J Soul at The Annex Sessions, brought to you by SunJams and Javier Navarrette

“The Annex Sessions" Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 6-8:30pm will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) 

J Soul

Fusion, Funk, Jazz and Soul

Featuring:

Jerry Kennedy - Bass/Voice

Dave Shul - Guitar

Kevin Wong - Keys

Ron Smith - Drums

Christian Pepin – Percussion

JSoul plays a mixture of jazz, world, and funk music. Pulling on the sounds of Headhunters to James Brown and mixing in modern sounds with incredible grooves and blistering solos. They play instrumentals and vocal tunes sung by Jerry Kennedy. Be prepared to enjoy sitting and

listening and having an occasional urge to get up and boogie.  This band is fun and funky.

Jerry Kennedy (Bass/Vocals)

Bassist singer Educator. Widely known for his soaring vocals and funky  bass playing and live energy. Jerry has a wide range of musical influencers. From his youth growing up in the 60s and 70s to his fusion roots of the 80s and his funk leaning circling back. He has toured with Morris Day and the time, James Brown, P Funk and many more. Jerry attended Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, California in the late 80s. From there he worked with international artist (Gwen Brisco), performing for Nelson Mandela in South  Africa. Jerry worked with many artists in the in Los Angeles, including house band with Blood Sweat and Tears band members. Eventually ending up in Gainesville, Florida he put together the band “What It Is” along with his music  partner Avi Bortnick of John Scofield band.. After a great, run of five plus years, dominating the college scene. Jerry went on to start a family and establish a mentoring program for foster youths, (Fosters Assisting Fosters). He currently works as the band director and general music teacher, at Black Pine Circle School in Berkeley California. He’s also very active in the bay area band scene.

Dave Shul (Guitar)

Dave has been involved in the Bay Area music scene for the past 35 years as a songwriter, producer and guitarist. His versatility landed him gigs with Ozomatli, Sly and Robbie, Lenny Williams, Jennifer Holiday, Counting Crows, Pink and Billy Preston to name a few. He was also a member of Michael Franti and Spearhead for 14 years writing over 30 songs over the span of seven albums. In his spare time he works with Bay Area youth musicians in bands and coaches them through his decades of experience.

Kevin Wong (Keys)

Kevin Wong is widely regarded as one of the best keyboard bass players this side of the Mississippi, pulling off mind-bending solos with his right hand while seamlessly holding it down with his left.  With an ear as sharp as a hawk, Kevin brings an unprecedented level of energy and musicality to the bandstand that speaks well beyond his youthful appearance and soft spoken demeanor.  With a soulful yet highly calibrated approach, Kevin takes audiences on a ride every time he plays with his unique playing style that is heavily steeped in funk but with a jazz & gospel mentality. Kevin headlined the Drumeo festival in Vancouver with drummer Tommy Igoe, as well as at the Nakasu Jazz Festival in Japan with Kenji "Jino" Hino (son of Terumasa

Hino) in 2019.  Currently Kevin is the keyboardist, bandleader & composer for his newest project, the Huney Knuckles, as well as the keyboardist for Tommy Igoe & the WIM Trio, Lyrics Born, Jazz Mafia, Tony Lindsay & Collectivity.

Ronnie Smith (Drums/Vocals)

Ronnie Smith is a drummer & vocalist from Eastbay/Oakland who has toured, performed and/or recorded w/ Chris Cain, Kim Wilson, Vanessa Collier, Sons of the Soul Revivers, Maria Muldaur, Sugar Pie DiSanto, Henry Gray, Ledisi, Goapele, Joe Louis Walker, Debbie Davies, John Primer, Darrell Nulisch, Sonny Greene, Magic Dick, Tommy Castro, Matt Schofield, Janiva Magness, Bob Corritore, Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, Jubu Experience, Legally Blynd, Mike Meezy Marshall, Gospel Hummingbirds, James J Mitch Mitchell, Lawrence Matthews, Jon Atkinson, Aki Kumar, Alabama Mike, Johnny Talbot, Freddie Hughes, Bobbie Reed, Rusty Zinn, Junior Watson, Sista Monica, Ron Hacker, Stefanie Keys, Leah Tysse, Lloyd Gregory, Paisley Hinton.

Christian Pepin (Percussion)

A musical multi-linguist, 2x GRAMMY® Award Winner, and 2016 GRAMMY®-Nominated Percussionist, Christian Pepin is a versatile musician who embodies the soul of a percussionist, inherently stirring the human spirit. From his supersonic slaps to his thunderous open tones

and heavy-hitting bass notes, Christian Pepin showcases a deep appreciation for Latin, Jazz, Rock, Punk, Screamo, Country, and World Music. His keen musical sense, gifted interpretation of rhythm, and the influence of New York’s vibrant streets allow him to translate his passion

effortlessly. Whether on stage or immersed in Avant-garde Jazz, Salsa, Latin Jazz, Fusion, or Heavy Rock, he makes his drums speak fluently to any listener.

The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier
Navarrette Music Productions.

SunJams  is committed to funding children's music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.
All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 - any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.

Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.

 Follow Javier Navarrette on Facebook , Instagram and YouTube. 

COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES
Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.

TICKETS

Tickets are encouraged, we are happy to offer you a reserved seat (limited seating available) if you RSVP with a donation that will go towards paying for the music. Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter. 

The Annex 

The Annex is a lively space for shopping, dining and relaxing. As the newest part of The Natural Grocery Company, the values are the same: a passion for vibrant community, healthy organic food and respect for the planet. 

"The Annex Sessions" is sponsored by the Natural Grocery Company in its commitment to serve the local community and help in the recovery of the local art scene. 

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week, inside the Annex you’ll find: A Cafe, Juice Bar, Deli, Wine & Beer, and more.

The Annex building itself embodies our values: a few of the sustainable features are: extensive re-use of materials from the pre-existing structure, use of recycled materials from local vendors, and reliance on the solar energy we produce here, supplemented with other clean energy sources.

DONATIONS

SunJams is committed to funding children's music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program. 

In addition, we need to raise funds to continue bringing you this exciting new ( launched in April 2022) live music program. All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 - any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to our 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt. 

Please DONATE HERE

DURING THE SHOW

We will be taking cash or check donations at check-in, during intermission & at the end of the show. 

TIME

The Annex is open every day, please check their website for hours (https://naturalgrocery.com/annex/).


The show will begin at 6:00 PM and conclude by 8:30 PM.