"For rising musicians, a little encouragement can go a long way. San Jose Jazz has turned the appreciative head nod into a major initiative with the New Works Festival, a concert series showcasing artists who've received commissions from the organization. Part of a recent expansion of programming at the intimate SJZ Break Room, which has become an essential hub of the South Bay Music scene, the New Works Festival features six bandleaders between Feb. 20 and March 14."
"With past employers such as Ledisi, Carlos Santana, Yolanda Adams, and Pete Escovedo, he's a first-call cat when an act needs sweet, soaring vocals. Like the other New Work Festival artists I spoke with, Frank described the commission as a great surprise and opportunity. He added his own funds to the grant and brought his dream team into the studio and the song came out as one of the better pieces I've done, he says."
San Jose Jazz launched the New Works Festival to commission and showcase emerging artists at the SJZ Break Room, presenting six bandleaders across Feb. 20 6March 14 with $15 tickets. The festival opens with Richmond-based Luqman Frank, a soul-steeped singer-songwriter and first-call studio vocalist whose credits include Ledisi, Carlos Santana, Yolanda Adams, and Pete Escovedo. Frank added his own funds to the commission, assembled a dream team including bassist Michael Tiny Lindsey and keyboardist Mike Blankenship, and recorded "Fighting for Each Other," a song inspired by communities rallying against ICE enforcement. The Break Room has become an essential South Bay music hub.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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