Hayward jazz festival celebrates sweet 16
July 16, 2015
Jazz, blues and gospel bands fiddled in Hayward City Hall Plaza last weekend during the 16th annual Hayward Russell City Blues Festival.
The downtown lawn was filled with jazz fans either sitting, dancing to the music and bobbing their heads as they enjoyed the soothing sounds of artists such as Kingfish, Carl Weathersby and Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater.
The festival was hosted by the West Coast Blues Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to the, “perpetuation of Blues, Jazz and Gospel as an indigenous American art form,” according to their website.
They host numerous festivals throughout the year in cities that have history with jazz like Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland and Hayward-Russell City.
Russell City is an unincorporated part of northern Hayward by A Street, which experienced a growth in African Americans after World War II, which birthed a wave of jazz artists including legends Big Joe Turner and Big Mama Thornton.
Eventually West Coast blues was born, as artists in California switched up the instruments and replaced horns with harmonicas, which led Hayward to be a historic influence in Jazz history, according to the West Coast Blues Society.
The city had musicians who performed throughout the numerous clubs found in the area during the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s.
“I really enjoy coming to this show,” said Helen Leopold, Hayward resident. “I started coming about 10 years ago and this is the best show.”
