Events for Monday, August 3 - Monday, August 17

Vocalist Dr. Kim Nalley has been heralded as “legendary” and a “San Francisco institution.” With an international reputation as one of world’s best jazz and blues vocalists, she has graced concert halls from Moscow to New York’s Lincoln Center. A true renaissance woman, Dr. Nalley has also been a featured writer for JazzWest and San […]

Sylvia Cuenca is an acclaimed drummer on the New York and San Francisco Bay Area jazz scenes, who has collaborated with a wide variety of artists, from Joe Henderson to Clark Terry.  Sylvia Cuenca’s Bridging Generations feat. Wallace Roney Jr., Rico Jones, David Kikoski & Essiet Okon Essiet brings together an ensemble of inter-generational powerhouse […]

Bria Skonberg is a Juno-award winning artist, 10x DownBeat ‘Rising Star,’ Jazz at Lincoln CenterSwing! Awardee, and the 2022 recipient of the Legend Award by the Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook. The trumpeter, vocalist, and composer has been called the "shining hope of hot jazz" (The New York Times) and is […]

Icons of Indecency: the best drag and burlesque event in Santa Cruz since 2011 Sin Sisters Burlesque & Drag returns to the stage on Saturday, August 8th for an unforgettable night of glamour, laughter, tease, and unforgettable performances at Kuumbwa Jazz in Santa Cruz. Featuring performances by Paige Turner, Redd FaFilth, Madame Luke, Sylvia Wrath, […]

Gaw Vang Williams is a vocalist and educator from Sacramento, California. She became the director of the vocal jazz program at Sacramento State University in 2014, where she earned her Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and Master of Music in Voice Performance. She began teaching in 2004, serving as a music instructor at various […]

Angelo De Augustine returns with Angel in Plainclothes, his fifth album and most inspired work yet—a deeply felt rendering of his multi-year journey of healing and renewal. The record showcases De Augustine's powerful melodies and poignant lyrics across tracks like the haunting elegy "Empty Shell," the hopeful "Spirit of the Unknown," and standout psychedelic country […]

Marina Crouse is one of the most notable talents on the San Francisco/Bay Area music scene. Her early classical training is reflected in her powerful and versatile vocal style that creates genuine excitement and emotion in every performance. Bestowed with a deeply expressive voice, Crouse applies her distinctive talents to a wide range of material […]

Death & Saxes is Santa Cruz's premier straight-ahead jazz quartet. Founded by saxophonist John Bouwsma, a Santa Cruz native and Kuumbwa education program alum, Death & Saxes interprets standards and classic jazz compositions as well as original songs and arrangements. Behind Bouwsma's tenor is a rhythm section of Alameda's own Harrison Brand on guitar, as […]

Keith Putney Productions brings another Classic Rock Crossroads event featuring complete back-to-back performances of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Déjà vu” and Neil Young's "Harvest" performed by a gifted cast. Guitarist, vocalist and Musical Director David Blasucci’s gig credits include work with Bobby Kimball (TOTO), Melissa Manchester, Bo Diddley, Badfinger, Little Anthony and countless others. […]

Led by Jazz Mafia co-founders Adam Theis and Eric Garland, this special concert celebrates more than twenty five years of the collective’s futuristic jazz roots. The program revisits the music that shaped Jazz Mafia’s identity in its earliest days, drawing from the first five years of the project’s evolution from 2000 to 2005. Featuring material […]