The Alchemist Quintet

Band members are:
Doug Pet - saxophone
Michele Walther - violin
John Kiskaddon - piano
Ted Burik - bass
Greg German - drums

The Alchemist Quintet performs modern jazz, mostly originals, with diverse influences.

Notes on a page are bent, reshaped, reimagined. Simple elements become more valuable. You might hear a middle ages English dance, an Indian raga, a taste of bebop from a college town, a lush chordal piece with Eastern European influences. An ensemble celebrates their instruments and diverse backgrounds to create music not heard before… but remembers, newness cannot forget the past.

Members of the band have recorded or performed with Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull, Joe Lovano, Gloria Estefan, Jazz Mafia, Marcos Silva, Kai Eckhardt (John McLaughlin), Terrence Brewer, Gerald Beckett, Steve McQuarry, Oscar Stagnaro (Paquito D'Rivera), Resonance Jazz, Mark Feldman, Benny Rietveld (Miles Davis, Santana), Barbara Morrison, Sandy Cressman, The Stray Horns, and the Mandala Orchestra; in the US, Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Brasil, and in the Bay Area, notably at SFJAZZ and Yoshi's.

Audience feedback:

"The Alchemist Quintet, a Jazz group with an unusual but really terrific combination of a violin, bass, sax, piano, and drums. We have seen them in a small venue in SF and were so wowed that we went up between sets to ask if they would consider a house concert for us all."

“You all sounded like one voice, one breath.”

Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door gemneral admission; $15 for students with ID. Children under 12 are free. Advance tickets are available here, or if the show is not sold out, you may purchase your tickets at the door before the show.

Doors open one half hour before show time. We accept cash or Venmo only at the door.

The Back Room is an all-ages, BYOB (for those 21+) space, dedicated to (mostly) acoustic music of all kinds. You are welcome to bring your own food and beverages. The venue is ADA accessible. If you need more information or have any questions, please call us: #510-381-1997.

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Thank you for your support!

Please note: Although masks are no longer required, we strongly encourage their use to keep everyone safe in our intimate space.

Host or Publisher Sam Rudin