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 …
Continue Reading »
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 …
Continue Reading »
August 6, 2013
By: Mandee Banga
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest is offering hundreds of artists on 11 stages throughout Downtown San Jose in a festival atmosphere, but what if you wanted to watch your favorite artist in a more intimate setting? For the first time ever, San Jose Jazz will be presenting a series of special Jazz+ Concerts. With Jazz+, you have the opportunity to watch a handful of artists in a more intimate, relaxed setting. All Jazz+ events can …
Continue Reading »
July 30, 2013
By: Laura G. Thorne, Ten Ton Troll
To fully understand the identity & music of Arturo O’Farrill is to understand the story of America: a coming together of many cultures, producing a unique & altogether fascinating result. It is a product that is in some ways wholly contemporary, but yet draws upon decades – if not centuries – of tradition, all of which are expressed on many levels, whether in the depths of yearning for some long-ago past or in the excitement …
Continue Reading »
July 26, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos
To help shed some light on this year’s Latin offerings at Summer Fest, we consulted the source himself: Arturo Riera, the San Jose Jazz board member otherwise known as “Mister Latin Jazz.” In this blog post, he walks us through the top-notch Latin jazz and salsa acts you’ll encounter throughout downtown San Jose August 9-11.
Continue Reading »
July 24, 2013
By: Brandon E. Roos
Arturo Riera, otherwise known as “Mister Latin Jazz,” offers you a guided introduction to the great Latin talent that will be performing at this year’s Summer Fest. Riera starts with a bit of background on 2011 MacArthur Fellow Dafnis Prieto and Cuban saxophonist Yosvany Terry. He then elaborates on the acts, and themes, you’ll encounter during our three days of wonderful programming on the Kaiser Permanente Salsa Stage. Watch the video in full below. Click …
Continue Reading »
July 22, 2013
We say that every second weekend in August, Summer Fest transforms downtown San Jose into a haven for live music of all forms. Our new San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2013 line-up video, handled with care by Siren Song Creations, delivers that idea with a creative twist. Watch as dozens of names pop up around, and fly high above, downtown San Jose. Make sure to see them in the flesh August 9-11 on 11 stages throughout …
Continue Reading »
July 19, 2013
Currently studying Public Relations at San Jose State University, Mandee is helping us in the marketing department in the days leading up to Summer Fest. Aside from being on her computer all the time — she’s a huge social media fan — she enjoys urban exploring and connecting with others IRL (Internet slang for “in real life”). This is her first Summer Fest and she’s excited to be part of the team! Mandee’s “fest five,” …
Continue Reading »
July 30, 2012
By: Brandon E. Roos
Who better to introduce this year’s great Castellano Latin Stage and Kaiser Permanente Salsa Stage acts than the man who booked them, San Jose Jazz board member Arturo Riera. In addition to his role with San Jose Jazz, Riera is co-founder and director of the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco, co-founding partner for event company Latino Entertainment Partners and is Chair of the Board for San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Arts and Events, producer …
Continue Reading »
