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Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival Presented By Southwest Airlines Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 7-10; Free Santana Row and Downtown San Jose; 408.288.7557; www.sanjosejazz.org As reflected in its very name, the San Jose Jazz Festival represents the best of jazz and the greater San Jose area. This year's bill looks to build on the reputation that's solidified over time. As usual, the lineup is both deep and wide, with blues, gospel and Afro-Cuban styles presented alongside straight-ahead, big-band, youth and exploratory jazz. At presstime, there are eight separate stages. The elegant yet rhythmically rock-solid Nneena Freelon has the distinction of both opening and closing the festival. She appears as a special guest with the famed Count Basie Orchestra at the ticketed opening-night gala on Aug. 7 at Santana Row, which close off one of its blocks to accommodate the celebration. Sunday evening on the Main Stage, she will close out the weekend with her own quartet. Recommended acts include open-eared alto saxophonist and composer Greg Osby; Cuban powerhouse ¡Cubanismo!; jazzy contemporary instrumentalists the Yellowjackets; bop legend Jimmy Heath with the San Jose Jazz Orchestra; and the Bay Area vocal treasure Ledisi, who has had sold-out performances at Yoshi's and Bimbo's 365 Club earlier this year. Several new features will be added. The most exciting for the after-hours crowd is a 24-hour jam session at Waves Smokehouse, which starts Saturday at 8pm. Nighttime revelers can congregate and hip shake on part of Post Street, which will be closed from 8 to 10pm on Saturday for a blues party. Art and music will come together on Saturday and Sunday at the Paseo de San Antonio next to the Fairmont Hotel, as two artists will be flown down from Toronto to paint a mural while accompanied by a DJ spinning acid jazz and hip-bop. The finished piece will be on display and for sale. (Yoshi Kato) Summer Music Guide 2003 Summer Sonic: This summer, Good Charlotte's Joel Madden looks forward to touring and working on his '65 Chevy. Perry-patetic: Lollapalooza's Perry Farrell attempts to recapture the spirit of 1991. Modern Love: The 1983 Day on the Green with the Police, the Fixx, Madness, Oingo Boingo, and the Thompson Twins blew open the alternative-rock movement in the Bay Area. Plus: an interview with Fixx frontman Cy Curnin. Ozzfest 2003: With Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Disturbed and Chevelle. Shoreline. Summer Sanitarium: With Metallica, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and Deftones. Candlestick. Wilco and R.E.M: Shoreline. Björk: Pier 30/32. Stanford Jazz Festival: With the Branford Marsalis Trio, alumni from Cal Tjader's groups, James Williams, Madeline Eastman, Dena DeRose and Geri Allen's Ensemble. Dinkelspiel Auditorium and Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford University. Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival: With Nneena Freelon, the Count Basie Orchestra, Greg Osby, ¡Cubanismo!, the Yellowjackets, Jimmy Heath and Ledisi. Dinkelspiel Auditorium and Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford University. India.Arie: Montalvo. Beck/Dashboard Confessional: Greek Theatre. The Dixie Chicks: HP Pavilion. Lou Reed: Mountain Winery. Shows: From Agenda to Zoë. Summer Festival Guide: Art, wine and more. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]