When the last notes die down at the Main Stage, it’s time to discover just what the festival has going on after dark. These more intimate gatherings will showcase the breadth of the festival’s line-up. They’re also sure to bring inspirational, free-form moments that have long happened at our late-night events.
Drum! Night
For the fourth straight year, Drum! Magazine will team up with San Jose Jazz for Drum! Night. Kenny Aronoff, Tim Yeung and Cora Coleman-Dunham are set to perform. Show up early to see a performance by San Jose Taiko outside the San Jose Rep or head inside to take part in a pre-show “stick tricks” workshop with Nate Brown. You can also test new gear in the Roland V-Drums Lab and take a look at the vintage drums on display in the drum museum. Tickets range from $20-$35.
Jams @ Summer Fest
As past attendees know, anything can happen at one of our jams. Some of the festival’s best moments rise out of spontaneity, and these jams should prove no different. For some, you’re even invited to play! All jams are free with festival admission.
Starting 9pm Friday, Aart de Geus and other well known Silicon Valley leaders will be taking part in the Synaptics CEO Jam. A celebration of Silicon Valley know-how, a cross-section of the tech elite will be sharing the stage with festival artists for a night of free-form entertainment. Interested executives are encouraged to send an email to ceojam@sanjosejazz.org. This event is presented by Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Follow up Friday’s jam by attending one of our two Saturday jams. Our Festival Jam, hosted on the Cisco Bella Mia Stage by Red Dragon Quintet member and Hedley Jazz Jam co-leader Oscar Pangilinan, invites anyone to come and play with the pros. The same rules apply at our Latin Jazz Jam with the “Master and Lions of Latin Jazz,” hosted by Mister Latin Jazz, Arturo Riera, on the patio of Mezcal and Billy Berk’s. Walk-ins are welcome at the Latin Jazz jam — just bring your instrument and sign in! Both jams start at 9pm.
Jazz Beyond
At 8pm Saturday, the Castellano Latin Stage will transform into the Jazz Beyond Stage. Come experience two great local acts that are pushing the jazz envelope by fusing its spirit with other genres in new and inovative ways.
Billed as simply a “live music experience,” Punjabi-hop collective BlackMahal will open the stage at 8pm. While their approach is largely modern, their line-up also includes living legend Ustad Lal Singh Bhatti, the most famous dhol drum and Punjabi vocalist in the world. Their stage show is set to include saxophone, turntables and two MC’s — it doesn’t get much more fusion at Summer Fest than this!
Subharmonic, led by writer, producer and bandleader Adam Theis, follows at 10pm. A rogue instrumentalist and tireless musical tinkerer, Theis layers electronic experimentation and manipulation to the group’s brass-heavy sound. Their set is sure to frame fantastic musicianship in a cutting edge package.
After Hours at the Pagoda
If Morris Day & the Time doesn’t suit your tastes, you may want to try two newcomers from Boston with a lot of local buzz. Sonnymoon return to the Pagoda Lounge Friday, inside the Fairmont Hotel, at 8:30pm for “Jazz Beyond, Live at the Pagoda.” If you aren’t acquainted with their sound, you’re in for a treat, as member Anna Wise adds true vocal craftsmanship to a sound that brings together elements of hip-hop, electronic, jazz and R&B. Pre-sale tickets available here.
Following Sonnymoon Friday, Julius Papp and The Selecter DJ Kirk will be spinning hand-picked luxury soul as part of the After Hours at the Pagoda series. J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science will add some live flare and instrumentation to their world music-infused hip-hop Saturday. Both After Hours events run from 10pm-1:30am. They are free with a festival wristband and $10 without. You can purchase pre-sale tickets for J Boogie’s show here.
Club Crawl
Our Club Crawl is ideal for patrons looking to wind down with some great food without getting too far removed from the festival. 12 different venues will be hosting acts that pair well with their dishes and ambience.
For music later in the night, try wine bar A Perfect Finish, just down the street from our Castellano Latin Stage. Quasimodal will be performing Friday night and Blue House perform Saturday. Both sets run 9pm-Midnight. Gordon Biersch will host JP & the Rhythm Chasers 9:30-11:30pm Saturday from 9:30pm and the Hedley Club will be hosting the Dirty Downtown Jazz Syndicate from 9:30pm-12:30am Saturday.
JC Smith’s Blues Club
Got a craving for blues that’s bound to continue well into the night? Then head over to JC Smith’s Blues Club, open 9pm-1am Friday and Saturday. Friday, JC will be saluting the original living legends of South Bay blues, with a night that will include performances by the JC Smith Band, Chris Cain, Andy Just, Gary Smith and Sammy Varela. Legally Blue will open festivities Saturday, followed by a rotating cast of performers that will include Delmark Records artists Toranzo Cannon, Sharon Lewis and Dave Specter in addition to Wendy DeWitt, La Tenaza, Livia Jean Slingerland, Lady Chico and More. Admission is $10 per night with a festival wristband and $15 without.
Late Night Acts @ Metro Market
After Morris Day & the Time finish Friday, walk over to San Pedro Square Market to the jazz-pop of the Yesberger Band at 10pm. Closing the stage that night at midnight will be Marcus L. Miller with Freedom Jazz Movement. Saturday night, step in and see Ben Flocks, billed as B-Flo and the Love Machine, at 10pm, followed by the serious four trombone attack of Synchronicity (not to be confused with the West Valley College’s vocal jazz ensemble, who are playing the Next Gen Stage 2pm Sunday).
Wind down with a drink and live music at one of our Club Crawl events, dance the night away at Pagoda Lounge, or see some brilliant live performances at our jams — all after hours at Summer Fest!
Which late-night events will you be attending? Let us know by commenting on our Facebook post!