Last year’s Jazz’SAlive festival was the first public event held in Civic Park. This year, the free festival returns to its new home in Hemisfair on Friday and Saturday.
Friday’s headlining artist is Patrice Rushen, a classically trained pianist who crossed over into jazz, pop and R&B and has performed with such luminaries as Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Prince, Nancy Wilson and Carlos Santana.
Saturday’s headliner is the Lao Tizer Band, with a group of musicians who have performed with Elton John, Miles Davis, Kamasi Washington and Erykah Badu.
Local acts performing on the festival’s main stage include The Dirty River Orchestra, USAF Band of the West featuring Steven Feifke, longtime Jazz’SAlive veterans The Catching Daylight Sextet, the MiChelle Garibay-Carey Quartet, Jose Amador and Terra Nova, St. Mary’s University Jazz Orchestra and Bradley Middle School Jazz ensemble.
Local jazz-centric radio station KRTU 91.7 FM, which also partners with the San Antonio Parks Foundation for the Jazz in the Garden series at the Japanese Tea Garden, has programmed the Heritage Stage to feature San Antonio jazz artists the Dan Ryan Quartet, Toro Flores Quintet and The Foreign Arm featuring former San Antonio poet laureate Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson.
During a live visit to KRTU’s Jazz Break at Noon program with host J.J. Lopez on Tuesday, Flores said his band will go beyond traditional jazz in their Saturday performance.
“We’re also gonna do a little bit of classic rock, some classic jazz, just kind of mix it all up and make a nice gumbo out of it,” Flores said.
Sanderson said she looks forward to performing with bandmate Nicolas Blevins and recognized Friday’s headliner Rushen as a legend in music. “What a privilege and an honor for us to have her in our city,” she said.
Lopez recalled jazz legends who visited the Jazz’SAlive festival in years past, including Stanley Turrentine and Danilo Perez of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, while encouraging San Antonians to attend this year’s festival.
And in a announcement to media, Parks Foundation events chair Cecilia Garcia focused on the festival’s location in the center of downtown.
“The vibrant streets of San Antonio are set to echo with the lively melodies and robust rhythms of jazz,” Garcia said.
Jazz’SAlive runs Friday 4-11 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. While the festival is free for attendees, $60 premium tickets for each day include a reserved main stage seat. Food and beverages will be available along with an artisan market featuring locally-made goods.
