Gilles Peterson’s contributions to modern music are wide-ranging.

Let’s face it, hearing the same seasonal classics covered by the usual suspects can get, well…a bit boring.  So we put together a different kind of playlist for your holiday listening pleasure. You’ll find chestnuts performed by jazz greats and New Orleans artists and original songs by some new discoveries. Happy Holidays from San Jose…

If you were lucky, you caught Tiffany Austin’s thrilling morning set at the British Airline’s Music Lounge at the 2018 Summer Fest. We teamed up with the UK’s SoulandJazz.com to use the latest technology to capture the excitement and essence of nine of the performances presented there over Fest weekend. Filmed in both full HD and Virtual…

The SJZ Collective has embarked on their first international tour as a Collective. During their tour of Taiwan, they are scheduled to perform at the 2018 Taichung Jazz Festival, the Sappho Club in Taipei, and the Blue Note in Taipei. In this special blog post, the drummer and founder of the Collective Wally Schnalle writes…

The SJZ Collective has embarked on their first international tour.

José James is no stranger to San Jose Jazz. As an eclectic artist James combines blues, spoken-word, hip-hop, contemporary R&B and jazz to form a genre all his own. One of the first artists featured in our Jazz Beyond programming stream, James has been on the rise since his debut on our stage for Winter Fest …

This year’s Winter Fest is a drummer’s fest, of sorts. Drummers lead no less than six of the groups performing February 15–28. Leading off on opening night will be drummer Will Calhoun in a free performance on the Sonic Runway, a sound-responsive art installation direct from Burning Man to San Jose’s City Hall Plaza. Will…

Quality and variety are two hallmarks of any San Jose Jazz festival and this year’s Winter Fest, running from February 15 through 28, is no different. From the world’s best vocalists, including Grammy and Tony Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater, to rising artist Veronica Swift; to some of the planet’s most virtuosic guitar players at…

This year, SJZ Summer Jazz Camp welcomes Bay Area native Taylor Eigsti as its special guest. Before his appearance on June 29 and 30, we spoke with the New York-based pianist by phone to learn why he connected with music at such a young age. We also asked if he had any advice for our…

This guest post from Progressions Director Julie Rinard recaps the field trip Progressions students recently took to see an open dress rehearsal by the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Thanks to the support of Haynes & Boone, LLP, Santa Clara Vanguard and San Jose Jazz, Progressions students and family members took a field trip to…

Bob Gardner (right) pictured alongside fellow Summer Fest volunteer Steve Pollock. This is a guest post from SJZ’s Artistic Director Bruce Labadie, who was familiar with the contributions both Bob Gardner and Ray Winans provided the organization over the years. We have been lucky to have some of the best long-term volunteers who fill in…

Though saxophonist Donny McCaslin made his name in the jazz world after moving to New York, he still has fond memories of growing up in the greater Santa Cruz area, where he cultivated his musical foundation. He recalls traveling over the hill to San Jose to participate in summer workshops, of sitting in with the…