Crooked Jades for this show. He has been a producer, mixer and an adjunct member of The Crooked Jades for the last 25 years, and had played pedal steel for sessions with John Lee Hooker, Alison Krauss, R.E.M., Sheryl Crow, The Black Crowes, Love and Rockets, Francesco de Gregori, and Chris Isaak, plus toured with folks like Jewel and David Byrne.

Crooked House Concert in Auburn, California

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Saturday, November 9th, 2024

Crooked House Concerts
Auburn, California
7pm show
$30 suggested donation
Reserve your seats and venue location by emailing crookedconcerts@gmail.com
You might remember The Crooked Jades as the first artists to ever play a show here back in 2012. (You could say they got this whole Crooked House thing started.) They later played our 20th show in 2016, and we're just thrilled to help them celebrate their 30 years as an amazing, evocative string band! Joined by special guest pedal steel virtuoso, Bruce Kaphan.
Reserve your seats soon! Hope to see you here!

 

PLEASE JOIN THE AMAZING CROOKED JADES FANS who have already contributed to making our 10th album a reality!

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We have less than a week to make our target for a full length studio album and we still need your support!  We are beyond grateful to those who have already given funds, and we hope that you too will join them in SUPPORTING The Crooked Jades 10th Album fundraising effort.
We have less than 4 days to make our 10th album a reality with our Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. The new album will be a genre busting mash-up of obscure trad tunes from the early 1880s to the1920s that we have recently unearthed , PLUS, beloved and somewhat forgotten underground 1980s wave tunes reimagined through the lens of old-time music. We have been sharing these new tunes with enthusiastic and fired-up audiences on our recent tours.  The Crooked Jades are thrilled to be working with two new band members and exemplary musicians: Amy Kassir on fiddle and JZ (Joshua Zucker) on bass. We are primed and ready to head back to the studio to record this wonderful new musical alchemy! We hope you will consider joining The Crooked Jades as we work together to put something really beautiful and innovative into the world. Any contribution means so much to us and will make a huge difference! We can’t wait to make this new record with you.
Crowdfunding campaign Indiegogo
Crowdfunding campaign Indiegogo

Empathy Moves the Water

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The compact disc comes in a beautiful and eco-friendly 6 panel Digi-pak w/8 page booklet. The artwork and design is done by none other than Bob Ciano. Responsible for some of the most provocative, beautiful album covers ever designed for Blue Note, CTI and Kudu Records during the 1960s, 70s. and 80s.


Buy Now

Across the wide seas, distant mountains, and the vast complexity of the soul, The Crooked Jades new release “Empathy Moves The Water" emphasizes the lonesome in "High Lonesome" music. The band’s old-time roots reflect the cultural melange and longing implicit in the shadows of America - from haunting ballads punctuated by hypnotic fiddles that express digital isolation and humanity lost in a rapidly changing land, to the high energy revival songs inspired by early rural gospel blues. Reaffirming their reputation as an innovative old-time string band closer in spirit to Tom Waits and Nick Cave, The Crooked Jades create a unique and soulful modern sound by exploring the roots of Americana and interweaving the diverse musical influences of Europe and Africa.

With a bold vision and drive to innovate and inspire, the Crooked Jades release their brand new album “Empathy Moves The Water" on their own label, Jade Note Music. Largely recorded at Berkeley’s famous Fantasy Studios, this new album is produced by the highly celebrated Bruce Kaphan. The band once again features their signature mix of inspired re-arrangements of rare and obscure old-time gems and beautiful original compositions, all played on vintage and eclectic instruments, including Hawaiian slide, Vietnamese jaw harp, harmonium, ukulele, banjo, ukulele, arco bass, and minstrel banjo.


  1. Ryland and Spencer (Rise and Bloom Again) (Trad/Arr. Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  2. Featherbed (Trad/Arr. Emily Mann, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  3. Down to the River (Inspired by Mississippi Fred McDowell, Arr. Lisa Berman, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  4. Yellow Mercury 4 (Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  5. Going Across the Sea (Trad/Arr. Erik Pearson, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  6. The Water Spirit According to Mike (Erik Pearson, Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  7. Empathy Moves the Water (Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  8. Mike in the Wilderness (Trad/Arr. Emily Mann, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  9. Long Time Traveling (Trad/Arr. Bruce Kaphan, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  10. Wade in the Water (Trad/Arr. Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  11. Am I Born to Die / Long Time Traveling (Trad/Arr. Megan Adie, Emily Mann, Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  12. Pretty Little Shoes (Trad/Arr. Emily Mann, Jade Note Music, BMI)
  13. Yellow Mercury 3 (Jeff Kazor, Jade Note Music, BMI)

The Crooked Jades are currently working their music alchemy in the studio

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making progress on their 9th album, projected for an early spring 2018 release. The band’s following have been clamoring for this, and one fan in particular is helping to make it possible. He was so impressed with the Crooked Jades performance at the California Bluegrass Association Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival this year, that he became a benefactor to financially sponsor the new recordings with the band’s present configuration.

Crooked Jades are gearing up to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2015!!

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The Jades are also pleased to announce a NEW ALBUM! in the works to be released in conjunction with their anniversary celebration tours in the Spring and Fall of next year. Also look out for the Bright Land documentary by Charlie Steiner slated for release this summer. Shot in New York 2011 leading up to the premiere at New York’s Joyce Theatre, the film follows the dancers and musicians during rehearsals and right into opening night and really showcases the nitty-gritty process of this unique collaboration between modern dance and old-time music.