San Jose Jazz has announced the lineup for the annual New Works Fest, taking place over the next four weekends. This year’s artists—handpicked from an accomplished group of 20 recipients of Jazz Aid Fund grant—will compose and record new musical works that will be performed at the SJZ Break Room and simultaneously live-streamed on SJZ’s YouTube channel.
Leela Paymai will open the concert series at 8pm on Feb. 21, debuting her new work, Zheniia. Fusing contemporary jazz and the classical Iranian music that she grew up with, Paymai’s ensemble entrances listeners. Trained as a classical trombonist, the multi-instrumentalist currently focuses more on the bass.
While working on Zheniia, Paymai also has been recording a debut album with her Bay Area–based band, Miss Hits, a lively fusion ensemble with vocals. This new work combines jazz with the classical Persian music that she heard growing up, and conjures instant nostalgia.
Ryan Trujillo, playing at 8pm on Feb. 22, rounds out the weekend of bass-led ensembles with the aptly named New Beginnings Quartet. Veteran workingman musician, bandleader, composer and SJSU alumni, Trujillo seamlessly combines genres, attitudes and sensibilities. The preview clip of the New Beginnings Quartet sneaks a peek at a beautifully unfolding groove, the kind of music you would expect to hear on a cloud—if clouds had jazz clubs.
On March 1 at 8pm, the Dana Salzman Band brings a touch of the lyrical and the soulful. Salzman configures her intimate, confessional lyrical style onto the template of funk and R&B, creating a musical form of emotional intimacy.
Pianist/composer Jon Dryden, a jazz studies professor at San Jose State University, seems to effortlessly lead his quartet into a realm infused with moody, cinematic jazz. The pianist and composer will perform at 8pm on March 7.
Kai Eckhardt brings more Jazz fusion with South Indian music. Hypnotic and compelling, German-born Eckhardt’s music features some intricately fierce guitar work on his part. Eckhardt performed at 8pm on March 8.
Ben Henderson and Friends will finish the fest with a quiet, contemplative vibe at 7pm on March 14. This local favorite and beloved part of the fabric of the San Jose art scene draws together the deep threads of creativity and community that is woven through the series.
The New Works Fest is made possible by the Jazz Aid Fund, a grant program started by SJZ in 2020 to assist emerging and evolving local talent in procuring funding to produce new music.
The New Works Fest is made possible by the Jazz Aid Fund, a grant program started by SJZ in 2020 to assist emerging and evolving local talent in procuring funding to produce new music.
New Works Fest runs Feb 21–Mar 14 at SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose. $15. sanjosejazz.org
