San Jose Jazz Summer Fest makes a spirited comeback
Music filled the air once again in downtown San Jose this weekend as the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest returned, breaking a long silence imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crowds poured into Plaza de Cesar Chavez on Friday night, danced along to Bloco do Sol’s samba parade, soaked in the sounds of bluesman
Chris Cain and absolutely went wild to the Latin rhythms of Ozomtali. It wasn’t a dream; the jazz festival was back.
“It feels really great to be doing the work that’s our mission to do, with the idea of bringing community together around music — and the wide range of music San Jose Jazz does — creates a lot of joy,” San Jose Jazz Executive
Director Brendan Rawson said.
Rawson concedes that there was a lot more optimism about the COVID-19 pandemic when plans for the festival were put together in the spring. But once the delta variant and the summer spike in cases over the past five weeks took hold, San Jose Jazz adjusted.
If you wanted to go to an indoor stage, you had to show proof of vaccination to get a special wristband, and even then you still need to wear a mask. Audiences on Friday night complied, masking up as they watched Stella Heath’s tribute to Billie Holliday at the Montgomery Theatre.
“With indoor venues and crowded settings, it felt like the responsible thing to do,” Rawson said. “It was also reassuring for our patrons to know that, and it’s been well received.”
Some festivalgoers went masked even outdoors, and the sea of camp chairs that filled Plaza de Cesar Chavez near the Sobrato Organization Main Stage had plenty of gaps as groups kept their distance.
“Which mic is clean? That’s the No. 1 question I have tonight,” singer Amy D. half joked to the crowd as she launched into “When Sunny Gets Blue” with the 7th Street Big Band, an all-star lineup of local musicians that opened the festival.
The festival’s footprint was smaller than in past years, with just six stages instead of 14 spread around downtown. Getting in was a bit different than past years when a simple flash of a wristband sufficed: There was one main entrance for everyone with metal detectors and bag searches, creating a bit of a bottleneck. But once inside, it was idyllic.
For Rick Holden, a former San Jose Jazz board member, nothing could dampen the spirits of having live music back downtown.
“There’s nothing like the jazz festival,” Holden said. “I’m just glad that it’s here. I’ll take it even with just six stages.”
The return of the jazz festival also has been big for downtown. Scott’s Seafood hosted the Mayor’s Jazz Brunch on Saturday morning, an annual event where sponsors and festival donors rub elbows with Mayor Sam Liccardo and other city officials before heading out to the tunes. John Southwell, general manager of the San Jose Marriott, said the hotel was sold out for Saturday night for the first time in 18 months, and other downtown hotels, including the Westin San Jose (aka the Sainte Claire) and the Four Points by Sheraton, also had no rooms to let.
Of course, even without a room, you can enjoy the festival’s final day today with a schedule including Morris Day and the Time, James Francies and Sons of the Soul Revivers. Go to
sanjosejazz.org for tickets and the full schedule.
BARBECUE BENEFIT » Who says guys are the only ones who enjoy a good grill? Ladies of Charity, a 21-member
nonprofit, is aiming to raise money for Sacred Heart Nativity Schools in San Jose with its barbecue fundraiser on Sept. 12 at Saratoga Springs.
Ladies of Charity President
Cathy de Maria said the last in-person event in 2019 brought in nearly $20,000 for Sacred Heart Nativity School and Our Lady of Grace School, middle schools with a goal of putting low-income students on a path to college. And the virtual version last year didn’t do bad, either, raising more than $18,000.
Tickets for the 5 p.m. dinner at 22801 Big Basin Way are $125 each. You can get more information at ladiesofcharitysanjose.org.
GOOD DEED DEPT. » For 25 years, residents of the Peninsula Regent have provided nearly $450,000 in scholarships for dependents of staff members at the San Mateo condominium community for people 60 and older.
The program started in 1996 with a single $1,000 scholarship, but the Education Grant Program has funded about 120 scholarships since then, ranging from $1,500 to $10,000.
The largest grants go to full-time students at fouryear colleges, but others go to part-time students and those enrolled in vocational programs.
Deborah Tindale, who volunteers as chair of the Educational Grant Fund committee, said this year’s campaign raised almost $32,000, which will be awarded to dependents of staff members, known as associates, in 2022. “This giving makes a world of difference to our associates and their dependents as they continue their educations,” she said.
READY TO BOOGIE » One of downtown Campbell’s most popular events returns next weekend with a new name that’s a bit of a mouthful: Boogie Music Festival Remixed. You might remember it as the New Orleans-themed Boogie on the Bayou, Boogie on the Avenue or maybe even the Campbell Prune Festival (which made less sense as the Orchard City lost its orchards).
No matter the name, it sounds like fun, with three stages of music — rock, country, ’80s covers and more — along with food, wine and arts booths along Campbell Avenue from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 22.
Get the music lineups and other information at campbellboogie.com.
JUST ASKING » Many longtime community events, including most of those written about here, are returning this year after being forced to cancel last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you think we should just collectively write off 2020 as a “lost year” for those events when it comes to calling something the 10th annual this or 35th annual that? Maybe we should just stop counting. I’m feeling older just thinking about it.