Threesomes to light up Bay Area stages

Two terrific trios have upcoming dates scheduled in the Bay Area.

Jazz fans definitely should known about the one featuring three of the greatest artists working in the genre today — pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Marcus Gilmore.

Mehldau, who the The New York Times describes as “the most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years,” is a simply spellbinding pianist who is particularly well known for his work in the trio format. McBride is arguably the most acclaimed and accomplished bassist of his generation, an adventurous musical spirit who has won eight Grammy Awards and captivated listeners with various projects. Gilmore is a powerhouse drummer who has worked with Chick Corea, Nicholas Payton and others.

That group performs Wednesday at Stanford University’s Bing Concert Hall (live.stanford.edu); April 3-6 at SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco (sfjazz.org); April 7 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz (kuumbwajazz.org).

We’d also be interested in checking out the super trio featuring banjo master Béla Fleck, great drummer Antonio Sa´nchez and talented harpist Edmar Castañeda at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco.

These acclaimed artists — with Fleck and Sanchez both ranking as multiple Grammy winners — perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and then two shows, at 2 and 7 p.m., on Sunday. Visit presidiotheatre.org for more information.

— Jim Harrington, Staff

OMG! It’s the OGMC

When times are tough and it’s near impossible to see light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes the only thing you can do is — cue lights and music — siiiiiinnng!

This March, fans of big-singy productions can get their fill at a double-header spring concert from the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus. Celebrating the ascension of its new artistic director, Bruce Southard, the chorus group — which despite its name includes straight, lesbian, trans and other folks — has planned a 90-minute concert of proven bangers called “Every Voice Matters.” We’re talking the “Ragtime” anthem “Make Them Hear You,” Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “This Is Me” from the “The Greatest Showman” and other hits that strike at the heartstrings.

“This powerful concert embodies our mission: ‘To give voice through song to a community where everyone matters,’” the organizers say. “Celebrate a program filled with heart, harmony and the stories that unite us all.”

Details: Event takes place 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at the Odell Johnson Performing Arts Center, Laney College, 900 Fallon St., Oakland; general admission is $34-$55 and available at oaklandgmc.org/tickets.

— John Metcalfe, Staff

Classical picks: Oakland Symphony, movie tunes

As March wraps up this weekend, the classical music calendar continues to come on strong. With performances at the Oakland Symphony and Symphony San Jose, and an early-April Cal Performances appearance by the great Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, here are three performances music lovers won’t want to miss.

Armstrong conducts: Kedrick Armstrong has been music director of the Oakland Symphony for just under a year, but he’s already put a winning stamp on the orchestra; last November, he delivered a powerful performance of Shawn Okpebholo’s “Two Black Churches” that lingered in the memory. This week, he’ll be on the podium to conduct Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Three Latin-American Dances” in a side-by-side performance with the Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra. The program also includes Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and “Forgiveness: Suite for Spoken Word and Orchestra” by composer Daniel Bernard Roumain and poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Details: 8 p.m. Friday; Paramount Theatre, Oakland; $25-$90; oaklandsymphony.org.

Movies and music: The Oscars are over for 2025, but movies are still on one organization’s mind as Symphony San Jose prepares for a special concert honoring the essential contributions of film composers. “Hollywood Spectacular” features music from James Horner’s “Titanic,” Erich Korngold’s “Adventures of Robin Hood,” Henry Mancini’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and a dozen additional film scores. Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; California Theatre, San Jose; $35-$121.50 general; youth tickets also available; symphonysanjose.org.

Norwegian virtuoso: Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes returns to Berkeley on Tuesday evening for a special solo concert, one that reflects his deep connection to music of his native Norway. Presented by Cal Performances, his program features Edvard Grieg’s piano sonata, and also includes Geirr Tveitt’s “Sonata Etere,” another work with deep Norwegian roots. Details: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $63-$106; calperformances.org.

— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent

‘Fat Ham’ settles in

Does “Fat Ham” include a 2025 take on the world’s most famous stage soliloquy?

You’ll have to see for yourself now that James Ijames’ contemporary take on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” has opened in its Northern California premiere at San Francisco Playhouse.

North Carolina native Ijames sets “Fat Ham” in the modern-day South, with the protagonist, a Queer Black college student named Juicy, seeks to snap his family’s string of violence even though his his father’s ghost is demanding bloody retribution.

Directed by actor and theater-maker Margo Hall, a longtime mainstay of the Bay Area stage scene, “Fat Ham” blends humor, poignancy, a dance party and of course the Bard’s magic in a production that explores family history and individual identity, as well as the roots of pain, love, loss and loyalty.

Ijames’ play won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for drama. The SFP production stars Devin A. Cunningham as Juicy.

Details: Through April 19; San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St., $35-$135; sfplayhouse.org.

— Randy McMullen, Staff

A puzzling mystery

Two of our favorite pastimes — figuring out puzzles and cozying up to watch murder mysteries — fold crisply together in “Ludwig,” an irresistible BritBox series. It gifts armchair detectives with one of the most original and eccentric sleuths in awhile: puzzler setter and accidental detective John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell).

The socially awkward loner reluctantly assumes the identity of far more outgoing twin brother James’ after he gone suddenly missing and left behind cipher-like clues for his wife and their son to pick through. Problem is John’s is such an introvert he can’t even drive a car, let alone park it. But his persistent sister-in-law Lucy (Anna Maxwell-Martin) persuades him to show up at “the office” in the guise of his brother and filch a notebook and scope out his desk. Before John knows it, James’ colleagues shepherd him over to an active crime scene where he proceeds to put his puzzle-solving to work and figure out who the murderer is in a matter of minutes. Now his “new” job has just begun.

Each of “Ludwig’s” six episodes solve a crime, while more pieces of the puzzle of where James went and why he’s vanished emerge. “Ludwing” never loses its pip nor its charm and a large reason why it works rests on Mitchell’s tensed-up shoulders and the show’s creators. He’s no cookie-cutter ace detective; rather he is a welcome addition to the pantheon of fictional detectives.

Details: First two episodes already available on BritBox; followed by one episode every Thursday through April 17.

— Randy Myers, Correspondent