Even if you don’t give a bebop about jazz, it’s hard to deny that San Jose Jazz’s Summer Fest provides the backdrop for downtown’s coolest weekend of the season. The crowds flowing in and around Plaza de Cesar Chavez this weekend will generate an ambiance of joy we don’t see often enough these days.
By the way, if you don’t like jazz, Summer Fest probably still has you covered. There are nine stages showcasing blues, salsa and Latin music, big band — plus, you know, jazz. And this year will include a two-stage celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop on Friday night.
That night’s 9:30 p.m. headliner at the Sobrato Main Stage is Big Daddy Kane, but there’ll be more going on at the 200 Park Stage, a new venue for this year. That’s where the guys from the Dad Bod Rap Pod — David Ma, Demone Carter (aka DEM ONE) and Nate LeBlanc — will be hosting the 50th anniversary party that includes a 7 p.m. conversation about the milestone with MC Murs, who’ll perform at 8:30 p.m. There’ll also be a hip-hop dance showcase with Playboyz, Inc., Nastyray, Scarface and Turf Inc. as well as music from the Needle to the Groove DJs.
One of the best things about Summer Fest in the past few years has been that you can enjoy the good vibes even without a festival wristband. And, once again, the Latin Tropical stage on South First Street, curated by radio journalist Betto Arcos, is free to enjoy Saturday and Sunday (with that day devoted exclusively to Cuban music). The Swing Stage at San Pedro Square’s Tabard Theatre and the NextGen Stage at the San Jose Museum of Art also are admission free.
There’s a new addition this year, too: Community Fest@Circle of Palms, a free party from noon to 5 p.m. outside the San Jose Museum of Art with performances, art projects and more — courtesy of the Museum of Art, San Jose Jazz and Mosaic America. You can get the full weekend lineup, as well as info on one-day tickets or full festival passes, at summerfest.sanjosejazz.org.
WORTH THE WAIT: San Jose State football coach Brent Brennan said this week he remembers the first conversations about the new Spartans Athletic Center at CEFCU Stadium happening right after the team won the New Mexico Bowl — in 2006. And Charlie Faas, San Jose State’s VP for administration and finance, remembers sketching out plans for the building on a scratch pad and graph paper.
But when the ribbon was cut on the 55,000 square-foot, $70 million facility on Tuesday, it sure seemed like it was all worth the wait. The state-of-the-art building, which replaces the east side stands at CEFCU Stadium, includes locker rooms for the football team and men’s and women’s soccer teams, as well as training facilities and an auditorium named for Larry and Diedre Solari — the San Jose State grads who provided a $5 million gift in 2018 that really kickstarted the project.
Even Larry Solari joked about the time the project took, noting that when they started talking about it, it was going to be located in the north end zone and he was in his 60s. He just turned 81.
It’s taken a long time, but I think the time was well-spent,” he said. And when somebody needed to step up and put a stake in the ground financially, he and his wife decided to be those people. “We wanted to commit and contribute to San Jose State. We wanted to make an investment in this college,” he said. “Not only does this enhance our football program but it enhance the whole university. That’s why we did it.”
DINNER OF CHAMPIONS: The Santa Clara Parade of Champions is raising money for this fall’s 54th event with a dinner on Aug. 26. Santa Clara firefighter Dave Goulart will serving as auctioneer and Lino Silveira will provide a seafood cioppino dinner at the historic SES hall on Lafayette Street. Tickets to the dinner/dance are available for $80 at www.scparadeofchampions.org, and don’t forget to mark your calendars for the parade on Oct. 7.