May 15, 2018
San Jose Jazz Staff
Always celebratory and frequently familial, the Salsa Stage is one of San Jose Jazz Summer Fest’s musical and social pillars. For 2018, the stage’s bookings are in the good hands—and keen ears—of Betto Arcos. Qualifications-wise, Arcos is top shelf: A radio journalist, DJ, educator and concert producer, the Los Angeles resident has been heard on NPR and PRI. He has taught art, culture and broadcast journalism at Loyola Marymount University and is currently the producer …
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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 22, 2014
By: Brandon E. Roos
Once again, the second weekend in August transformed downtown San Jose into a live music oasis. This year, patrons from around the country could catch Conjunto Chappottin, a legendary Cuban son band formed in the 1940’s, and Snarky Puppy, one of jazz’s most electrifying young ensembles — whose performance San Jose Mercury News writer Richard Scheinin said “gave a jolt, like a second cup of java” — in addition to Australian vocalist Alex Hahn paying tribute to Etta James, Latin jazz pioneer Jerry …
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August 4, 2014
By: Brandon E. Roos
As our premiere event of the year, Summer Fest provides us with the opportunity to highlight our year-round education efforts. We look forward to Summer Fest 25 putting a greater spotlight on our initiatives than ever before! Here we highlight the many ways education and youth will be celebrated as part of our full weekend of festivities, and shine a light on the musical director behind a long-standing Next Gen act at Summer Fest, the …
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July 28, 2014
By: Brandon E. Roos
Well before she founded Motéma Music, the acclaimed jazz and world music label based in Harlem, Jana Herzen was a Palo Alto resident. The daughter of two well-known Stanford University scientists, she delighted in exploring the beautiful terrain that’s now made way for lots and lots of tech. “I hate to have to age myself this way, but I was there before Silicon Valley was Silicon Valley,” recalls the Gunn High graduate. “I remember getting on my …
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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 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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August 9, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos
This is our second Summer Fest with Executive Director Brendan Rawson at the helm. When we approached him to offer his Summer Fest take, he was excited to join in and provided a fun spin on all the new changes we’re delivering to Summer Fest this year. Brendan used our Fest Five format to help highlight some Summer Fest 2013 hallmarks. Here, in his words, he provides us with his five exciting festival changes 1. A …
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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 6, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos (Interview by Massimo Chisessi)
Pink Martini is an apt group to describe our time. Though their music can evoke an infectious nostalgia that touches upon 40’s cinema, classical music and the 1950’s Latin music explosion, their musical diversity is indicative of the global perspective that is the norm in our ultra-connected world. Similarly, the group’s many cultural touchstones can providing glimpses into a number of cultures within a single set – perfect to accommodate our shortened attention spans. In …
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