Rhiannon Giddens at Miner Auditorium, February 16, 2020

SFJAZZ presents Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, and Jason Sypher
Robert M. Miner Auditorium
SFJAZZ Center, 205 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA
7:00 PM, Sunday, February 16, 2020

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2020 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2020 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[7:02 PM] {lights down; no introduction; band out: RG: banjo; FT: accordion}

1. [7:03 PM] Ten Thousand Voices
   [7:06 PM] {RG swaps from banjo to violin}
2. [7:06 PM] Inside Me Is Heaven »
3. [7:10 PM] (unidentified jig)
   [7:13 PM] {RB yack; FT swaps to drum; RB swaps back to banjo}
4. [7:17 PM] Following the North Star
5. [7:21 PM] Gonna Write Me a Letter
   [7:26 PM] {RG yack about banjos; FT swaps back to accordion}
6. [7:32 PM] Briggs' Forró
   [7:37 PM] {RG takes off banjo and yacks; FT swaps back to piano}
7. [7:37 PM] At the Purchaser's Option
   [7:39 PM] {RG adds banjo; FT swaps back to accordion}
8. [7:44 PM] Wayfaring Stranger
   [7:49 PM] {RG merch rap; FT yacks about drums & tarantella}
9. [7:56 PM] Pizzica di San Vito
   [7:59 PM] {set ends}

[8:21 PM] {lights down; duo out: RG: banjo; FT: hand drum; RG says they'll start with “two minstrel tunes from 1855”}

1. [8:28 PM] (unidentified tune #1)
2. [8:31 PM] (unidentified tune #2)
   [8:32 PM] {add JS; FT swaps to piano}
3. [8:35 PM] Henry Purcell: Dido's Lament AKA When I am laid in earth, from the opera Dido and Aeneas (ca. 1680)
   [8:39 PM] {RG yack about Ethel Waters and the Harlem Renaissance; RG: vox only; FT: accordion}
4. [8:43 PM] Underneath Our Harlem Moon
   [8:47 PM] {RG yack}
5. [8:50 PM] Beth Cohen's Set
   [8:57 PM] {FT yack about tambourines; RG swaps back to banjo}
6. [9:00 PM] I'm On My Way
   [9:03 PM] {RG yack about touring in Ireland}
7. [9:05 PM] (FT tambourine solo) » Molly Brannigan
   [9:08 PM] {FT swaps back to piano; RG introduces JS}
8. [9:20 PM] He Will See You Through
   [9:23 PM] {RG: thanks, then all off}
   
   Encore
   [9:27 PM] {RG: vox only; FT: hand drum}
9. [9:27 PM] The Lonesome Road »
10. [9:30 PM] Up Above My Head
    [9:32 PM] {show ends}

• Rhiannon Giddens: violin, banjo, tambourine, vox;
• Jason Sypher: contrabass;
• Francesco Turrisi: accordion, piano, percussion, harmony vox.

Although it was almost entirely the same setlist as last week's show at Bing Hall, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing and seeing tonight's gig too. With top flight performers in a sweet acoustic space filled to capacity by an enthusiastic crowd of listeners, how can you go wrong?

Of course it would have been nice to get a little more variety into the setlist, but once I realized I'd erred and bought tickets to two shows on the tour, I was willing to gamble and see how things would turn out. Next time I'll be more careful to limit myself to a single night!

And how was that different tune? Suffice it to summarize: very very good! A more traditional aria choice than last week's offering, and a great one for highlighting the depth of RG's interpretive talent.

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2020 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2020 event list! ☸ On to the next event!