Kurt Riback Trio

Lincoln Adler, saxophone. Greg Sankovich, piano. Kurt Ribak, bass.   $20 cover charge / byob. Students $10 / kids free. For a reservation, call the bookshop at 415-586-3733.     Greg Sankovich is an El Cerrito native. He began classical piano training at age 6. His parents' love for dance music inspired Greg's feel for music that moves people, so his inclination from an early age was toward dance grooves.  Greg has been active in many San Francisco Bay Area bands performing jazz, blues, and soul music.  He studied with Norma Bossi, Al Zulaica, Mark Levine, and Art Lande, and his musical inspirations include Herbie Hancock, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Keith Jarrett, and Bill Evans.  After graduating from U.C. Berkeley, Greg moved to Tokyo, where he lived for over 10 years.  He performed there with his jazz fusion group, Taikun as well as performing and recording with a long list of top Japanese artists and music production companies.  After moving back to San Francisco, Greg immersed himself in producing dance tracks for the blossoming club music scene and producing music for television projects. He also picked up where he left off in performing and recording with exceptional Bay Area talent, including his band Times 4, Sheilani Alix, Rocio Guitard, Kurt Ribak, Big Advice, and Big City Revue. He is a keyboardist, producer, and music educator.Lincoln bio LINCOLN ADLER, Saxophones.  Lincoln started playing various musical instruments at the age of 5, eventually being drawn to the saxophone in high school. Lincoln became fascinated by the power of music to communicate feelings across the boundaries of   language and culture. He developed his sound playing in Bay Area bands and refined his abilities at the University of California,  Berkeley as a member of the UC Jazz Ensembles. Lincoln studied with legendary saxophonist Joe Henderson and local hero Hal Stein. In Los Angeles he became an in-demand session player and composer/producer for TV and film. He released four albums under his own name as well as one with the L.A. based Rain-bo Tribe, and two with Times 4.  Lincoln has performed and recorded with actor/pianist Jeff Goldblum, The Jets, kd lang, and Olivia Newton John.  Lincoln plays regularly with Kurt Ribak and is a member of jazz-funk group Times 4, including multiple appearances at both Yoshi's Nightspots.  His musical influences include Sonny Rollins, Johnny Griffin, Grover Washington Jr., Stanley Turrentine, Gustav Mahler and Meshell Ndegeocello. Kurt bio: When Kurt Ribak (pronounced REE-bok, like the shoes) was about four years old his mother found him dancing to the sound of the dishwasher.  More conventional early musical experiences included playing ‘cello and singing in the San Francisco Boys Chorus, which performed with the San Francisco Symphony and Opera.  While attending UC Berkeley, Kurt met keyboardist Greg Sankovich and reconnected with his fellow San Francisco Boys Chorus alumnus, saxophonist Lincoln Adler.  Kurt continues to play with Greg and Lincoln.   Greg and Lincoln co-produced his last three records, “PAST PRESENT FUTURE”,"I Got One More!" and "ONWARD"  - his sixth recording as a leader.   After a battle with tendinitis, Kurt was a scholarship student at Berklee College of Music, where he graduated with top honors.  He spent many hours transcribing and absorbing the styles of bassists Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, and Charles Mingus.  While at Berklee Kurt learned he loved composition and songwriting.  Early tunes reflect a strong Thelonious Monk influence, while others reflect his love of the great bassist/composer/bandleader Charles Mingus.  Later tunes bring to mind Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, and the South African composer Abdullah Ibrahim.   Kurt's band features his own compositions.  He says what he’s trying for in his music is “Charles Mingus meets The Meters.  They go to Duke Ellington’s house to jam, and Cachao and Thelonious Monk sit in.”  Kurt has shared the stage with circus performers, preac…