This browser does not support the Video element.
San Jose Jazz Festival honors Hip Hop's 50th Anniversary
The 33rd Annual San Jose Jazz Festival kicked off Friday with over 125 performers over the weekend.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The 33rd Annual San Jose Jazz Summer Festival kicked off Friday with over 125 performers over the weekend. The three-day event also paid special tribute to the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop music.
Each year this jazz fest draws about 35,000 people. It’s San Jose’s largest music fest and people say it’s always a good time.
In honor of hip-hop culture, there was break dancing, graffiti artists, and a performance by Los Angeles rapper Murs, who’s worked with Snoop Dog, Kendrick Lamar and E-40. Headlining Friday night was legendary MC Big Daddy Kane.
"Friday night was actually Aug. 11, the actual 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop with what Kool Herc did in the Bronx. It was like ok, we have to do something really special that night," said Brendan Rawson, San Jose Jazz executive director.
San Jose Jazz started in 1986 and now offers music education programming at Title 1 schools in San Jose, music summer camps, grants, and a high school all-star program. San Jose Jazz says preserving jazz is crucial to fostering artistic traditions and creativity.
"My father’s the one who turned me on to it. I remember when I was a little kid riding in the car and him turning on the jazz. Meeting different jazz players, Sunday Jazz in Sausalito. I was a young girl and ever since then, I’ve loved jazz. It’s in my blood," said Pamela DaCosta of Berkeley.
BET Awards celebrates 50 years of hip hop, pays tribute to Takeoff and Tina Turner
Sunday's biggest surprise came when Quavo and Offset, the surviving members of Migos, performed "Bad and Boujee" in front of an image of Takeoff, who died in a shooting last December.
Saturday night was headlined by Anthony Hamilton, a Grammy winner and platinum-selling soul and R&B singer. Entertaining the crowds on Sunday was singer and composer Patrice Rushen.
Grammy-winning Jazz singer Gregory Porter also hit the main stage Sunday. Porter won the Grammy for Jazz Vocal Album in 2014.
"We’ve been around for 33 years, so we’re well known in the touring music community so our jazz artists that look forward to performing in San Jose reaching out to us as well," Rawson said.
And as long as the best at music keeps coming to San Jose Jazz Fest, fans like long-time San Jose resident Leroy Barnett Jr. will keep coming too.
"I appointed myself the unofficial ambassador of the San Jose Jazz Festival. So, I want to welcome everybody and if you didn’t make it this year, come next year," Barnett, Jr. said.
San Jose Jazz also puts on a winter music festival in February so if you missed it this weekend, there’s more jazz to come early next year.