2026 Lineup / Big Band

Synchronicity is a classical jazz ensemble of alumni from various Bay Area big bands led by Jerry Kroth, a retired professor from Santa Clara University. The band specializes in classic jazz standards including those of Kenton, Basie, Oliver Nelson and Quincy Jones, with a few avant garde surprises thrown in.

The SOJ Big Band was formed almost 20 years ago in the south San Francisco Bay Area to play big band arrangements of gospel, swing, latin, R&B and jazz tunes. The band has performed steadily since its inception in front of enthusiastic audiences and fans of ball room dancing.

The San Jose Jazz High School All Stars Big Band brings together the Bay Area’s most talented high school musicians. At Summer Fest 2026, they’ll be joined by a very special guest: three-time Grammy Award nominee Gretchen Parlato.

The Jazz On Tap Big Band is a passion project built from local and traveling pros, playing a challenging but crowd-pleasing repertoire at public and private events alike.

The Regional All-Star ensembles bring together talented students from across Monterey County, testing their chops on the bandstand while sharing great jazz with the community.

Footnotes Jazz is a San Francisco Bay Area ensemble that showcases contemporary and original big band jazz. Its founding members once played together in the Foothill College jazz program, before going independent under the leadership of Lori Stotko.

The musical focus of the LGS Band is dance, jazz, Latin and vocals in all styles. The classics from Miller, Basie, Brown, and Goodman are among the featured songs as well as more modern works by arrangers such as Nestico, Goodwin, Carter, Hefti, Wolpe and more.

The Ames Jazz Band is a big band rooted in the NASA Ames Research Center community. Drawing on classic jazz, blues and swing, the group has built a following across Bay Area clubs, dances and festivals — including previous appearances at San Jose Jazz Summer Fest.

Afro-Cuban All Stars is the legendary Cuban orchestra at the heart of the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon, one of the most celebrated ensembles in the history of Cuban music. Founded by producer and bandleader Juan de Marcos González, the group has earned four Grammy nominations and made many of its members international stars.

Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra is a massive, 20-piece all-star ensemble drawn from the fabled West Coast ska scene, with a horn section three times the size of most ska groups. Fifteen years in, they remain one of the most powerful live acts in traditional ska — headlining festivals and iconic venues across the US and Europe.

The East Bay Jazz High School All-Stars is a pre-professional music academy for high school jazz musicians. Its two ensembles — big band and combo — rehearse weekly and perform frequently from January through June under the direction of Spencer Sussman.

Full Spectrum Big Band has been delighting Bay Area audiences with traditional and modern big band sounds since 1996. Led by drummer and director Carlos Almeida, the group brings together seasoned musicians with a shared passion for keeping jazz vibrant and alive in the community.

The Swing Solution is a classic big band spanning eight decades of the form — from the forties through the swing revival of the nineties and beyond. Expect vocals, dancing and jazz with the killer solos that brought the crowd to its feet at last year’s Summer Fest.