San Jose Jazz’s new artistic director wants to keep musical language evolving

Tracking down the King of Latin Soul was easier than Christian Vela expected.

“I couldn’t find a manager or an agent for him, but I did find a phone number,” Vela says about booking Joe Bataan for San Jose Jazz’s Summer Fest. “So I called it, and it was Joe Bataan himself.”

Bataan, who headlines the Latin Tropical Stage on Friday, Aug. 7, was Vela’s first booking for the festival. As associate artistic director and production manager for this year’s Summer Fest, Vela worked alongside San Jose Jazz’s longtime artistic director Bruce Labadie, who is set to retire after this year’s festival, when Vela will step into his shoes.

“I officially started curating artists last year,” says Vela, who has been the production manager for San Jose Jazz for several years. “I’m super excited about Summer Fest and that it’s come to me to be its steward and lead it forward. I have a few ideas and plans, but it’s more of a philosophy.”

Vela says he and Labadie share a philosophy about how to shape Summer Fest and San Jose Jazz’s other offerings. “Bruce and I get along really well, and we speak the same language,” he adds.

Growing up in East San Jose, Vela began developing his musical language as a young man, when he toured as the guitarist in the band Firme. “I was the tour, production and stage manager,” he recalls. “Touring as a musician really expanded my vocabulary. It helped me understand musicians in ways you probably couldn’t if you weren’t a musician. It’s the nuances.”

Touring also helped him learn the different aspects of the backline that play into being a production manager. Prior to joining San Jose Jazz, Vela spent more than a decade at SFJAZZ, helping oversee production for more than 400 performances annually.

“I was always a fan of the backline,” Vela says. “I always got stars in my eyes when I saw the gear. That hasn’t stopped.”

Prior to his booking acts for Summer Fest, Vela was already curating the lineup for the Break Room, San Jose Jazz’s 100-seat venue in downtown San Jose that highlights emerging artists.

“Part of what we do at the Break Room is to act as an incubator hub,” Vela says. “I want this to be their playground.

“Lots of new artists are taking jazz to new frontiers. I’m excited about where that’s going.”

When it comes to booking lesser-known acts for Summer Fest, Vela says, “Some artists might not be on people’s radar, but I feel like (audiences will) be enlightened.”

He points to Instant Alter, who will take the Break Room stage on Sunday, Aug. 9, at 6 p.m. The “future fusion” quartet is led by New York saxophonist Emilio Modeste and Los Angeles vocalist Natasha Agrama, both alumni of legendary bassist Stanley Clarke’s band.

“They just have a certain DNA,” Vela says. “They’re one of those acts that’s going to push the genre forward.

“And then there’s Patti LaBelle,” he says of one of the festival’s famous headliners, who will be on the main stage on Saturday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m.

Apart from the festival itself, Vela is pushing venues like the Havana Lounge at the Westin Sainte Claire hotel, as well as the Club Crawl for fans who want to hear more live music after hours. He says the free Swing Stage at San Pedro Square Market is “super important” for bringing the festival experience to the community at large.

“I’m trying to create more than the festival experience,” Vela adds.

The San Jose Jazz Summer Fest runs Aug. 7-9 at multiple venues in downtown San Jose. For tickets and a full schedule, visit https://summerfest.sanjosejazz.org.