Music in the Air … with Mark ‘Fenny’ Fenichel – A festival designed to sample all musical genres coming to San Jose

Published in the July 25 – August 7, 2018 issue of Gilroy Life

Photo courtesy Robert Birnbich
The crowd awaits George Clinton at a recent SJZ Summer Fest.

San Jose Jazz Summer Fest returns to San Jose for its 29th festival season from Friday Aug. 10 through Sunday Aug. 12 in and around Plaza de César Chavez Park in downtown San Jose. This event is a fantastic showcase for jazz, blues, funk, R&B, salsa, world and related genres.

SJZ Summer Fest (as they call it) is nationally recognized as one of the biggest Latin festivals in the country and a magnet for international artists. Above and beyond any other year, SJZ Summer Fest 2018 illuminates the depths of electrifying global jazz happening around the world by supporting new Summer Fest artists hailing from Cuba, Australia, Switzerland, Argentina, Spain, Ghana, Japan and Luxembourg.

A standout summer destination for Bay Area music lovers and families alike, the three-day event includes 120-plus performances on 12 stages, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to downtown San Jose throughout the weekend.

This year’s music festival will feature an acclaimed lineup with main stage acts such as Kool & the Gang; Herb Alpert and Lani Hall; Lalah Hathaway; Booker T. and his Stax Revue: A Journey Through Soul, Blues and R&B; Goapele, Yissy & Bandancha; Nachito Herrera Trio; and Vincent Herring’s Story of Jazz: 100 Years, just to name a few.

For nearly three decades, San Jose Jazz has embraced its steadfast commitment to presenting today’s most distinguished acts from around the world and homegrown talent at one of North America’s foremost festivals. All in one place you will get Grammy award-winning artists, the hottest salsa and Latin bands, classic jazz pioneers, world music stars, top local emerging musicians, and genre-busting hip-hop, R&B and soul artists.

This is a great opportunity to expose yourself and your family to a wide variety of musical artist that you could never get in one place anywhere else. Single day tickets range from as low as $15 for general admission to $175 for a VIP experience if purchased by July 31.

All ticket prices will increase to Gate Price starting Aug. 1. For the complete line-up and ticket information visit summerfest.sanjosejazz.org or call (408) 288-7557.

•            •             •

On another note, Lana’s Dance Studio still has availability for her most respected Summer Camp for the weeks of Aug. 13-16 and Aug. 20-23.  Call her in Gilroy at (408) 848-3812 to get your child on the list.

•            •             •

Also, our best wishes go out to Renee Carrillo and her staff at GVA Café in Morgan Hill. The repairs from the flood caused by a water pipe break from above the café are still ongoing and they may not be re-opening the café or the music and art studio until the third week of August at the earliest. I will keep you all posted.

•            •             •

Finally, one more note. The 40th Annual Gilroy Garlic Festival is upon us this Friday through Sunday with a huge line-up of amazing local and not so local music on numerous stages all weekend long.

This is a fun event to get a taste of musical genres ranging from country to classic rock, and also a family-friendly place to taste (and smell) the garlicky flavors of a variety of garlic-laden foods from scampi to tri-tip.

Eat, drink and enjoy the many flavors of music, food and fine wines from our own region from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Christmas Hill Park.

Got a music tip? Email [email protected].