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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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 16, 2014
By: Brandon E. Roos
During the second weekend of August, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest turns downtown San Jose into a vibrant celebration of live music. You’ll hear jazz, salsa, R&B, swing, New Orleans and much more on 12 stages over three days. With performances stretching from morning to late night, why not turn your experience into an extended stay? Whether you’re arriving from out of town, out of state or just outside the neighborhood, there are plenty of …
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July 15, 2014
By: Brandon E. Roos
At Summer Fest 25, several artists are paying tribute to musicians who played a key part in inspiring them. Paying one’s musical respects is a hallmark of jazz, where mentorship plays a key role in preserving the art form’s legacy. Artists being honored include contemporary greats, giants of the idiom, and recently lost legends. Below, we run down the five tribute performances happening at this year’s Summer Fest. Ben Flocks Plays the Music of Sonny …
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August 28, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos
After presenting over 120 acts on 11 stages over a three day period, it took us a bit of time to sort through the many stories we heard post Fest. From what we saw and heard, there were plenty of highlights to choose from.
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July 26, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos
Up-and-coming trombonist and singer Natalie Cressman has been hard at work. She just finished another year at the Manhattan School of Music and completed Turn the Sea, her follow-up to 2012 debut, Unfolding. While she wasn’t expecting to make a record so soon, she couldn’t stop the songwriting bursts she encountered. She’s even staying busy over the summer — we caught her during some off time while serving as a counselor at the Stanford Jazz Workshop.
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July 26, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos
Award-winning, nationally-recognized jazz DJ Brad Stone (KCSM, KSJS) is one of the biggest jazz voices in the region, and we’re pleased to have him back as our resident Summer Fest “Jazz Doctor”! Stone is not only a jazz fanatic but a long-time Fest attendee. Fun fact: his many jazz accolades are just part of his hobby — he’s actually a chemistry professor (he really is a doctor!)
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July 19, 2013
“Music is the way for me to stay connected to where I was raised. It seems to be the best way to exist, even though it’s not easy.” How does one re-define their musical voice? Given her recent shift from jazz singer to singer/songwriter, along with the distinguished musical lineage from which she stems, no quote seems more apt to describe the winding journey Sasha Dobson has experienced on the way to Aquarius, her latest …
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August 5, 2012
By: Brandon E. Roos
Most musicians don’t start by learning jazz in preschool, but then again, most musicians aren’t Laila Smith. Thanks to an early music teacher, Smith discovered her passion for jazz at the age of four and debuted on the Summer Fest stage accompanying a jazz choir when she was only six. Thirteen years later, she’s about as decorated as a singer her age can be. Her latest award may be her most notable – she …
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