Melba's Kitchen + Swing Dance Lesson at The Freight
Schedule
Sun, 22 Feb, 2026 at 07:00 pm
UTC-08:00Location
2020 Addison St, Berkeley, CA, United States, California 94704 | Berkeley, CA
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MELBA’S KITCHEN big band invites you to the MELBA LISTON'S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION!" ... a crackling 14-piece all-woman unit ..." —DownBeat
Melba's Kitchen - the all-women big band that celebrates Black women musical geniuses Melba Liston and Mary Lou Williams and their friends - pulls out the stops for Melba Liston’s Centennial Concert and Dance at The Freight.
Melba Liston was a world-class trombonist, composer, and arranger who worked and played with top-echelon musicians, like Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Count Basie, and Abbey Lincoln, yet never got the level of recognition and respect she deserved.
Dee Spencer guests with the band on piano to celebrate Liston’s centennial with a special arrangement of “Jamaica, Jamaica” from Liston’s film score, and her personal take on Melba’s music.
Fabulous dancer Chad Kubo leads a free dance lesson at 6:00 pm, opening up the dance floor for a night of swing.
Melba's Kitchen delivers the expansiveness of Melba Liston’s and Mary Lou Williams’ exuberant and sophisticated music in an atmosphere of kindness, joy, political action and fun.
Celebrate the creativity of Melba, the great Mary Lou, and their friends with this band that’s been tearing it up at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ Miner Auditorium, YOSHI’s, the deYoung Museum - and now returns, again, to The Freight.
Catch the excitement of special guests, the power of new arrangements, and the delight of community on this special night.
• “a talent-packed ensemble” — Andy GIlbert, jazz journalist
• “so astonishing - so swinging” —Dr. Dee Spencer, pianist & educator
• “a marvelous night and good vibes all around”—Rebeca Mauleon, SFJAZZ
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Where is it happening?
2020 Addison St, Berkeley, CA, United States, California 94704Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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