Freebie of the week: The Fillmore Jazz Festival—always a good time for music lovers, with bands scheduled throughout the day and vendor booths aplenty—takes place this weekend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on a 12-block stretch from Jackson to Eddy streets in San Francisco. There are five separate venues for the musical acts, so you can plan out your listening strategy ahead of time to make the most of your visit. Jones United Methodist Church at 1975 Post St. is on the south end of things, Calvary Presbyterian Church at 2515 Fillmore St. is on the north, and intervening venues are at Sutter, California and Washington streets near Fillmore along the way. The great jazz vocalist Kenny Washington from Oakland (well-known in New Orleans as well), an artist with a three-decade career behind him, closes out the California stage with his trio at 5:30 p.m. Sunday; other performers include the Cal Tjader Centennial Celebration with Dred Scott and Cali Mambo, Fillmore Slim, jazz saxophonist John Handy, Sonny Fairley, Project Pimento and the Larry White Experience. Check out the options at fillmorejazzfest.com.
More free music: The Billy Martini show—a high-energy outfit playing funk rock, rhythm and blues and soul from the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s—will hit the stage from 10:30 a.m. to noon Friday as part of the summer long lineup of the City of Cupertino’s concert series at Memorial Park Amphitheater at 21163 Anton Way. Bring a picnic lunch and a blanket or lawn chairs to enjoy the show. If you miss the band in Cupertino, it’s playing a full four-gig starting at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at The Warehouse at 5 Canyon Lake in picturesque Port Costa, also free, with a kitchen and bar on site. Check it at Billymartini.com. Find a video clip from the Sonoma County Fair show last year here.
Yet another freebie: Audiences that like silliness with a solid dose of left-leaning politics will be glad to know that the San Francisco Mime Troupe is back with another comedic romp onstage in parks and other outdoor sites through Aug. 3. The stage company has been presenting a free summer comedy show for more than 60 years, delivering buckets full of belly laughs in musicals seemingly ripped from the day’s headlines. This year’s production, titled “Disruption,” focuses on a do-gooder son-of-immigrants named Augie who just wants to help people, as well as a tech hotshot who wants to turn San Francisco into a mecca for the right kinds of people. “Soon San Francisco will be a suburb of Silicon Valley,” says the show’s description on the Mime Troupe’s website. “And just in time for the president’s upcoming visit. But if the city is poised to be a calm, efficient paradise … why is everything suddenly on … fire!” The production tackles tech-world politics, immigration, gentrification and more, but the main goal is to get you laughing at, or in spite of, these tumultuous times. Free performances kick off at 2 p.m. Friday at Dolores Park in San Francisco and run through Aug. 3, with more stops in San Francisco as well in Berkeley, Oakland, Santa Cruz and more. More information and a schedule are at www.sfmt.org.
The Bard of boy bands: You may not know the name Max Martin, but there’s a decent chance you’ve heard one of his songs today, if not within the past hour. One of the most successful songwriters and producers in pop music history, he’s penned hits for artists ranging from Britney Spears to Taylor Swift and the Backstreet Boys. His 27 No. 1 Billboard hits rank second only to a guy named Paul McCartney (maybe you’ve heard of him?). It’s no surprise that someone had the bright idea to wrap his songs into a jukebox musical: It’s “& Juliet,” which incorporates such Martin-penned pop nuggets as “I Want it That Way,” “…Baby One More Time,” “Teenage Dream” and many more into a Shakespeare-inspired revisionist story in which Juliet (of “Romeo & Juliet” fame) does not take her own life, but goes on to find a bunch of new adventures. Though a musical that winds and weaves through a disparate collection of some of the catchiest tunes in history may sound ridiculous, it’s had successful runs in London’s West End in 2019 and on Broadway (where it has been playing since 2022). The North American touring production is playing through July 27 at San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre. Tickets for the 2½-hour show are $57.92-$272.02. Go to broadwaysf.com.
Songs for the red, white & blue: The Oakland Municipal Band is kicking off its new season of free concerts on July 4 at the lovely Edoff Memorial Bandstand at Lake Merritt with a patriotic program well-suited to the Independence Day holiday weekend. The 35-member band, said to be one of the oldest public music organizations in the United States, has been performing at Lakeside Park since 1912, and it claims that some fans have been attending Lakeside concerts for five decades. Led by new music director Kaitlin Bove, the band will display its versatility with a wide-ranging program that features everything from patriotic staples “Star Spangled Banner,” “Stars and Stripes Forever” and “America the Beautiful” to a medley of songs from the “Top Gun” soundtrack to Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” and Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” (which, if you aren’t familiar with it, is a more poignant look at life in America than the title suggests). The concert runs from 1 to 3 p.m., guests are invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and a picnic. The band will also perform at the park on July 13, July 20 and July 27, as well as Aug. 3. More information is at oaklandmunicipalband.org.
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