During its inaugural year at a new, spacious building in East Oakland's San Antonio District, EastSideCulturalCenter showcased some of the greatest living jazz royalty who never quite got their due. The center's 2007 Malcolm X Jazz Festival kicked off with a concert by tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, who recorded a lot of material for the Italian independent label, Black Saint. This year's jazz festival features a Bay Area lineup, with such notable locals as the John Santos Quintet, the Freedom Now! Band led by Howard Wiley, the Ambrose Akinmusire Project with special guest Goapele, and the Muziki Roberson Quintet with vocalist Dwight Trible. Held this Saturday, May 17 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. in San Antonio Park (18th Ave. and Foothill Blvd., Oakland), the event also features poets, dancers, live graffiti, crafts, games, and on-site HIV testing. EastSideArtsAlliance.org

Price: free
Time & Date: Sat., May 17,
11 a.m.-7 p.m.
San Antonio Park
18th Ave. (at Foothill Blvd.)
Oakland CA

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If you eat at a participating restaurant in the East Bay on April 24, your Dining Out For Life dollars will go to Vital Life Services. Vital Life Services provides daily meals, transportation, and assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses.

You can double your donation to 50 percent of the bill by making a reservation at Shelby's in Orinda or at Digs Bistro in Berkeley.

Participating Restaurants & Reservations – East Bay
More Information on Vital Life Services

Image courtesy of Dining Out For Life - East Bay

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