Kev Choice featured on KQED Arts

Kev Choice was recently featured in this amazing piece about his music, his hometown of Oakland, and his mission as an artist. The piece was done by Omid Zoufonoun and features footage of Kev Choice’s recent performance at Oakland Symphony, an in depth interview, and more footage from the range of show’s Kev has been a part of in the last year.

“For @KevChoice, Oakland has always been a mecca for diversity and a center of black excellence. And despite rapid displacement and gentrification, he’s on a musical mission to restore the soul of this town.”-KQED Arts

“Kev Choice makes a new kind of spiritual for a city grappling with gentrification and displacement.”

Check the piece below or click the link for more on the story.

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13837882/rapper-and-pianist-kev-choice-makes-music-to-heal-oakland-and-himself

Kev Choice Ensemble to perform at Oakland’s Art and Soul Festival July 29th!

Kev Choice Ensemble will be performing at Oakland’s Art & Soul Festival on July 29th! Kev will be performing on the MainStage 4:30-5:30pm right before headliners The Pointer Sisters!

Art + Soul Oakland Celebrates 18th Birthday with Pointer Sisters Homecoming, Lyrics
Born, Alphabet Rockers, Jazz Mafia, Kev Choice Ensemble and more!! Free Admission
for Youth! Downtown Oakland: July 28th & 29th.

Click link below for more details:

https://www.artandsouloakland.com/lineup

July 13th: Kev Choice Ensemble at “Jazz on The Green” at Stanford University

Jazz on the Green

Miles to Hip-Hop  | Miles Electric Band, DJ Logic, Sidewalk Chalk, Kev Choice Ensemble

Nothing beats spending a beautiful summer evening on the Stanford campus, relaxing on the lawn with your favorite food, and listening to some of the most grooving electric jazz and hip hop around. Three bands perform at this outdoor concert, including the Miles Electric Band, several of whose personnel performed with Miles Davis during his electric period; Kev Choice, a musician, emcee, and hip hop artist; and Sidewalk Chalk, a horn-driven unit that blends elements of jazz, funk, hip hop, and R&B. Also in the mix will be DJ Logic, a turntablist who fuses jazz and hip-hop in his work.

Doors at 5pm

Show starts at 6:30pm

 

Click link for more info!

https://events.stanford.edu/events/783/78359/

Vote for Kev Choice! Nominated “Best Musician” by East Bay Express!

Kev Choice was nominated “Best Musician” by East Bay Express! Voting is open until July 13th! Kev Choice is in the Arts & Music section. Vote now!!

Click link to go to voting page:

https://posting.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/Survey?survey=16600699

 

June 29th! Kev Choice Live at Yoshi’s Oakland-“Feeling Ivory” EP Debut!

Kev Choice is set to debut and release a new solo piano inspired EP “Feeling Ivory” at Yoshi’s Oakland, June 29th. There will be 2 shows 8pm & 10pm!

“Feeling Ivory” will be raps and songs over piano and keyboard accompaniment composed and written by Kev Choice. “It’s like a rap/piano album. I wanted to break it down to the pure essence of just piano and vocals. I will include some solo piano compositions and probably some classical, a jazz standard, and a cover or two. Just trying to have fun and explore performing centered on me at the piano.” Kev Choice will also feature special guest artist and musicians on the project and show!

Tix available now! https://www.yoshis.com/search/?q=KEV%20CHOICE

Kev Choice Live in Los Angeles at The Virgil Bar-May 20th!!

 

Kev Choice will be performing live in LA at The Virgil Bar with a set of new music and some great artist on the lineup!

Kev Choice x Mani Draper + DJ Flo x Choklate + Trackademicks (DJ Set)

May 20th

Virgil Bar- 4519 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

Doors at 8pm

 

 

 

“The Choice Files”-Episode 2! “Meet The Arranger”

Here is Episode 2 of “The Choice Files” were Kev Choice interviews symphony arranger Jason Eckl. They talk about the process of getting Kev’s ideas to be played by the Oakland Symphony. His work, “Soul Restoration Suite” will premier March 23rd at The Paramount Theater in Oakland!

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Check Out Kev Choice new series “The Choice Files”, a behind the scene’s look at his preparation and process of writing and composing an original work to be played by the Oakland Symphony on March 23rd at The Paramount Theater.

Choice December! Event’s & Show’s!

Kev Choice has some exciting shows coming up in the month of December!

Dec. 1st-Jack London Tree Lighting-Jack London Square-Oakland, CA 5-7pm

Dec. 2nd-Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Holiday Concert-Paramount Theater-Oakland, CA 7pm

Dec. 9th-SFJAZZ-Kev Choice Trio-San Francisco, CA 7pm & 8:30pm

Come check out any or all of these great performances by Kev Choice!

DEC. 9th Kev Choice Trio-SF JAZZ!

Kev Choice Trio

December 9th

SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin ST., San Francisco

7pm & 8:30pm

$25

 

The only reason Kev Choice isn’t better known on the West Coast jazz scene is that he’s spent much of the past two decades immersed in hip hop and R&B. But make so mistake, the Oakland-reared pianist is a highly trained improviser with deep insights into the jazz tradition. In his trio, he draws on his love of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Mulgrew Miller, and Robert Glasper, exploring his multifarious original compositions and arrangements of classic hip-hop, jazz, and soul material.

His fourth solo album and first project focusing on his instrumentals, 2016’s 88 Steps to Eternity, brought his improvisational prowess to the foreground. Choice is also a producer and in-demand sideman who’s toured and recorded with Michael Franti and Spearhead, Lyrics Born, Too $hort, Ledisi and fellow Skyline High grad Goapele. In 2007, Lauryn Hill recruited him as music director, and he spent 18 months touring internationally with her. More recently he’s collaborated with The Coup, Dwele, Martin Luther, and Amel Larrieux. As a leader, he’s performed widely with the Kev Choice Ensemble, his jazz-hip-hop-funk big band, but the trio offers the most unmediated experience of an artist expanding the possibilities of African-American music.