The Lee Pardini Trio is set to play at San Jose Jazz Showcase this Saturday, April 24th at City Lights Theater and at Left Coast Live in June. They are known as one of the hottest bands in the San Jose area, unique in both sound and the way they approach the jazz genre. Inspired by the diversity in San Jose, the Trio tries to bring something new to every performance. They will be showcasing music of the legendary singer Chaka Khan this Saturday, so be sure to catch them this Saturday!

 

Thanks to South Bay Live Wally Schnalle's 4tet comes to San Jose's Theatre On San Pedro Square. This is his A-team featuring Jeff Massanari on guitar, Dann Zinn on sax and Jason Muscat on bass. This tight working group covered the West Coast from LA to Seattle last year. They will be previewing the material from their upcoming new CD.And after recently completing the recording process they're ready to let loose at this exceptional venue with Wally's latest compositions.

April is Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM)!

 

In honor of it, we've asked a few typical Silicon Valley jazz fans to answer the question: "What is Jazz?" You can see their responses on YouTube:

CLICK HERE!

 

Just as there are many ideas about how to define jazz, there are many ways to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month.

Piano News from Japan
 
"Yamaha and Kawai have recalled 20,000 pianos due to a problem with the pedal sticking, causing pianists to play faster than they normally would, resulting in a dangerous number of accidentals.

The sticky pedal also makes it harder for pianists to come to a full stop at the end of a piece, making it extremely risky for audiences. 

Although there have been a tremendous number of accidentals, fortunately it has so far caused no deafs.

 

A play about Fats Waller starts this Saturday at the Rep. There is a special discount on tickets available for San Jose Jazz members (become a member) - see details below.

A Special Night at the California Theatre with ‘Mass in Blue', an Unusual Choral Jazz Composition

 

If you are up for something a little different, join Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale on March 19 for Will Todd's Mass in Blue, an upbeat setting of the Latin mass composed in the jazz and blues idioms. Written in 2003 for choir, soprano solo and jazz instrumentation, the work is a brilliant blend of driving rhythms, rich tonal colors, bluesy harmonies and soaring vocal lines. Critics have described the piece as "inventive" and "electrifying."

CD release party for Joe DeRose and Amici is on March 8th at Yoshi's jazz club in Oakland.

 

Blend vibrant jazz fusion, ECM harmonies, and soulful melodies and you get Joe De Rose and Amici. Joe De Rose, a native of the Bay Area, has been playing drums professionally for 21 years in various styles ranging from Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Latin, Blues, Rock to Fusion.

By Andrew Gilbert

for the Mercury News

Posted on www.mercurynews.com: 01/14/2010

WATCH VIDEO

For jazz musicians the road to Europe isn't paved with gold, but since the 1960s flying across the Atlantic has became an essential rite of remuneration for American improvisers, who would often be hard-pressed to make ends meet relying solely on stateside gigs.

Ubatuba Brazil Camp 2010 is a week of music master classes on the sands of Ubatuba, Brazil. Created by the founders of California Brazil Camp, Dennis Broughton and Mestre Marcelo Pereira, this week-long event brings together master musicians ranging from the legendary Hermeto Pascoal and Jovino Santos Neto to percussion master Jorge Alabé.

Learn more about the camp here. 

San Jose Jazz winter series - 9 'special' Sunday shows at the Improv

By Richard Scheinin

When Geoff Roach began mulling over possibilities for this year's Winter Jazz Series in downtown San Jose, he found himself thinking about jazz clubs versus jazz concerts. Fans always enjoy heading to a club - Yoshi's in Oakland or San Francisco, the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, among others - to see a top band refining its repertoire and concept before moving on to the next club.