November 16, 2017
By: Nick Panoutsos
Every year, SJZ Jazz Beyond programming shines a spotlight on powerful emerging voices in R&B, soul, and hip-hop who have drawn inspiration from the jazz tradition. Curated in partnership with Universal Grammar, the series attracts an energetic crowd of music lovers across the genre spectrum. One of the most exciting acts of this year’s Summer Fest was Bay Area seven-piece The Seshen, whose electrifying performance on the festival’s opening night filled the Cafe Stritch Stage …
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July 21, 2017
By: Cate Ayson
Summer Fest has a distinguished track record of presenting great musical talents on the ascent to a very fruitful career. Seeing notable musicians can be great, but it can be just as fulfilling discovering something brand new. Keep these five artists on your radar Fest weekend. The Seshen Bay Area based six-piece the Seshen’s forward-thinking sounds combine synthesizers, drum machines, live percussion and hypnotizing harmonies, creating an amazing synthesis of R&B, synth-pop, and electronic music. …
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August 14, 2016
By: Brandon E. Roos
As usual, Summer Fest has been a whirlwind! I can’t believe it’s already Sunday. Plenty of musical highlights to revisit, and I’m excited to see what today will bring on the Fest’s final day. This list is in no way definitive, but here my five Summer Fest highlights so far and a couple recommendations for your Sunday listening pleasure: Friday Mark de Clive-Lowe Though his midnight start time may have been too late for some, …
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August 7, 2015
By: Gabriela Hill
Imagine locking yourself in a room with the friends you grew up with for 16 hours a day, every day, over the course of an entire month so each of you can contribute to one another’s work. Jazz saxophonist, composer, producer, and bandleader Kamasi Washington did just that in December 2011, when he and a number of his close musician friends cleared their schedules to focus solely on creating and capturing their own music rather than …
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August 4, 2015
By: Gabriela Hill
You asked for a place where you can really spin – and we heard you! For over 20 years, salsa dancers have come out in droves to celebrate the summer and enjoy the Salsa Stage. This year, we’re kicking off Summer Fest with a nod to that history. On Friday evening, we’re featuring dynamic, fusion-inspired musical performances on two stages, free of charge, as part of the South First Fridays Art Walk. After, join us …
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July 28, 2014
By: Brandon E. Roos
With Summer Fest only a few short weeks away, we’re bringing back our Fest Five series, where SJZ staff and community members share the five artists, events or activities they’re most excited to experience during Summer Fest. We re-introduce the series with Tom Flynn, CEO of Connect Address. Before his current tenure with Connect Address, Flynn co-founded a number of Silicon Valley start-ups, among them Lavante Inc. and AuditSolutions Inc. When he’s not hard at …
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July 23, 2014
By: Brandon E. Roos
After a Winter Fest 2013 performance in José James’s band that found him making up for lost time on stage (more on that below), Kris Bowers steps forward to showcase material from his recent debut, Heroes + Misfits, at Summer Fest 2014 when he closes our Jazz Beyond Stage Fri Aug 8. Thanks to technology, we asked Bowers a few questions via Skype while he was on tour with James in Finland. He let us …
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August 8, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos
Tommy Aguilar has long been a force on the local music scene. With his production company and taste-making collective Universal Grammar, he continually brings quality, forward-thinking music to the intimate, deep red confines of the Pagoda, which will also serve as the home of this year’s RBC Jazz Beyond Stage. This year, he helped us curate our jazz beyond stage programming, which has been expanded to three days. He’s also been instrumental in helping us spearhead …
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August 2, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos
Singer, producer and flugelhorn/trumpet player Miles Bonny has a croon that can put a full room at ease. There’s an enviable confidence in his delivery, as evidenced from the muted horn on “Lumberjack Soul,” currently an office favorite. The tone seems to carry a certain subtle wisdom. “You silly city dweller,” he sings while exploring a lush forest in the song’s video. The lyric is fitting, as he has now fully embraced the persona he …
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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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