Published in the March 2-15, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Mark Fenichel

Mark Fenichel

Mark Fenichel

Nicholas Peyton

Nicholas Peyton

San Jose has always been well known for its summer music festival known as SummerFest (coming this year the first weekend in August). However, there is also a winter music festival that is going on right now through March 8.

The Kaiser Permanente San Jose Jazz Winter Fest 2016 presented by Metro features an array of exciting local, regional and International Jazz and Latin jazz acts. Staying true to San Jose’s diverse cultural fabric and the international influence of Silicon Valley, San Jose Jazz is dedicated to bringing only the best jazz and Latin music to South Bay audiences. San Jose Jazz proudly presents the following artists at Winter Fest 2016: John Scofield, Joe Lovano Quartet, Regina Carter, Nicholas Payton Trio, Delfeayo Marsalis Quartet, Marquis Hill Blacktet, Incendio, KING, Kneedelus, Kadhja Bonet, Bria Skonberg, Jackie Ryan, Chester ‘CT’ Thompson and the Bay Area’s premier youth jazz ensembles.

Incendio in both Italian and Spanish means “fire,” a most fitting name for a musical group whose sound is all about energy, exploration, and passion. Incendio’s live performances have become an explosive improvisational journey garnering tremendous audience response at venues such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, Sundance Film Festival, Levitt Pavilions and the Catalina Jazz Club. Incendio will be performing at 10 p.m. Friday March 4 at the Jade Leaf Eatery & Lounge, 95 South Market St. Tickets are available for $20 advance/$25 at the door ($15 SJZ Members).

Nosotras, an acclaimed women’s ensemble from the Bay Area, was founded in 2007 originally to raise money for Peruvian earthquake victims. Nosotras continues to inspire and promote the important role of women in the arts. Performing works from Peru, Mexico, Cuba, Bolivia and beyond, the quartet is comprised of Rosa Los Santos, guitar and vocals; Fernanda Bustamante, violin and vocals; Gabriela Shiroma, percussion and dance; and Peta Robles, vocals, cajón and congas. Nosotras will perform at 8 p.m. Friday March 4 at MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, Castellano Playhouse), 510 South First St. Tickets are free.

Rolando Morales is largely a self-taught guitarist and specializes in the acoustic nylon-stringed guitar. Before creating his own ensemble, he played for a few years with the Latin band, Los Compas, and also co-founded the popular band Passion and Grace with Carlos Godinez. Together, Morales and Godinez expanded the capabilities of blending Latin jazz with flamenco, classical, Brazilian and pop influences featuring guitar and voice. Morales has performed throughout Spain, England, Italy, Ireland, Mexico and Hawaii. Rolando Morales Ensemble will appear at 9 p.m. Saturday March 5 in the Fairmont San Jose lobby lounge. Tickets are free and all ages are welcome.

Trumpeter and composer Marquis Hill is one of the preeminent voices on the instrument of his generation. Raised in Chicago’s South Side, Hill began playing drums in the fourth grade and, after being inspired by a cousin, shifted his focus to the trumpet. At age 12, he became a member of the South Shore Youth Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of saxophonist and educator Ronald Carter. His musical prowess garnered recognition after winning the 2012 International Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition and the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition, widely regarded as the most prestigious in its field. Hill is an active educator holding teaching positions at the University of Illinois, Chicago, the NIU Summer Jazz Camp and Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. Marquis Hill Blacktet will be in town at 7 p.m. Thursday March 3 at Cafe Stritch. Tickets: $20 advance/$25 door ($15 SJZ Members).

Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton rocketed into focus starting in 1994, with a series of seven high-profile albums on the legendary Verve record label. Since then he’s been a fixture on the international scene, collaborating with many of jazz’s elite from Joe Henderson and Doc Cheatham to Herbie Hancock and Lenny White. In recent years Payton’s attention has turned to the keyboard and amazingly, he has achieved a distinctive sound on that instrument as well. Nicholas Payton Trio: Letters & Numbers appears at 8 p.m. Friday March 4 at the Jade Leaf Eatery & Lounge. Tickets are $30 advance/$35 door ($25 SJZ Members).

All the details can be found at www.sanjosejazz.org/winterfest or call(408) 288-7557.

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On Another Note:

Closer to home The Joe Sharino Band March 12 at Guglielmo Winery still has about 80 tickets available. If you like good rockin’ variety of country music, the seven-piece San Jose-based One Country will appear at 8 p.m. Saturday March 19 at GVA Café. Sunday, March 20 they will appear from 1 to 4 p.m. at Morgan Hill Cellars during the Santa Clara Valley Wine Association Passport Weekend. I will be playing with some musical friends from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Sunlit Oak Winery as part of Passport Weekend.