Today’s scheduled performers on the Montgomery Theater stage: Mike Clark & His Post-Boptet, Nicole Zuraitis Quartet, Sylvia Cuenca’s Bridging Generations, Bria Skonberg.
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, formerly known as the San Jose Jazz Festival, is emblematic of the Silicon Valley start-up spirit. The first San Jose Jazz Festival took place in 1990 over two days in August at the Plaza de César Chavez. Its first day focused on fusion and its second day was dedicated to straight-ahead jazz, attracting about 10,000 attendees. This was a true grassroots effort, with the main festival organizers cleaning up festival grounds well after the last notes had been played in the park.
Festival Director Bruce Labadie funded the first two festivals out-of-pocket and, fortunately, the gamble paid off. Through the ’90s, the festival’s expansion made it the largest free jazz festival in the United States, and the new millennium has seen the event grow to include nearly 1,000 musicians on multiple stages in Downtown San Jose.
Today’s Scheduled Performers:
- 1pm: Mike Clark & His Post-Boptet
- 3pm: Nicole Zuraitis Quartet
- 7pm: Sylvia Cuenca’s Bridging Generations
- 9pm: Bria Skonberg (pictured)
Information about Montgomery Theater stage performers can be found here.
For details on the complete festival, you can click here.