San Jose Jazz '23

A wild mix of blues, jazz, cuban funk, oh my! Micah and I enjoyed so many genres in one day at this year’s San Jose Jazz Festival. On the main stage, we discovered Vanessa Collier, a passionate young blues singer from South Carolina. In addition to having a captivating voice, Vanessa sang the blues through her saxophone. On the cover photo, she is jamming with Laura Chavez, a brilliant blues guitar player from nearby Mountain View.

Earlier in the day, we enjoyed Isaiah Collier, a 24-year-old tenor sax player who lived up to the description of having a “post-Coltrane” sound. We also briefly listend to Cimafunk, a funk band grounded in afrocuban traditions. Cimafunk sometimes sounded like a cuban Talking Heads.

Another surprise was guitarist Luca Stricagnoli, who is apparently a YouTube sensation. Nonetheless, he was good fun. Luca was a guitar wizard, who could play a melody and rhythm at once on his guitar, while also tapping out a drumbeat. He was also very funny in between songs.

We closed out our day with a great set from Marcus Miller. The best song was Mr. Pastorious, in memory of Jaco.

Overall, it was a beautiful summer day. A lot of people attended, but it never felt crowded. We found sound good Vietnamese pork buns. It was fun to discover some new artists.

Details