Recently in Oakland Category

One of the things I love about the Bay Area is that the music festivals and local events are jumping from now through end of September. If I have missed any, please let me know. :-)

This is the final weekend of the Stanford Jazz Festival with the Stanford Jazz Workshop All-Star Jam on Friday and Dena DeRose and Steve Davis on Saturday.

The East Bay Express Best of the East Bay 2009 Party is Friday evening from 5pm to midnight at Oakland Museum of California.

The 20th AT&T San Jose Jazz Festival is this weekend from Friday through Sunday in Downtown San Jose. Only $15 per day for three days of great music featuring Allen Toussaint, Sharon Jones, Wayne Wallace, Tierney Sutton, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Bill Henderson, Sony Holland, Bettye Lavette, Jon Santo, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Buster Williams, Patrice Rushen, and many more.

The 9th Annual Art & Soul Oakland Festival is August 15 and 16. New weekend but the same great fun and entertainment for everyone. The lineup includes Shawn Colvin, Will Downing, Bobby Caldwell, and Walter and Edwin Hawkins.

Friends of the Golden Gate Public Library presents Jazz on Sunday Series every Sunday at 3pm at the Golden Gate Public Library, 5606 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, California.

Don't forget the AfroSolo Arts Festival 16 and the Yerba Buena Art Festival are running now through October.

Oakland City Center Concert Series - Concerts every Wednesday at noon at the Oakland Center in Downtown Oakland.

Kaiser Rooftop Garden Concert Series - Concerts every Friday at noon through September.

Sunnyvale Jazz Series

Aug. 15 - Tony Lindsay w/Tom Politzer (r&b & contemporary jazz)
Aug. 22 - Ed Johnson & ; Novo Tempo Quintet (contemporary Brazilian jazz)
Aug. 29 - Chester Smith Ensemble (organ straight ahead jazz)

This FREE event is open to the public and is located on Murphy Avenue (between Washington & Evelyn). For more information call 408-516-7217 or visit www.DowntownSunnyvale.com

SFJAZZ Summer Concert Series is underway and tickets for the SFJAZZ Fall Festival Season are now on sale.

Mt. Diablo Jazz Festival

Northern California's largest jazz festival returns to the Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord on August 22nd with a new lineup and a new name. Previously the JVC Jazz Festival, now called the Mt. Diablo Jazz Festival, this year brings Anita Baker, Boney James, Fourplay, Jazz Attack and local group Times 4 to Concord. Tickets for the Mt. Diablo Jazz Festival are on sale now at Livenation.com.

Downtown Berkeley MusicFest - August 27-29

Dancing in the streets, drumming in the avenues, and singing on the boulevards: all of these and more are yours this week as Berkeley's arts and entertainment hub springs into action for the Downtown Berkeley MusicFest! Highlighting the amazing diversity of Berkeley's downtown scene, the festival features a rich array of musical performances at venues throughout the downtown area.

Jazz at Filoli

Celebrate our 19th Season and Filoli's 100th Jazz Concert

Filoli Jazz lovers, please join us as we once again showcase six delightful Sunday afternoon jazz concerts held outdoors on the beautiful grounds of Filoli. Let us pamper you with great entertainment. Tables and chairs are set up on the tennis court surrounded by glorious oak trees. Parking is free, as well as snacks and drinks, including beer and white wine. Gourmet boxed lunches are available for purchase in advance. This year's program features an incredibly strong lineup of world class jazz musicians. After reading the descriptions below, I think you will agree that this year might just be our best ever. Concerts are from 1:30 pm -4:00 pm.

Next up at Filoli The Bobby Hutcherson Quartet - August 30

33rd Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival

The 33rd Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival has combined two great festivals into one weekend on September 12 and 13 at Johnson Beach Resort in Guerneville. The jazz lineup (September 12) includes Al Jarreau, Jonathan Butler, Richard Elliott, Jazz Attack, and Rick Braun with more acts to be announced. The blues lineup (September 13) includes The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Tommy Castro Band, and Bernard Allison with more acts to be announced.

Montclair Village Jazz and Wine Festival

The lineup for the Montclair Village Jazz and Wine Festival on Sunday, September 13 includes Kitty Margolis, Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Mo'Rockin Project, and Taylor Eigsti.

52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival

The 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival will be held September 18-20 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, Ca. Three days of great music. Performers include Lizz Wright, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, Soulive, Dave Brubeck, Esperanza Spalding, Kenny Barron, Regina Carter, Kurt Elling, and many others throughout the festival grounds.

Rockridge Out & About Street Festival

On Sunday, September 27th, College Avenue in North Oakland's famed Rockridge neighborhood becomes the stage for musicians, street performers, fashion shows, lifestyle expos, wellness activities, and picnicking.

Sponsored by the Rockridge District Association, "Rockridge Out & About " features food, fun, education, health forums, live music, and dancing at this popular annual event. College Avenue becomes a culinary and shopping extravaganza as chefs fire up the grills and serve tasty delights and unique vendor booths and large tents showcasing the districts unique mix of locally owned retail shops businesses line over half a mile of
College Avenue. Take BART to Rockridge on September 27th to stroll, shop, wine and dine, dance, play and experience Rockridge Out & About.

Photo Credit: James Knox

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BAY AREA'S COOLEST SUMMER FESTIVAL COMES EARLY THIS YEAR

SHAWN COLVIN, THE BODEANS, WILL DOWNING, BOBBY CALDWELL, MO'FONE, RAMANA VIEIRA, WALTER HAWKINS AND MORE

9th Annual Art & Soul Features a Packed Two-Day Schedule of Top Flight Entertainment

OAKLAND, California (July 24, 2009)--The City of Oakland announced headliners and featured performers for this year's 9th Annual Art & Soul Oakland Festival. Thanks to guaranteed stellar lineups, abundant parking, easy BART access and the bargain price of just $10 per day, Art & Soul Oakland has been named the Bay Area's "best annual cultural event" by Oakland Magazine and Best Festival by East Bay Express. The SF Weekly added, "Art & Soul is dialed in to practically everything that makes Oakland great." Held in beautiful, re-energized downtown Oakland three weeks earlier on Saturday August 15, and Sunday, August 16, 2009, the festival delivers four concert stages offering simultaneous talent and diversity featuring an eclectic all-star lineup of 40 national recording artists and hot Bay Area bands sure to please every musical taste. While stage lineups are still being finalized, the acts continue the diverse and wonderful variety that has made Art & Soul the region's most popular music festival.

Saturday is anchored by headliner and multiple Grammy winner Shawn Colvin on the Art & Soul Main Stage (in association with KFOG 104.5 FM/97.7 FM) Colvin's tender, crystal clear voice sings of poignantly vivid images of relationships and life with great insight. Her performances are all at once astonishing and haunting, provocative and seductive. Sharing the stage are the BoDeans, the danceable, lean and scrappy folk/rock band once named best new band by Rolling Stone magazine. Now, 20 years later, their romantic sensibility and passionate harmonies linked to simple but potent guitar based rock and roll still excite.

The new Yoshi's Jazz Stage is newsworthy in and of itself. The lineup was selected through collaboration with the booking agents for both the Oakland and San Francisco Yoshi's Jazz Club. Headlining on Saturday are the funky brass sounds of Mo'Fone. Jazz Weekly says Mo'Fone, "Snaps and crackles like James Brown's Famous Flames with a New Orleans second line." Jazziz sums it up with, "Mo'Fone brings the grease." The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music under the direction of famed jazz trombonist Angela Wellman opens the day at 12:30 P.M. The smoky saxophone sound of Dayna Stevens follows and then the cool Latin/Soul of Sepia leads into the roaring Mo'Fone close.

Headlining the Plaza Stage's Local Voices programming on Saturday is world renowned Fado singer Ramana Vieira. Called "A rising star in World Music," by the San Francisco Examiner, Ramana has solidified her place as an artist who understands the tradition of Fado singing, but constantly combines new musical textures and original compositions. Berkeley-based Indie Rock singer/songwriter Jesse Strickland (aka Dear Indugu) brings an intensely passionate presence and personal lyrics to open the segment, followed by the Afro-Venezuelan sounds of Oakland 's Rosa los Santos .

Abby and the Pipsqueaks and Jump Street open the Plaza Stage with humorous children's music and family entertainment.

In addition, Saturday features the wildly popular Gospel Stage with Edwin Hawkins and Bishop Walter L. Hawkins and the Community in Praise Mass Choir. An entire afternoon of uplifting, roof-raising Gospel music will abound including Terence Kelly & Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, the Love Center Choir, Kevin Moore, Carl Wheeler & Men of Endurance and Derrick Hall & Company.

This Sunday, guitarist Calvin Keys and his trio will perform at 3pm at Golden Gate Library, 5606 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, California. This concert is part of the Friends of Golden Gate Library 19th Annual Jazz on Sundays Summer Concert Series which runs through August 30.

Concerts are held every Sunday at 3pm (doors open at 2:30pm), followed by a History of Jazz lecture with jazz legend Randy Moore, and an open jam session. All concerts are held at the Golden Gate Library with the exception of the August 23 concert, featuring the Junius Courtney Big Band (shown above.) This concert at Temescal Creek Park located on 47th Street between Adeline and San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville.

Admission is free and donation are welcome.

Upcoming concerts:

July 26, 2009
Calvin Keys Trio

August 2, 2009
John Handy and Special Guest

August 9, 2009
Bay Area Blues Society Caravan of All Stars

August 16, 2009
Howard Wiley

August 23, 2009
Julius Courtney Big Band (Temescal Creek Park)

August 30, 2009
Rhonda Benin & Quartet

Photo Credit: James Knox

For event information, http://www.oaklandnet.com/documents/0401609_uptown_unveiled.pdf

Seize the Time! The 9th Annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival!
Saturday, May 30th, 11-7pm, San Antonio Park (18th Ave + Foothill Blvd)
EastSide's 9th annual Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival is one of the last free festivals in Oakland, so come and enjoy! One of the most important pieces of our festival are the community of local artists and food vendors.

For more information, www.eastsideartsalliance.org

After 10 years of work and millions of dollars in renovations, the Fox Theatre in downtown Oakland reopened on 2/5. In addition to being a music venue, the Fox Theatre is home to the Oakland School for the Arts.

I did not attend the opening gala last week, but you can click here to see photos from opening night.

For more information:

http://www.foxoakland.org/
http://www.thefoxoakland.com/