At the Wonderland of the Americas, where thousands will gather this Friday, preparations are underway for the 32nd season of the Balcones Heights Jazz Festival.
What began in 1994 as a six-show summer series continues to draw loyal jazz fans — with one constant always present: longtime host and San Antonio native David “The Jazzman” Muñoz.
Muñoz’s path to radio began in childhood, with a transistor radio and a curiosity about how DJs made seamless transitions between songs.
“Back then we had record players, and you had to lift the needle off the record and then cue up another one,” he said. “I was curious how DJs did their jobs on the air — and then I began to mimic them.”
Muñoz developed a stutter at age eight — a hurdle he would overcome with the help of a speech professor at San Antonio College, where he enrolled in 1972 to study radio, television and film for two semesters.
Soon after, he got his first on-air experience at KTSA during late-night Sunday shifts.
“The training I got there helped me get my first radio job in 1974,” Muñoz said. “Not too many people would hear all the mistakes we made, late at night.”
A year later, at that first gig at KTFM 102.7, where he was spinning album rock, a program director handed him a stack of albums that would mark the start of a decades-long relationship with smooth jazz.
“I got my first taste of smooth jazz in 1975,” Muñoz said. “The program director brought me three or four record albums and said, ‘I want you to play a song from each of these albums during your show each day.’ And that was music that I grew to love. I never knew that it would take me to where we are today, but here we are.”
Nearly 20 years after his radio career began, Muñoz teamed up with the general manager of what was then called Crossroads Mall and a sales manager from KQXT radio to launch a new summer concert series: the KQ102 Summer Jazz Festival. The multi-week run of free outdoor jazz shows quickly became a staple in San Antonio.
A few years later, the City of Balcones Heights came on board as a sponsor, and the Balcones Heights Jazz Festival was born.
Over the years, the format changed — from six weeks to five, then four — shortening the season to bring in bigger names. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was reduced to a single show each summer, but San Antonio’s support remains strong.
“I think the most people we’ve ever had has been around 3,000, but it’s generally around the 2,000 mark,” Muñoz said. “Some people set their chairs up here the Sunday before the event.”
Muñoz has spent his whole life in the city, growing with and observing the local jazz audience as it evolves yet remains deeply committed.
“It’s a niche audience,” he said. “The audiences are smaller than those that support Top 40 radio or country radio, but they’re loyal to the format. The people are still around, still supporting.”
That support extends to the musicians, too. Each year, the festival’s headliners — typically solo artists — are backed by a local band.
“They play with our local backup bands that are very, very talented,” Muñoz said. “They’re very buttoned up. They get the music from the artists and they learn it.”
That mix of national names and homegrown talent feeds into the atmosphere on the amphitheater lawn.
This year’s Balcones Heights Jazz Festival is scheduled for Friday, July 18, at the Wonderland of the Americas’ outdoor amphitheater at 4522 Fredericksburg Rd. The public event kicks off at 7:30 p.m. with saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa, followed by guitarist Steve Oliver at 9 p.m. Lawn seating is first-come, first-served. Parking is free, with food and drink vendors available on site.
For Muñoz, even after 31 seasons, each show still feels special.
“There are lots of favorites, special moments,” he said. “One of the things that I make sure I do every time we’re here is I stand at my DJ table and look out at the audience. The fountain is filled, and I try to soak everything in one more time — because you never know if it will be back next year. You never know if I’ll be back next year.”
