Jazz Aid Fund - San Jose Jazz

Jazz Aid Fund

2021–Ongoing
Uplifting SF Bay Area Musicians by stimulating creativity and providing critically needed funds

Just Announced: 2023 Grantees

Meet the 20 artists chosen for the 2023 commissioning grant.

Brian Andres

Brian Andres

San Mateo

Drummer Brian Andres has performed with many greats including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Little Anthony and the Imperials, Tony Award winner / Broadway star Faith Prince and television and movie star Woody Harrelson. 

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Tiffany Austin

Tiffany Austin

Oakland

Vocalist, composer, lyricist and Berkeley Law graduate Tiffany Austin combines classic jazz tradition with a deep love for blues, spirituals, contemporary soul, and a storyteller's knack for narrative. 

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B DeVeaux

B. DeVeaux

Dublin

22-year-old non-binary, queer Oakland native B DeVeaux is a rising singer who studied at the Oakland School of Arts and was mentored by the likes of Kehlani, Daveed Diggs and Ledisi.

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DRUVVY

DRUVVY

Oakland

As a drummer / songwriter / producer, DRUVVY explores soundscapes and musical genres without limits. In June 2022, DRUVVY released his 15-track instrumental project “Brand New Ancient Rhythms” and is at work completing a new project to be released later in 2023. 

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Essiet Okou Essiet

Essiet Okon Essiet

San Jose

 

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Frunkyman

Frunkyman

Hayward

Bassist/composer Frunkyman is a graduate from SJSU’s Jazz Studies Masters program and has worked as a studio musician for projects including Genius: Picasso, FIFA 2018, Drifting Dragons, and the Video Game Awards 2018. 

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Jackie Gage

Jackie Gage

San Francisco

San Jose-raised Jackie Gage creates a soft blend of jazz and folk music. She’s opened for artists including Tony, Toni, Toné; José James, Darlene Love & Digable Planets; performed with artists Marc Cary, Kim Nalley, Lyrics Born, Richie Goods and Jerome Jennings.

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Kira Hooks

Kira Hooks

Redwood City

SF Bay Area-based Kira Hooks is a Filipina-Caucasian singer/songwriter. As a child growing up in the U.S., The Netherlands, Nigeria, Scotland, and China, Hooks developed a multifaceted notion of home and is reflected in her fluid blend of jazz, contemporary R&B, and folk. 

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Kava Jah

Kava Jah

Los Gatos

Kava Jah is a conscious roots reggae artist who writes, records and sings his own songs. Under the strong influence and example of his father, Kava started playing multiple instruments at a young age but soon found his love for the guitar as his first instrument. 

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Martin Luther McCoy

Martin Luther McCoy

San Francisco

San Francisco native Martin Luther McCoy refuses to confine himself to any one creative pursuit. An essential catalyst on the Bay Area's fertile 1990s neo-soul scene, he may be best known for his work with the seminal hip-hop collective The Roots.

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Dawan Muhammad

Dawan Muhammad

San Jose

Dawan Muhammad is an ethnomusicologist, jazz composer, arranger, performer and producer with over 50 years of professional experience. His artistry in music is rooted in the creative traditions that have established jazz as a universal language; a world class art form.

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Destiny Muhammad

Destiny Muhammad

Oakland

Harpist Destiny Muhammad has curated concerts for Grace Cathedral’s Christmas Concert Series, SFJAZZ’s Tribute to jazz harp legend Alice Coltrane, SF Symphony’s SOUNDBOX Series.

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Oddity

Oddity

El Cerrito

Hailing from the East Bay, Oddity is a sonic storyteller seeking refuge in the intersections of jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul. A transgender woman of color, Oddity’s story is one of resiliency and rebirth where she discovers beauty and cultivates peace by centering love, against all odds.

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Tony Peebles

Tony Peebles

Oakland

Saxophonist Tony Peebles is tenor saxophonist and a founding member of the Pacific Mambo Orchestra, performing on every track of its 2014 Grammy Award-winning debut album, including a solo on "Muevete Con Prisa."

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Marcus Phillips

Marcus Phillips

San Pablo

Born and raised in San Francisco, bassist Marcus Phillips has played for artists like Leela James, Ledisi, Tony Toni Tone, Keyshia Cole, Eric Benet, Goapele, Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson. He is currently the bassist for Grammy Award nominated, R&B /soul singer Kem. 

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Michelle Pollace

Michelle Pollace

Campbell

A San Jose native, Latin jazz pianist / composer Michelle Pollace’s latest album, New Beginning, has garnered accolades as well as airplay on nearly 200 satellite, public and college radio stations. It also made the “most added releases” list in JazzWeek.

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Adam Shulman

Adam Shulman

Alameda

Adam Shulman is a jazz pianist who’s collaborated with internationally renowned artists such as Stefon Harris, Willie Jones, Miguel Zenon, Bobby Hutcherson, Bria Skonberg and Marcus Shelby, among others. 

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Stoney Creation

Stoney Creation

Emeryville

A multifaceted artist from Oakland, 23-year-old Stoney Creation is involved in an array of art mediums including singing, DJing and graphic design.

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Skylar Tang

Skylar Tang

Foster City

Only 16 years old, Skylar Tang has emerged as one of the nation’s top high school trumpet players, performing in the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation programs, the Vail Jazz Workshop, and NYO Jazz. 

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Dillon Vado

Dillon Vado

San Jose

Drummer and vibraphonist Dillon Vado can be found playing with many of his own projects including The Table Trio, as well as playing vibes for singer Amy D. and drumming/composing for Never Weather. 

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About the Initiative

Conceived as a direct response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Jazz Aid Fund provides direct support to Bay Area musicians and stimulates one of their most important activities—the creation of new work.

Building on a lead gift by Jan DeCarli, SJZ’s Board of Directors established the Fund, providing a grant for each of the selected artists to create a new work. Artists are chosen through recommendations from a broad cross section of the Bay Area music community, including critics, presenters, artists and curators. Since 2021 we have provided 80 Bay Area musicians with over $100,000 in grants and performance fees. 

We’ll premiere all of these new works on social media and in our New Works Fest April 14-29, 2023. Join our email list to stay up on all developments in the program.

2021 Grantees

Mark Arroyo
Archish Arun
Keshav Batish
Ron E. Beck
Robbie Benson
William Bohrer
Chris Cain
Bobi Céspedes
Giulio Xavier Cetto
Kev Choice
Amy D.
Lee Dynes
Tammy Hall
Brian Ho
James Jackson
Kasey Knudsen
Melecio Magdaluyo
Mild Monk
Ash Maynor
Justin Ouellet
Fernando Barocio Salcedo
Javier Santiago
Ian Santillano
John Santos
Edward Simon
Ten Spencer
Aneesa Strings
Adam Theis
Monique Valenzuela
Claudia Villela
Vân-Ánh Võ
Howard Wiley
Kevin Wong

2022 Grantees

Aaron Germain
ASTU
Ben Goldberg
Bennett Roth-Newell
Brian Sheu
Caroline Chung
Cava Menzies
Chris "Kid" Anderson
Dame Drummer
David Lechuga
Gary Meek
Javier Cabanillas
Jeff Kolhede
Kalil Amar Wilson
Kenya Moses
Kim Nalley
Kristen Strom
Lilan Kane
Michael "Tiny" Lindsey
Mike Auberg
Mike Blankenship
Noah (of Noah and the Arkiteks)
Patrick Wolff
Ren Geisick
Sylvia Cuenca
Valerie Troutt
Juanita Harris

“More than anything I think the pandemic has illuminated art as a necessity to our survival and mental health. Music especially is a guiding force and a healing art form.”

– Amy D., grantee

Coming Events

New Work Fest 2023 — April 14-29

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