The Mercury News

Omar Sosa, famed Quartet AfroCubano back in East Bay

- Randy McMullen Weekend top 10

1 Omar Sosa: The Cuban-born, former East Bay pianist, composer and world music ambassador has created a wealth of sublime music since the mid-1980s. In the nearly 30 albums he has released as a solo artist, collaborat­or or bandleader, Sosa has followed the interwoven paths of African, Latin and jazz/improvisat­ional music in countless directions, guided by his talent, creativity and deep sense of spirituali­ty. He’s based in Europe now, so his visits to the Bay Area should always be noted. If you missed his April shows at SFJazz and Santa Cruz, you can catch Sosa and his acclaimed Quarteto AfroCubano Sunday at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage.

DETAILS >> 7 p.m.; $40-$44; 510-644-2020, thefreight. org.

2 “Small Mouth Sounds”: Bess Wohl’s raved-about comedy follows a group of suffering urbanites as they gather for a retreat under the guidance of a famous guru who commands that they give up their most desired crutches — even speaking. After a couple of wildly successful off-Broadway runs, the challengin­g comedy opens a national tour at San Francisco’s The Strand, presented by American Conservato­ry Theater.

DETAILS >> In previews through Oct. 24, main run is Oct. 25-Dec. 10; $25$100; www.act-sf.org.

3 Operatroni­ca: San Francisco’s edgy Opera Lab, which offers notyour-grandfathe­r’s opera performanc­es in intimate settings, heads to San Francisco’s trendy Mezzanine dance/rock nightclub tonight for its latest production, which it describes as a marriage of opera and electronic­a. Hosted by stage director Aria Umezawa and bass vocalist Anthony Reed, the show features San Francisco Opera Adler fellows performing with the Bay Area DJ troupe Loves Company.

DETAILS >> 9 p.m. $20-$40; sfoperalab.com.

4 American Brass Quintet: The acclaimed group has gained fame through its residences with the Juilliard School and the Aspen Music Festival. It comes to Stanford University’s Bing Concert Hall Sunday to perform a wide-ranging, centuries-spanning program that includes everything from 16th-century canons to Steven Franklin’s work “Three Romances,” which received its world premiere this

summer. DETAILS >> 2:30 p.m.; $22$65; live.stanford.edu.

5 JACK Quartet: This New York City foursome, dedicated to no-holds-barred interpreta­tions of contempora­ry classical fare, has been dubbed “superheroe­s of the new music world” by the Boston Globe. They land at Herbst Theatre on Friday to perform Ari Streisfeld’s adaptation of Carlo Gesualdo’s “Sixth Book of Madrigals” as well as works by John Zorn, Joshua Roman, Amy Williams and Jefferson Friedman.

DETAILS >> Presented by San Francisco Performanc­es; 7:30 p.m.; $40$65; sfperforma­nces.org.

6 “Strange Ladies”: Nov. 14 marks the 100th anniversar­y of the “Night of Terror,” when 33 members of a women’s movement — the Silent Sentinels — who had been picketing the White House for women’s rights were incarcerat­ed in a Virginia workhouse and tortured and brutalized by several guards and their superinten­dent. This new musical by Susan Sobeloff focuses on the Silent Sentinels, as they dealt with the pressures of demanding their rights at a time when the U.S. was entering World War I. DETAILS >> Presented by Central Works; Saturday through Nov. 12; Berkeley City Club, Berkeley; $20-$30; centralwor­ks. org.

7 Caifanes: The Mexico City band became heroes of the rock en espanol movement in the 1980s and ’90s with its incendiary blend of British new wave, prog rock, Latin and Caribbean sounds. After disbanding in 1995, Caifanes reunited in 2010 with most of its core members intact. The band brings its U.S. tour to City National Civic in San Jose tonight. DETAILS >> 8 p.m.; $65$70; sanjosethe­aters.org.

8 “South of Market — The Musical V2”: Following last year’s hit run, the musical that spoofs Bay Area tech life is back with a new creative team, new storyline, new songs and new targets to hit.

DETAILS >> Tonight through Oct. 22; Marines’ Memorial Theatre, San Francisco; $45-$120; www.somamusica­l.com.

9 “From Shadows: A Ballet About Homelessne­ss”: Marika Brussel’s evening-length work follows a young woman looking for her father in the roughest of environs. Touching on homelessne­ss, addiction and other themes, the work is described as a plea for compassion toward people whose circumstan­ces amount to more than a dispiritin­g statistic.

DETAILS >> 8 tonight and Friday, ODC Theater, San Francisco; $20-$40; www.odc.dance.

10 San Jose Wind Symphony: The outfit kicks off its 60th season with a concert paying tribute to George Gershwin, featuring selections from the composer’s “West Side Story,” “On the Town” and “Candide.”

DETAILS >> 3 p.m. Sunday; McAfee Performing Arts Center at Saratoga High School; $5-$20; 408-9277597, www.sjws.org.

 ?? COURTESY OF OMAR SOSA ?? Keyboardis­t, composer and bandleader Omar Sosa brings his famed Quartet AfroCubano to Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage on Sunday.
COURTESY OF OMAR SOSA Keyboardis­t, composer and bandleader Omar Sosa brings his famed Quartet AfroCubano to Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage on Sunday.
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