Sights & Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene. Artist, curator and public programmer Melonie Green told KALW’s Jen Chien about three fantastic arts events happening around the Bay this weekend.
- Black Friday Gratitude Luncheon at 44 Restaurant on 11/25.
- Makossa 10 Year Anniversary at the Overlook Lounge on 11/25.
- "Basics of Basie" at the Oakland Public Conservatory studios in the West Oakland Youth Center on 11/30.

The Black Friday Gratitude Luncheon is put on by the Bay Area Organization of Black Owned Businesses (BAOBOB) and is held as an alternative to the Black Friday shopping frenzy. It's also BAOBOB's one year anniversary. Nyame Selassie will be reading from her memoir Gangster to Guru.
MELONIE GREEN: This is a really empowering evening. It's going to be fun.

Makossa started as a weekly party at the Easy Lounge in Oakland put on by DJs Joe Quixx and Wonway Posibul. They've been spinning a mix of classic salsa, disco, funk, afrobeat, and more for a decade, and now Makossa has satellite parties in SF, LA, and Brooklyn.
MELONIE GREEN: I have so much love and respect for Wonway Posibul and guest DJ Nina Sol.

"Basics of Basie" is a music master class with members of the Count Basie Orchestra. Bobby Floyd (piano), Will Matthews (guitar), Trevor Ware (bass), Ray 'Quasi' Nelson (drums), and Scotty Barnhardt (trumpet) will lead clinic participants through understanding and correctly performing the nuances of dynamics, rhythm, tempo, and groove in the Basie style. It’s hosted by the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music at its new home at the West Oakland Youth Center.
MELONIE GREEN: I love Angela Wellman and her mission for music to be everywhere and accessible to all children.