Jazz on the Plazz

Had a memorable evening hearing Ramsey Lewis this week. Nice setting but a big negative are the people that come for the ambiance and not the music. They go on and on with their loud conversations which distract from the great performances. Get there early if you want a shady spot

Just attended a fabulous concert by Ramsey Lewis, the featured artist this summer. Probably the best concert we have ever attended at Jazz on the Plaz. Do have some frustrations I would like to voice.
1. Following the seating rules, we arrived by 12:30 pm to set up our chairs. We had a friend stay until 3:00 to watch over them (they were several rows behind her row). When we arrived last night, our chairs had been removed and were leaning against the retaining wall in the back. Needless to say, someone else had taken our spot. We were told that one of the «authorities» had removed them under the assumption that no one was guarding them. Is there a rule we are unaware of that states you have to actually sit in the chairs until 3:00 pm? Our friend was probably watching about 8 chairs but insisted she never heard anyone ask who the chairs belonged to. Somehow, the whole process seems unfair and, in spite of our efforts we had to scramble to find a spot for our chairs.
2. In the section adjacent to the regular seats where food and wine is offerred, people were very loud and quite rude when they were asked to be quiet when Ramsey was playing. This is disrespectful to the artist and made it very difficult to hear some of his quieter pieces. Is it possible to shut down the section during the concert time and just reopen it for intermission and after the show is over? The food and wine encourage conversation which is great except during the times when we are trying to listen to the artists.
Finally, on a positive note, thanks to Jazz on the Plazz for bringing such fabulous musicians to our area and providing free concerts in a lovely setting in Los Gatos!

Great crew especially if you forget your wine opener.

If you’re a jazz lover, this is definitely not the place to be. The park is lovely and the sound/​acoustics were good. The performer — Stacey Kent — was sensational, but I felt so sorry for her. This is an event where locals come to eat, drink wine and talk to each other… kind of like a corporate cocktail party in the park with kids. They come very early, set up their chairs and tables and leave, only to come back a half hour before show time to socialize. Many had no idea who Stacey Kent was and could have cared less. Many groups of friends and family spent zero time even listening to Stacey… they were too busy talking to their circle of friends or wandering around giving air kisses to everyone. If you’re a jazz lover, stick to the jazz festivals… this is not one of them.

Jazz in beautiful Los Gatos. Heard Mary Wilson as well as other headliners such as Mose Allison Barbara Morrison, Rita Collidge and lots more. Its so much fun having a picnic with some of your close family or friends. You can setup your chairs anytime after 3 PM.
Michael Jacobi works hard with Teri Hope and other local dignitaries to bring this fabulous event. There is also Music in the Park on Sundays.
Please support this wonderful event. Its free but they gladly accept donations.
Thanks for bringing back the memories this evening with Mary Wilson. My Mother and I enjoyed the music and dancing (:

This is like the super classy version of San Jose’s Music in the Park. Instead of homeless people with their brown paper bags, and odd smelling ciggs… Jazz on the Plazz has cougars with enhanced chests drinking their fancy wines.
Music + booze + lounging outdoors+ people watching = 5 stars!

This is one of those things that makes you feel summer is here! I attended this event for the first time this week and can say I will be back. The event doesn’t start until 6:30p, but by the time I arrived at 5:15p to get a spot, the only area left was all the way in the back! No worries. There really isn’t a bad spot as long as you can hear the musician.
Pros:
— FREE!
— You can bring your own food and wine
— Friendly crowd
— Great place to get together with a group of friends
— Different musician every week
Cons:
Parking can get a little crazy!

A big yea for the FREE Jazz on the Plazz in Los Gatos. It’s on the plaza next to the Post Office, across from the burger/​pizza joints off Main Ave/​Santa Cruz Ave.
One day this summer I and my friend were driving over to Los Gatos to walk and get our exercise for the day like usual (on a Wednesday). But for some reason everything was crowded in all of the parking lots, even in hidden, secret ones I will never tell anyone about. And the streets were filled with people walking in one direction towards Main Street. Did they know something we didn’t know? Apparently yes!
Finally, we found a spot way over by Double D’s (a restaurant I don’t like very much by the way) and started to walk all the way down Santa Cruz Ave.
As we got closer, we heard music playing. Intrigued by this, we stepped up our pace as the music got louder and louder.
Then when we got to the intersection of Santa Cruz and Main, we saw that the park/​plaza was filled with people and some band was playing, a man who had played with Count Basie, or so he said.
Lots of kids were running around, or eating or just sitting with parents. The sides had people moving all around. It was just like one big party going on.
We stopped on one of the sides, listened for awhile to the singer who was very good by the way until our legs got tired. Then we went over to the nearby sandwich shop and got sandwiches to eat, then took them back to the park and ate them while listening some more.
All in all, it was a great experience and on Wednesday’s I will be looking forward to returning again. But I won’t get a good seat because Los Gatos residents come in the morning, put their blankets and chairs down hours in advance to ensure they will have a good spot. Fair? I guess so and what can I do about it anyway? It’s their town, they can do what they want.
So check the internet to see who is playing. Apparently, this goes on until the end of September so lots of time to play, listen and eat.

Jazz on the Plazz is as much about networking and socializing as it is about music. This is a free, community event. Folks serious about listening to the performers (Diane Shuur is next week’s headliner) may want to arrive early to get seating on the Post Office box end of the Plaza. On other sides of the plaza, there’s a lot of social conversation — which can get a bit distracting, along with the occasional dog barking and motorcycle/​car noise. Bring your own food. Wine consumption is permitted along with your meal with folks bringing folding chairs, picnic lunches, wine/​champagne, and folding tables.
It can get cool later in the evening (concerts run 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.) so you may want to consider brining a sweater or blanket.
An option for those not inclined to pack a picnic lunch would be to go to Willow Street across the street or a similar local establishment to get food ‘to go’.

Jazz on the Plazz is a great way to relax on Wednesday evenings. Bring a blanket or low chairs and kick back on the grass with your friends while you enjoy good tunes. This is a fun event. Bring your own booze or h20 or whatever. Bring your own food or buy take-​out from the local establishments.
This coming Wed. is Rita Coolidge and there are concerts every week til Sept 20^th. It’s an annual event and well worth the time.