Painting by Jan Prevetti
June, 2021
As concert venues start to reopen, I was delighted to read in my inbox that SummerFest, formerly known as the San Jose Jazz Festival, is on at its usual dates on the second weekend in August. This celebration of jazz in beautiful downtown San Jose has always been a gathering of the tribe for St. Laurel and me. Even though we live a short ride from downtown, we would stay in a hotel to be walking distance from the music and the night time fun.
The announcement is bittersweet for me because this will be the first festival I will miss. My ALS degenerated motor neurons and my respirator are simply in no condition to navigate the festivities. That should not stop you. Go to sanjosejazz.org to get tickets. You’ll need to act fast because tickets are limited this year. When you go, say hi to the main stage for me.
The festival was the brainchild of the good folks at Metro, Silicon Valley’s alternative newspaper, and was initially free. Still, having a backstage pass meant something and I would hit up those clients that were also sponsors for the coveted wristbands. The closer at the first fest was Freddy Hubbard and I can still see him showing Smith Dobson the piano chord voicings for the opening tune, “First Light” as they were kicking off the set on the main stage.
Sweet Daughter Katie was at the fest at a mere six months of age, wads of wax jammed into her ears. Her stroller made a convenient cart for our lawn blanket and other assorted accouterments. When she became ambulatory she relished playing in the central water scupture. She described her festival routine as follows: “First you lay down the blanket, then you play in the fountain, then you get a snowcone.” Sweet Daughter Katie has always had her priorities.
Later, I became a pro bono lawyer for the San Jose Jazz Society, and I had my obligatory shift at the festival. Fortunately I drew the job of ticket runner. In those days San Jose Jazz took a cut of all food sales, and controlled all beverage sales, to raise funds. It sold tickets that could be redeemed for food from a variety of vendors and beverages from booths run by San Jose Jazz. My job, accompanied by Sweet Daughter Katie, now in elementary school, was to pick up tickets from the central treasury and drop them off at waiting ticket booths. In return I would drain the ticket booths of excess cash, this being the days before Square, and return it to the central treasury. Sweet Daughter Katie and I were usually able to commandeer a golf cart to quickly get to the ticket booths in what had become a multistage event spread throughout downtown San Jose. What fun on a perfect summer day, all to the sound of the multiple flavors of jazz with the aroma of food vendor grills. We became quite proficient careening our golf cart from stage to stage and from booth to booth with our fresh stash of tickets and thousands of dollars in festive cash.
There used to be a jam session on Friday nights at the fest featuring local CEOs that would later open up to include all comers, like me. So I’m happily banging away on a piano too good for me when I see St. Laurel walk in with Sweet Daughter Katie, now in high school. Time to change tunes and Arturo is on the congas. My focus is on the keys as I start the opening vamp to “Oye Como Va”. The set drums are laying down a clean groove that is oddly familiar. I look up at the drums to see Sweet Daughter Katie jamming her best cha-cha beats with a big smile on her face. I am one proud papa. Twenty minutes later we finally bring the tune to a close to wild applause, probably because we finally stopped playing.
Later, we are walking back from the jam when we are stopped by a couple who look at Sweet Daughter Katie and say:
“You’re that girl that was on the drums. You were awesome!”
Sweet Daughter Katie says thank you and we are on our way. A few steps pass and, while I am brimming with paternal pride, Sweet Daughter Katie feels compelled to turn to me and say:
“I am so much cooler than you are right now.”
Kids. Gotta love ’em.
See you next time.
Embrace The Suck 
Thanks Bob for another great post. How nice to learn that Jan painted so well. And how could I have forgotten that Katie was capable of doing mean things with drums. And now perhaps I can see how playing impromptu with Legally Blue might have helped prepare Katie for a career on disaster management teams too. With best wishes, Dick
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Nicely put, Bob – I’m sorry I was not in attendance at more of the SJJFs, but I’m glad you got so see so many. I can see you and Katie in the golf cart – a great visual – thanks for sharing!
All the best to you both,
Kurt
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Bob, great promo for the San Jose jazz festival. I finally remember hanging out with you in a couple of them. And we plan on going again this year, and also back to the Monterey Jazz Festival. I hope you may be able to watch streaming from either of those festivals or others. That was a great story about you jamming with your daughter on drums, and she said I’m so much cooler than you right now ha ha Ha
. I played golf with Scott Hereld yesterday and we talked about you and how great you’re doing keeping positive with the blog etc. mixed with the unbelievable shit you’re going through. I’d like to send a couple of things for you to listen to. How can I send it? CD, link to YouTube or some other way?
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Sounds like you have some great memories of the festival, and not being able to attend this year is quite a change of routine. You have some great memories of the jazz festival to cherish with your wife and daughter. The last comment you wrote about with KATIE saying that she was so much cooler than you is priceless! 😊. I Love all the stories you share in your blog and it seems like you’ve had some great adventures. I also like hearing about your music. Music seems to be a big part of your life, And as you will not be able to go to the jazz festival, have St Laurel line up some good jazz for you in crank it up in the house!! Wishing you well as always… Janet
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My favorite edition to date.
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Great stories! No one’s cooler than you, Bob, just FYI. – Paul
On Fri, Jun 25, 2021 at 3:08 PM Embrace The Suck wrote:
> embrace-the-suck.blog posted: ” Painting by Jan Prevetti June, 2021 As > concert venues start to reopen, I was delighted to read in my inbox that > SummerFest, formerly known as the San Jose Jazz Festival, is on at its > usual dates on the second weekend in August. This celebration” >
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Bob,
This was one of my favorite blogs and a wonderful family story.
With love and hugs,
Rhonda
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Hi Bob–thanks for sharing your great memories…I always, always enjoyed and looked forward to running into you and Laurel at Jazz Fest (I still can’t call it Summer Fest, because that’s the festival I grew up with in Milwaukee….), and catching your spirited and inspirational and just downright fun performances.
Our “Bloco do Sol” samba group was just asked to perform at the Fest this year, and it is so wonderful to have a goal like that to work toward. You’ve written about this, and know there is no feeling quite like an audience responding with joy to music you are making with others.
Last Friday, I played ‘choro’ music on flute for the first time in person with 6 people in a garage in Albany–my first foray into being a garage-band musician!! I’m stoked, and so glad I quit my day job and now have the freedom to practice music a few hours each day, and drive in horrific traffic to play with others!!!
sending love,
Kim
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Honestly you take my breath away, how many hours Frank, Peter and Jeanne listening to jazz, how many years at the Monterey Jazz Festival, how even now there is a small July 4th Fillmore Street jazz festival which we attended when in town. How magical that music that ties us all together, and how wonderful of you to remind us.
Sending much love and appreciation, AGAIN. Jeanne
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Thanks for the great share Bob! A real joy to read this first hand account of some of those early year operations. Good job on snagging and holding on to one of those golf carts! Whenever I park my cart for a few minutes it inevitably gets commandeered by someone else on a pressing mission. It has certainly been a wonderful village of great folks over the years that have contributed in all sorts of creative and pragmatic ways to making the Fest the great tradition that it is. We will be doing a bit of streaming from the Fest this year from our SJZ Break Room space. Hopefully you’ll be able catch some of those performances. All the best, B
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I remember you playing and I remember her playing the drums as well. I really enjoyed Fish awesome drumming and then I understood why your daughter was so good after hearing her teacher play. I miss the Jazz fest and I miss your playing. Your daughter was cooler!
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