17-year-old saxophonist Ayo Brame from Oakland to perform at San Jose Jazz Summer Fest
"I'm really just excited."
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The annual San Jose Jazz Summer Fest got underway Friday night in San Jose. It provides not only an economic boost, but a showcase for young musicians.
Ayo Brame, 17, is a rising star in the jazz world.
This weekend, the Oakland teen will hit the stage at the 34th annual San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. On Friday, he gave attendees a little show as they waited in line.
"I'm really just excited. I'm excited to share my music with the rest of the crowd," Brame said.
On Monday, the saxophonist starts his senior year of high school and then takes off to headline a week-long show in Cuba.
"I mean it's cool being a trendsetter in a way specifically Oakland. I know there's a lot of different teens out there in the world, but specifically like Black teens there's not a lot of musicians picking up jazz and keeping it rolling within our community, so it's definitely cool to keep doing," Brame said.
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The three-day festival branches out from Cesar Chavez Park.
There are nine stages total, 5 that are outdoor and 4 indoor.
We spoke with Executive Director Brendan Rawson.
"We have people from about 25 different states that travel to the festival each year," Rawson said.
Rawson said last year, the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest brought in roughly 35,000 people.
"We generate about $17 million in economic impact in the city of San Jose with this event every year and we probably have 3,000 hotel rooms that are filled with guests for this, so the arts can be an important driver or economic driver for downtown," Rawson said.
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Rawson said it's inspiring to have young talent coming through.
"With Ayo, he was featured as part of our Jazz Aid Fund commissioning project, we do grants every year to local musicians to create new work," Rawson said.
We spoke with San Jose residents Toria Thomas and Marita Bolden, friends from college. San Jose Jazz Summer Fest is an event they make an effort to go to every year.
