15th Annual San Jose Jazz Festival!

[Mike Schwartz]

MANY Jazzcorner clients on the roster...

www.sanjosejazz.org

[Mike Schwartz]

Here's the entire lineup...all FREE except the Gala on 08/05 which is a fundraiser...




Gala
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Thursday, August 5

6:00 pm - Dinner and concert

Kim Nalley, Taylor Eigsti Trio, Jamie Davis and the San Jose Jazz Society Orchestra, directed by Wayne Wallace.

Main Stage
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Friday, August 6

5:30 pm - Los Rumberos

7:30 pm - Bobby Sanabria



Sunday, August 8

12:00 pm - Oakland Interfaith Choir

2:00 pm - Lizz Wright

4:00 pm - Terence Blanchard

6:00 pm - Ray Barretto

Saturday, August 7

12:00 pm - Pascal & Remy LeBeouf

2:00 pm - San Jose Jazz Society Big Band with Steve and Michael Turre

4:00 pm - James Moody

6:00 pm Pete Escovedo with Ray Vega


Latin Stage
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Saturday, August 7

1:00 pm - Viva Brasil

3:00 pm - Al Molina

5:00 pm - Rumba Club

7:00 pm - Insight
Sunday August 8

1:00 pm - Afromantra

3:00 pm - John Santos

5:00 pm - Mark Levine

7:00 pm - Nosotros



Salsa Stage
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Saturday, August 7

12:30 pm - Charangon

2:30 pm - Palanque

4:30 pm - Mazacote

6:30 pm - QBA
Sunday, August 8

12:30 pm - San Francisco Latin Youth Ensemble

2:30 pm - Vission Latina

4:30 pm - Benny Velarde Super Combo

6:30 pm - Charanson




Repertory Theatre

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Saturday, August 7

12:30 pm - LifeForce Jazz featuring Eddie Henderson

2:30 pm - Jovino Santos-Neto

4:30 pm - John Worley

6:30 pm - Dena DeRose


Sunday, August 8

12:30 pm - Kim Nalley

2:30 pm - Dave Ellis

4:30 pm - Peter Bernstein

6:30 pm - Jane Bunnett


Dobson Stage

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Saturday, August 7

1:00 pm - Glen Pearson

3:00 pm - John Stowell

5:00 pm - Hafez Modirzadeh

7:00 pm - Tierney Sutton
Sunday, August 8

1:00 pm - Lifetime Achievers

3:00 pm - Sasha Dobson, Weedy

5:00 pm - Sylvia Cuenca

7:00 pm - Virginia Mayhew


Blues Stage

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Saturday, August 7

12:30 pm - Big City Thrill

2:30 pm - The Huckelbucks

4:30 pm - Taylor P. Collins

6:30 pm - Gary Smith Blues Band
Sunday, August 8

12:30 pm - Johnny Smith

2:30 pm - Jeffrey Halford

4:30 pm - Julian Vaught Blues Band featuring Ella Pennewell

6:30 pm - Chris Cain

[Mike Schwartz]

making this one current as the fest is now just 3 weeks away...

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

What's Repertory Theatre???

-52nd

[Mike Schwartz]

One of the stages will be inside the SJ Rep theater building, a very nice venue...

[Mike Schwartz]

KSJS got it's stage assignment...we'll host the Smith Dobson Stage at Pete Escovito's Latin Jazz Club on First Street.

I'm taking some sort of emcee assignment Sunday afternoon,if you're coming to the fest and want to say hello...

[Mike Schwartz]

This year was the least of the festival that I've taken in since coming out here.
I was with my Dad, my daughter and her fiance as they were out here sharing a vacation.

That said, I took an emcee assignment for KSJS on Sunday the 8th at the Dobson Stage hosted by Pete Escovito's new club.

I saw some of Lizz Wright's set at the main stage.
Unusual that she decided to select mostly understated, quieter songs in a huge outdoor festival setting. What I heard was good never the less...

Hosted and emcee'd for the remainder of the day at the Dobson Stage for Sasha Dobson...the first time since the stage became named after Smith that Dobson family members haved performed in this setting.
What a voice!
Have been smitten since getting a copy of "Introducing Sasha Dobson"
A NYC transplant more than 5 years now, a young woman who is a jazz singer,pure and simple.
New CD to be out in a 2 months or so with a NY based octet she's been working with.
Smith Dobson V was on drums, and Mom [Gail] caught the tail end of the set after singing elsewhere in the festival, and came up to do a number. Another fine job on bass from John Witala[sp?]

Next was Sylvia Cuenca's group with Dr. Eddie Henderson on trumpet & flugel, Essiet Essiet/bass, and first timer Geoffrey Keezer on piano. It's the best I've ever seen Sylvia hit. Keezer coming off a string of special dates [and teaching] at Stanford had no trouble fitting in with this NYC based crew . Always nice to see the Cuenca clan show up to these gigs, her Dad a very sweet individual and proud Papa! I'm convinced that Sylvia's family tree in San Jose is a forest!

Next was another former guest with me at KSJS, and another musician based in NY that plays for lots of family and friends when she comes out here; Viginia Mayhew!
I'd have to say that each and every time I see Viginia perform that she continues to surge forward as a saxophonist, performer, and composer by leaps and bounds. I'll go a little further...to me Virginia is the single most steadily improved musician I know of in the past 7-8 years!
All three sets were terrific in thier own ways, but Mahew took the crown.

Joined by the fantastic Harvie S on bass, the exciting and powerful Victor Jones on drums, and a terrific guitarist whose name escapes me at the moment [who has played with Ornette Coleman]. They had some nicely varied material, including some difficult time changes, and a standard ballad for Virginia's Mom.

The crowd estimate came in as 165,000, the most that I can recall seeing, and why not? Once again San Jose Festival is the single best event in this city each and every year!
It puzzles me why jazz throughout the year isn't presented more regularly.
We'll see how Pete's new club does...I certainly pumped the host venue the entire afternoon, urged those attending the festival to visit the club during the year.The friendly staff at the club asked everyone leaving the premises if they liked what they saw, and handed the club schedule to all those affirmative replies [which was everyone that I witnessed!]

Anybody else attend San Jose?