Music in the Air … with Mark ‘Fenny’ Fenichel: As summer heats up, there’s plenty of local live music to enjoy
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest presents a riveting artist lineup with 100-plus acts across 12 stages
By Mark Fenichel
Mark “Fenny” Fenichel
It looks like live music is back stronger than ever in the valley and South County areas this summer. Many of the wineries such as Clos LaChance, Guglielmo and Satori Cellars continue to impress with top local live music weekly. Check your favorite winery website for the music listings. The Morgan Hill Chamber’s wildly popular Friday night Music Series is off to a strong start and going every Friday throughout the summer. Many of the summer art & wine festivals are back too, including the Palo Alto Festival of the arts Aug. 27 and 28 in downtown Palo Alto and the Mountain View Art & Wine as well. Still no word on the Taste of Morgan Hill.
Silicon Valley’s premier annual three-day music event, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2022 Aug. 12,13 and 14 has an amazing line-up with headliners on The Sobrato Organization Main Stage including Gap Band front-man and R&B icon Charlie Wilson and Soul Train Music Awards/NAACP Image Awards winner R&B/soul vocalist Leela James. One of today’s most highly sought-after entertainers, Charlie Wilson brings his sold-out coast-to-coast arena tour show “In It To Win It” to SJZ Summer Fest 2022.
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest presents a riveting artist lineup with 100-plus acts across 12 stages for one of the summer’s major Bay Area outdoor music festivals. Acclaimed headliners Charlie Wilson and Leela James join an illustrious lineup that includes Ledisi; Lee Fields; Durand Jones & The Indications; Stanley Clarke; Ladysmith Black Mambazo; Raul Midón and Alex Cuba; Telmary & Friends; Judith Hill; Javon Jackson’s “Charlie Parker at 100,” Ft. Gary Bartz, Charles McPherson & Donald Harrison; The Brubeck Brothers; Bobby Watson & Curtis Lundy Quartet, with Cyrus Chestnut and Victor Jones; Keyon Harrold; Cameron Graves; Omar Sosa Quarteto Americanos; Isaiah Sharkey; and so many others. Get your tickets now at www.summerfest.sanjosejazz.org
August is the month we look back 53 years to the Summer of 1969 when Woodstock Music & Art Fair brought 400,000 people together to endure three days of non-stop music and partying. That festival forever changed the entire music industry.
I remember the three-mile hike up that long and dusty road to get to the festival entrance. Jumping on the back of cars to get a partial ride up the hilly road and finally getting to the gate which was knocked down and security was happily letting everyone in. It was hot, it was dusty and dirty but worth every penny of the $18 I paid to get my advanced three-day ticket.
Mark “Fenny” Fenichel is a local musician who performs throughout the South County and South Bay area. He is also the Morgan Hill Life and Gilroy Life marketing director and welcomes your ad requests or any musical thoughts for future stories. You can reach him on his personal email at: [email protected] or at [email protected].