July 24, 2013
Before his performance at Pagoda as part of our Jazz Beyond monthly series, we had a chance to speak with the inimitable Mark de Clive-Lowe, who returns to San Jose to close our RBC Jazz Beyond Stage Fri Aug 9. As he notes in part one of our interview, his work encompasses a little bit of everything — he’s self-described as a “piano player, musician, DJ, remixer and creative collaborator.” Clive-Lowe fully embodies our Jazz …
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July 10, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos
Get ready to dance Friday night away on our Main Stage! We’re pleased to announce that we’ll be kicking off Summer Fest with an active night of Afrobeat, R&B, funk, soul and more on our Main Stage Friday night! Starting strong at 6pm, we welcome Afrolicious, a group (and celebrated club night) that fuses funk, Afrobeat, hip hop and reggae with electronic sensibility. The group features members that were frequent guests at their party, which …
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May 2, 2013
Summer Fest is known for its variety, and for discovering talent that’s about to break onto the international stage. Witness 2011’s Trombone Shorty, who stunned all of us with his performance and has since shot to international fame. This year’s lineup will be no different. We’re presenting the best of straight ahead and vocal jazz, Latin, salsa, blues, zydeco and related genres performed by established stars, emerging talents and local gems. While the festival may …
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August 2, 2012
By: Laura G. Thorne
With a voice described by Jazz Times as “sounding, as always, like a sun-dappled glacier leisurely, meanderingly melting its way down a Colorado mountainside,” Diane Reeves is a superlative singer and interpreter, an artist who is quintessentially jazz. She is fast becoming an icon, much as Reeves’ inspiration, Sarah Vaughan, was back in her day. Known to many for playing the jazz singer in George Clooney’s atmospheric film Good Night and Good Luck – a …
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July 31, 2012
By: Laura G. Thorne
If the Crusaders did not invent contemporary jazz, they certainly played a pivotal role in popularizing what was then a new approach to the classic hard bop style, occupying a space somewhere between fusion, smooth jazz, R&B, funk and soul. Originally from Houston, Texas, the group’s sound calls up the 1970’s in a way that few can duplicate. To listen to their records now, one is reminded of Return to Forever, Pat Metheny & …
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July 27, 2012
By: Brandon E. Roos
With more than a decade and a half of experience as a songwriter already under her belt – and still only a few weeks shy of 22 – Amanda Shaw is no stranger to the spotlight. A constant ambassador for her beloved Crescent City, Shaw is a violin prodigy hoping to spread the spirit and rich musical history of New Orleans through her virtuoso playing, which has already taken her around the world. This …
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July 25, 2012
By: Laura G. Thorne
Morris Day was indelibly imprinted upon the cultural zeitgeist with his scene-stealing appearance in Prince’s Purple Rain, released in 1984. A consummate showman, his compelling stage presence and equally mesmerizing dance moves elevated him to super-stardom and made him a household name. However, Morris Day’s career began long before that in Minneapolis, where he and Prince were classmates and formed a high school band, Grand Central. Prince was signed to Warner Brothers Records when …
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July 23, 2012
By: Laura G. Thorne
Though considered a contemporary or smooth jazz artist – in 2010, Billboard Magazine named James “The Number 3 Top Contemporary Jazz Artist of the Decade” – Boney James says he has never thought of himself as a jazz artist, specifically. He cites legendary producer Quincy Jones as a major inspiration, and also says he’s long been influenced by contemporary R&B. Says James, “I always try to make sure my records possess integrity. I make Boney …
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July 18, 2012
By: Laura G. Thorne
Trumpet player, bandleader, composer and arranger Terence Blanchard is one of the most critically recognised players in jazz music today. A twelve-time Grammy nominee and five-time Grammy award recipient, Blanchard’s lush, cinematic writing style is at once timeless and yet entirely contemporary, with a tip of the hat to the ghosts of jazz greats past, but with a unique and haunting character that is 100% his own. Said Vanity Fair of Blanchard, “He plays the …
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July 13, 2012
By: Brandon E. Roos
Looking to take in some fabulous songstresses at this year’s Summer Fest? Our fantastic cast of vocalists feature locals and former internationals, teenagers and seasoned professionals, yet all further the lyrical tradition of past greats. Leading our list of distinguished vocalists is four-time Grammy® Winner Dianne Reeves, one of Summer Fest’s headliners. Regarded as one of the finest jazz singers of her time, Reeves’s respectable catalog all but guarantees that her set will be full of …
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