“So, what kind of music do you make?” This question is the bane of every musician’s existence because it requires that they shrink down the wide expanse of their creativity to an easily (mis)understood genre description. No matter how vivid or elaborate the description, “show” will always be more powerful than “tell.” The words we […]
Seven-time GRAMMY Award nominee Nnenna Freelon is a compelling artist and captivating performer with numerous accolades and activities including another GRAMMY Award nomination for 2021’s Time Traveler. With her son Pierce Freelon, they made GRAMMY history by being the first mother and son nominated for awards in separate categories. Their collaborative new recording, AnceStars, marks […]
Join us to celebrate International Jazz Day with the Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band! Featuring Adler Blackmun, Reuben Cave, Raymond Cavlan, Ryu Cirillo, Nolan Frink, Kyle McMillan, Samuel Nicely, and Kai Thomas-Nasef, the ‘24/’25 Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band showcases some of the most talented high-school student musicians from Santa Cruz County and the Central Coast region. […]
Join us for this special First Friday event commemorating Kuumbwa Jazz’s 50th anniversary. Enjoy the premiere of Celebrating Creativity, an exhibit spanning 50 years of Kuumbwa archives, including posters, photos, and historical ephemera. At 6 PM there will be a conversation with Kuumbwa co-founder Tim Jackson and Bay Area vocalist Kim Nalley, exploring Kuumbwa’s history […]
Join a celebration of Pete Seeger with musicians who made music with this beloved American folksinger! Jaeger & Reid (Bob Reid & Judi Jaeger), Aileen Vance and guests present "Sing Out for Pete’s Sake!” a singalong concert where the audience becomes a part of the performance. Bob and Judi, have performed their intimate, engaging music around […]
J2B2 (John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band) is an all-star bluegrass supergroup featuring four legendary, award-winning musicians: John Jorgensonon on acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals; Herb Pedersen on banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals; Patrick Sauber on acoustic guitar and vocals; and Mark Fain on bass. The combination of forces by Jorgenson, Pedersen, Sauber, and Fain form a […]
Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings.” Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, […]
Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings.” Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, […]
This ensemble of accomplished and versatile musicians celebrates the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s pioneering Quintette du Hot Club de France. The Hot Club of San Francisco borrows the instrumentation of violin, bass, and guitars from the original Hot Club while breathing new life into the music with innovative arrangements of classic tunes […]
Laurie Lewis and Nina Gerber have been friends and collaborators for over four decades There has rarely been an album that Laurie released that didn’t include Nina on at least one cut. These two California musicians are deeply rooted in the landscape, the colors, the aromas, and the sounds of their homeland. Nina was born […]
From a tender young age it was clear that Jason Marsalis had what it took to be great. Jason is the son of pianist and music educator Ellis Marsalis and his wife Dolores, and the youngest sibling of Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo. Together, the four brothers and Ellis comprise New Orleans’s venerable first family of […]
Bilal Sayeed Oliver is a truly independent artist. A singer, songwriter, and producer who has always been ahead of his time - blending jazz, afro-futurism, classic soul, alternative r&b, rock, and even classical in his vocals and music. He's known for his wide vocal range, work across multiple genres, and magnetic live performances. Philip Bailey […]
Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” Frisell will be joined on this date by his Good Dog ensemble, featuring longtime collaborators Greg Leisz on pedal steel guitar, Tony […]
Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” Frisell will be joined on this date by his Good Dog ensemble, featuring longtime collaborators Greg Leisz on pedal steel guitar, Tony […]
Join us in celebrating 50 years of Kuumbwa Jazz with an outdoor afternoon concert at San Lorenzo Park, featuring a dynamic lineup of live music, local food and drink, and the vibrant energy of our local community. This family-friendly event is free to attend and open to all. Guests can enjoy beer and wine selections […]
In their almost two-decade history, the Grammy-nominated band Kneebody has created a genre and style all its own. Their sound is explosive rock energy and high-level nuanced chamber ensemble playing set within the frames of highly wrought compositions that are balanced with adventurous no-holds-barred improvising. Kneebody is keyboardist Adam Benjamin, trumpeter Shane Endsley, saxophonist Ben […]
The Bad Plus are the ultimate originals. A democratic unit with a clear vision and a refusal to conform to convention. For the past two decades they have played with spirit and adventure, made their own rules and done so with a bold sense of creativity and intent. Avoiding easy categorization, The Bad Plus has […]
Nasreddine Souidi is known as Cheb Nasro. He is a singer, composer, and songwriter who is best known for his Romantic Rai music. He is one of the most famous Romantic Rai singers of the Arabic speaking world. He has released more than 130 albums with popular hits such as “Libini W Binha” and “Ndirak […]
Led by acclaimed bassist and educator Ruth Davies, this class will demystify the relationship between basslines and chord changes in jazz. Essential Bassline Toolkit will help you choose notes that not only fit the chord you are playing, but help lead to the chord changes that follow. Davies shares that the bass player is the […]
The 50th Anniversary of Santa Cruz Pride is a milestone in history unlike any across the country. It is the fourth oldest Pride event in the state and one of the first continuous smaller city Pride events in the nation. At that first Pride in 1975, there was a variety of music featured. In the […]
Schoolcraft and Murray make acoustic music brimming with groove, harmony and wit. Their groove makes you move, their harmony makes you feel, and their wit makes you think (If thinking is your thing). Their original take blends the best of their many heroes: Lyle Lovett, Carole King, Santana, Robbie Fulks, The Allman Brothers, Steely Dan, […]
“So, what kind of music do you make?” This question is the bane of every musician’s existence because it requires that they shrink down the wide expanse of their creativity to an easily (mis)understood genre description. No matter how vivid or elaborate the description, “show” will always be more powerful than “tell.” The words we […]
Seven-time GRAMMY Award nominee Nnenna Freelon is a compelling artist and captivating performer with numerous accolades and activities including another GRAMMY Award nomination for 2021’s Time Traveler. With her son Pierce Freelon, they made GRAMMY history by being the first mother and son nominated for awards in separate categories. Their collaborative new recording, AnceStars, marks […]
Join us to celebrate International Jazz Day with the Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band! Featuring Adler Blackmun, Reuben Cave, Raymond Cavlan, Ryu Cirillo, Nolan Frink, Kyle McMillan, Samuel Nicely, and Kai Thomas-Nasef, the ‘24/’25 Kuumbwa Jazz Honor Band showcases some of the most talented high-school student musicians from Santa Cruz County and the Central Coast region. […]
Join us for this special First Friday event commemorating Kuumbwa Jazz’s 50th anniversary. Enjoy the premiere of Celebrating Creativity, an exhibit spanning 50 years of Kuumbwa archives, including posters, photos, and historical ephemera. At 6 PM there will be a conversation with Kuumbwa co-founder Tim Jackson and Bay Area vocalist Kim Nalley, exploring Kuumbwa’s history […]
Join a celebration of Pete Seeger with musicians who made music with this beloved American folksinger! Jaeger & Reid (Bob Reid & Judi Jaeger), Aileen Vance and guests present "Sing Out for Pete’s Sake!” a singalong concert where the audience becomes a part of the performance. Bob and Judi, have performed their intimate, engaging music around […]
J2B2 (John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band) is an all-star bluegrass supergroup featuring four legendary, award-winning musicians: John Jorgensonon on acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals; Herb Pedersen on banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals; Patrick Sauber on acoustic guitar and vocals; and Mark Fain on bass. The combination of forces by Jorgenson, Pedersen, Sauber, and Fain form a […]
Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings.” Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, […]
Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings.” Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, […]
This ensemble of accomplished and versatile musicians celebrates the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s pioneering Quintette du Hot Club de France. The Hot Club of San Francisco borrows the instrumentation of violin, bass, and guitars from the original Hot Club while breathing new life into the music with innovative arrangements of classic tunes […]
Laurie Lewis and Nina Gerber have been friends and collaborators for over four decades There has rarely been an album that Laurie released that didn’t include Nina on at least one cut. These two California musicians are deeply rooted in the landscape, the colors, the aromas, and the sounds of their homeland. Nina was born […]
From a tender young age it was clear that Jason Marsalis had what it took to be great. Jason is the son of pianist and music educator Ellis Marsalis and his wife Dolores, and the youngest sibling of Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo. Together, the four brothers and Ellis comprise New Orleans’s venerable first family of […]
Bilal Sayeed Oliver is a truly independent artist. A singer, songwriter, and producer who has always been ahead of his time - blending jazz, afro-futurism, classic soul, alternative r&b, rock, and even classical in his vocals and music. He's known for his wide vocal range, work across multiple genres, and magnetic live performances. Philip Bailey […]
Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” Frisell will be joined on this date by his Good Dog ensemble, featuring longtime collaborators Greg Leisz on pedal steel guitar, Tony […]
Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” Frisell will be joined on this date by his Good Dog ensemble, featuring longtime collaborators Greg Leisz on pedal steel guitar, Tony […]
Join us in celebrating 50 years of Kuumbwa Jazz with an outdoor afternoon concert at San Lorenzo Park, featuring a dynamic lineup of live music, local food and drink, and the vibrant energy of our local community. This family-friendly event is free to attend and open to all. Guests can enjoy beer and wine selections […]
In their almost two-decade history, the Grammy-nominated band Kneebody has created a genre and style all its own. Their sound is explosive rock energy and high-level nuanced chamber ensemble playing set within the frames of highly wrought compositions that are balanced with adventurous no-holds-barred improvising. Kneebody is keyboardist Adam Benjamin, trumpeter Shane Endsley, saxophonist Ben […]
The Bad Plus are the ultimate originals. A democratic unit with a clear vision and a refusal to conform to convention. For the past two decades they have played with spirit and adventure, made their own rules and done so with a bold sense of creativity and intent. Avoiding easy categorization, The Bad Plus has […]
Nasreddine Souidi is known as Cheb Nasro. He is a singer, composer, and songwriter who is best known for his Romantic Rai music. He is one of the most famous Romantic Rai singers of the Arabic speaking world. He has released more than 130 albums with popular hits such as “Libini W Binha” and “Ndirak […]
Led by acclaimed bassist and educator Ruth Davies, this class will demystify the relationship between basslines and chord changes in jazz. Essential Bassline Toolkit will help you choose notes that not only fit the chord you are playing, but help lead to the chord changes that follow. Davies shares that the bass player is the […]
The 50th Anniversary of Santa Cruz Pride is a milestone in history unlike any across the country. It is the fourth oldest Pride event in the state and one of the first continuous smaller city Pride events in the nation. At that first Pride in 1975, there was a variety of music featured. In the […]
Schoolcraft and Murray make acoustic music brimming with groove, harmony and wit. Their groove makes you move, their harmony makes you feel, and their wit makes you think (If thinking is your thing). Their original take blends the best of their many heroes: Lyle Lovett, Carole King, Santana, Robbie Fulks, The Allman Brothers, Steely Dan, […]
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