28 | JUNE 30 • 2022 

K

enny Showler intends for his 
Berkley Coffee to be more than a 
place to enjoy made-to-order cups 
of roasted coffee and steeped loose tea. In 
addition to baked goods, soup, sandwiches, 
other bar snacks and retail items, something 
special he’s offering are community events 
and live entertainment. .

The coffee shop, officially launched on 
April 1, 2022, is at 14661 W
. 11 Mile Road 
in the city of Oak Park’s evolving Water 
Tower Social District.
An afternoon program June 19 enjoyed 
by 50 at Berkley Coffee was advertised as 
a Jewish music open mic and jam session. 
Several professional and near-professional 
musicians sang and played, and the audi-
ence was invited to sing along from song 
sheets.
Professional musician and music edu-
cator Gavri Yares (“rhymes with Paris”) 
arranged and hosted the program. He most 
recently taught at White Lake Elementary 
School in the Huron Valley School District, 
and he also is the musician in residence 
at Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in 
Detroit. His original musical compositions 
can be found at gavriyares.com.
“When Kenny Showler and I first started 
chatting about live music events at Berkley 
Coffee” — they became acquainted on 
Facebook — “I asked him if he planned 
on holding any jam sessions,
” Yares said. “I 
offered to host an acoustic music or Jewish 
music jam session. Kenny loved the idea … 
and I went with it.
”
Starting out, bluegrass musician Grace 
Van’t Hof of Detroit, Yares’ sometime col-
laborator on Tot Shabbat at IADS, was the 
only other professional likely to attend the 

event. “She sings and accompanies herself 
on baritone ukulele, banjo and accordion,
” 
said Yares, who himself is proficient playing 
double bass, guitar, mandolin, ukulele, oud 
and a variety of percussion instruments.
On the music day, Brian Yamstein of 
Oak Park “arrived early on and said that 
he would be more than glad to serve as the 
‘house’ bassist,
” Yares said.
Other performers volunteered themselves 
on a physical or online sign-up sheet. “We 
were pretty flexible with the sign-up por-
tion as this was our first event,
” Yares said. 
He got the concert underway with a nigun, 
Hebrew for a wordless melody. The musical 
genres also took in classical, opera, folk, 
bluegrass, and classic rock and pop. 
Yares will be moving from Oak Park to 
East Lansing this summer with his wife, 
Dr. Laura Yares, a tenure-track professor 
of religious and Jewish studies at Michigan 
State University, and their sons, Nadav, 5, 
and Jonah, 2.
Showler is bringing him back in August 
or September to present another edition 
of the “11 Mile Jewish Music Jam.
” Look 
for details at Berkley Coffee on Facebook 
or berkleycoffee.com, and by following the 
event on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram 
via @11milejmjam.
“I’m hoping it will become a monthly 
occurrence,
” Yares said. 

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER

First of (hopefully) many sessions held 
at Berkley Cof
 ee in Oak Park.

11 Mile Jewish 
Music Jam

OUR COMMUNITY

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Steve Gilbert of Farmington 
Hills sings and plays his 
acoustic guitar, accompanied 
by bassist Brian Yamstein
of Oak Park.

LEFT: Taking a turn to perform are guitarists 
Gavri Yares and singer Daniel Kotsis, both 
of Oak Park. ABOVE: From left, Dayna 
“Zemirah” Weber of Oakland County sings 
during the open mic jam session, alongside 
Gavri Yares on acoustic guitar and Grace 
Van’t Hof of Detroit playing accordion. 

