Free! All ages! Food trucks and drink concessions!
Sundays May 26th – June 16th 2024
3:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Sunday, May 26th, 2024
AMAYO + Openers Royal Group, Big Klef
Amayo means: “If you don’t go, you never know!”
Former Front-man of Antibalas for 23 years, Amayo was credited for bringing Afrobeat to a global audience, leading it to become a genre of itself. He composed the GRAMMY nominated “Fu Chronicles” album for “Best Global Music Album of the Year” 2020. It was the launchpad for Amayo’s solo career – where Kung Fu meets Afrobeat.
His unique blend of styles creates a magical landscape for Chinese & African rhythms. Amayo sings traditional Yoruba & Edo lyrics and plays piano, electric keyboard, organ, and the Gbedu Spirit Drum. His band features chekere, guitar, bass, flute, violin, drums, percussion and horns.
Amayo’s songs guide people through Kung Fu movements and stories of the Nigerian Edo & Ife Kingdoms.
As an anointed Orisha “Awo” Amayo sings traditional Nigerian spirituals and stories that have been passed down in a sacred lineage. Amayo has been a senior master (Sifu) of the Jow Ga Kung Fu School of martial arts since 1982 and performs traditional Chinese Lion Dance as a salutation ritual to begin his stage performances to bring good fortune to the audience.
Sunday, June 2nd, 2024
Noah and the Arkiteks + Opener Pearl Alley Band
Sunday, June 9th, 2024
Lyrics Born + Opener Dox & The Aquanauts
Lyrics Born relocated to the United States from his birthplace of Toyko, Japan right around the time Hip Hop was exploding on the East Coast. From the moment he heard Sugar Hill Gang’s 1980 classic “Rapper’s Delight,” the Bay Area Hip Hop luminary knew he’d found his calling. Twenty-five years later, LB has obliterated the stereotypes of what an MC is “supposed to ” look like and captured the hearts of countless fans who gravitate to his distinctive voice. He’s now the only Asian-American MC to release 10 studio albums and the first to play major music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza.
As the first Asian-American to release a greatest hits compilation, he’s pumped out multiple smash singles across four official studio albums. From “Stop Complaining” to “Callin’ Out” and “I Like It, I Love It” and “I Changed My Mind,” his material has always retained a musically eclectic feel. The self-proclaimed “funkiest rapper alive” carries on his tradition of weaving funk and soul into classic, boom-bap Hip Hop on Quite A Life. Without the influence of icons like James Brown, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Zapp and Rogers, LB admits he wouldn’t be who he is today. Coupled with his love of rap pioneers such as KRS-One, Rakim and Snoop Dogg, LB’s music is the perfect Hip Hop and funk-flavored gumbo. For live shows, LB often recruits a full band to “keep it all the way funky” for his audience. Coupled with wife / singer Joyo Velarde’s powerful voice, the unrelenting energy of his performances electrifies every crowd.
Sunday, June 16th, 2024
The Jack Moves
Across their self-titled debut effort, Newark, NJ based duo The Jack Moves captured the duality of the city’s existence, from the crummy and rude glory hole bandits of Penn Station to cherry blossom park lovers north of the city. The seaside soul meets skate-punk funk narrative was artfully carried forward on the band’s sophomore offering Free Money, which was named one of 2018’s best albums of the year by KCRW.
Once again it’s on… after a stint stuck in solitude, The Jack Moves are back in the ring. Still in love, but not falling. This time, they’re the prize. This go-round, they’re coming out swinging, not too cute for a scuffle. Still cruising, but now it’s for a bruising. Legendary producer/arranger Paul Kyser dubbed The Jack Moves “the baddest band in New York City,” and they sound every bit of it on their third full length LP Cruiserweight.
Since that last outing, which included two cross-country road tours in 2019, Zee Desmondes and Teddy Powell have collected the experiences from their previous travels, and brought them back to home soil, where they would inevitably get deeper into their Jersey roots. To examine what distinguishes a city like Newark and a state like New Jersey from any other. How it’s become like an alternate dimension, somewhat stuck in the past, but simultaneously far off into the future. To further connect with an unusual cast of characters, and translate their passion and mysticism into song. Still dripping with hard soul, but not quite as obvious to categorize…
With Cruiserweight, The Jack Moves take a cinematic approach to song making. Each tune is a vignette, where the fellas get deep into character, to deliver essential parts of the story. As the plot thins and thickens, we’re treated to the sound we’ve come to love, along with a few new card tricks brought to the table.
With its infectious, ebullient hook and jaunty flute, lead single “Somebody’s Watching You” might seem like a sweet paean to longing, to desire—but it’s also an ode to looking in its many forms, to the interplay of gazes online and in real life, to observing, being observed, and performing for the eyes of others. Follow up single “Seabra” is a breezy and romantic, mid-tempo ballad, calling back to Philly soul acts like Teddy Pendergrass or Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, but infused with a sweet Brazilian samba rhythm, à la Astrud Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. The Jack Moves enable disparate elements to coexist within sweet soul/R&B, much like the Brazilian community in their home-base of Newark has become an intrinsic part of the city’s character. “Lionel Richie” is a hard soul banger, complete with throbbing bassline, menacing drums, luscious string and horn arrangements and cocky vocals. The song is reminiscent of The Ohio Players and Rick James funk, or INXS dance-rock if spun at one of David Mancuso’s infamous ‘70s parties at The Loft. It’s a distinctly east coast R&B sound, but able to sit comfortably alongside a contemporary outer-regional song like “Am I Wrong” by Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, or joints by artists like Bakar and Frank Ocean. Imagine a steaming subway commute through the bowels of the city, to emerge into the powder keg that is NYC… ‘Lionel Richie’ is that energy. Perfect for modern and nostalgic soul, funk, boogie, rare groove, and disco playlists.
Overall, Cruiserweight is a potent dose of everything we’ve come to know and love from The Jack Moves, from the sweet soul of “When You’re In Love” to the rock & roll tinged “Gatti vs Ward,” but with a noticeably more dynamic range. With this record, The Jack Moves promise to strengthen their foothold within the current musical landscape, occupying greater space across genres, and taking significant steps forward into this next chapter.
In 2022 The Jack Moves have toured with Thee Sacred Souls, Ghostfunk Orchestra and Weapons of Mass Creation. They’ve been sampled on songs featuring Ghostface Killah and Conway the Machine, and have performed at Brixton Academy, Red Rocks and Billboard Live in Tokyo. Their singles “Somebody’s Watching You” and “Seabra” can be heard on Morning Becomes Eclectic. For those who may have contemplated betting against The Jack Moves… you might be stupid, but don’t be crazy!
About the Levitt San Jose Concert Series:
Formed in 2016, Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose is a non-profit with a mission to build community through free, all-ages, high-quality live music shows and performances on a permanent stage in historic St. James Park.
The Levitt San Jose Concert Series, will feature top local and national artists, giving a sneak peek of what’s to come when Levitt Pavilion San Jose joins the community of permanent Levitt venues across the country.
Enjoy a fall picnic with friends and family and see how Levitt San Jose will build community through free, all-ages, high quality live music shows and performances in historic St. James Park.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or sign up for our e-mail list to receive the latest info about the Fall Concert Series and Levitt Pavilion San Jose!
Volunteers Needed!
Interested in volunteering for the Fall Concert Series? Volunteers are needed for event set up and break down, beer and merchandise booth, and welcoming attendees. Sign up here.