Fillmore Jazz Festival:
2-day gathering celebrates street’s musical heritage
Wardell Walters adjusted his green top hat as he strolled along Fillmore Street, the crown-shaped, green and gold broach pinned near this throat shimmering under the morning sun.
Behind him, musicians and stage crews set up speakers, amps and drum sets in preparation for the two-day Fillmore Jazz Festival in San Francisco on Saturday and Sunday, held annually in a changing neighborhood once known as the Harlem of the West.
Despite the changes to the neighborhood, the 63-year-old Walters, who’s lived in the Fillmore for 31 years, said that on this day the street’s musical history is reinvigorated and jazz reverberates throughout the city.
“I don’t worry about whether or not jazz is going to fade away. The most important thing is that you enjoy it while it’s here,” Walters said, smoothing out his maroon and purple robe and twirling his black cane.
His clothing ensemble stood out in the sea of people as he weaved in and out through the crowds until passersby stopped him to take a photo.
“You take a blank canvas, some paint, some brushes and you go for it,” Walters said of his style.
Lee Carter, 46, and her husband, D. Carter, 48, had driven in from Castro Valley for a date day, leaving their children, ages 10 and 18, at home. The two are regulars at the Fillmore Jazz Festival and said that since Yoshi’s San Francisco, a jazz music venue, shut its doors in 2015, the festival isn’t as vibrant as it once was.
In past years, Yoshi’s San Francisco would feature artists who filled the street with music and set a unique vibe in the festival, D. Carter said, a vibe that was missing this year.
“You don’t really hear the music, you don’t really hear the vibe just yet,” D. Carter said, looking around, noting that it was still early.
As the two wandered through the tents of handmade jewelry and baskets, they snagged a card that opens to a bouquet of flowers.
“Never seen anything like this before,” D. Carter said, holding up the red greeting card.
The aroma of funnel cakes cooking in a fryer overpowered that of the samosas and kabobs roasting nearby. Vendors set out the usual festival fare, like shirts with Frida Kahlo’s face painted on the front and one-piece outfits for children with “I’m All That And Dim Sum” and “Oh Kale Yeah!” printed on the front.
Rachel Adjobi, 18, of Oakland, helped her mother by setting out sticks of incense, with names such as “Michelle Obama,” “Butt Naked,” “Lick Me All Over,” and of course, more of the usual scents, such as sandalwood and rose.
The two brought goods from their shop in Oakland, Sankofa African Arts & Jewelry, where they sell handmade items from Ghana. To Adjobi, whose mother has been selling at the festival for 13 years, the festival vendors are more diverse now than in years past. And the music isn’t bad either.
For Adjobi’s generation, concerts usually include a table and a DJ set, as electronic dance music has taken off. Adjobi herself said she likes to stick to hip-hop and rhythm and blues.
“I don’t listen to a lot of jazz, but when it does come on, it’s tolerable. It’s really soothing,” Adjobi said.
Less than a block away from where Adjobi and her mother had set up shop, Will Harris had his back against the wall near Fillmore and Sutter streets, waiting for a generator to hook up the speakers that rested by his feet.
The trumpet player was planning to go live around noon with his Oakland band, Loafers and Sneakers.
To him, jazz wasn’t dead, even as DJs were becoming more prominent on the music scene and listeners like Adjobi had popular hip-hop artists playing on repeat.
“Every time has its own rhythm, its own beat. ( Jazz) is our culture,” Harris said, extending his arms and gesturing to a bandmate, who plugged in his keyboard to the speakers. “It’s steeped in the spiritual blues and gospel music of the African American culture.”
Within the hour, Harris was blowing into his trumpet as another bandmate swayed while playing the saxophone. A large crowd of listeners of all ages gathered in front of the group, dancing to the jazz and filming the artists on their cell phones.
“It’s all about what you bring to it,” Harris said of the genre. “It takes dedication. It’s a sacrifice. We don’t have people who support (jazz) like classical, but we have people who dedicate their lives to this art form.”