San Jose Jazz, which has had to cancel its annual summer and winter concert festivals in 2020, has pivoted to a new concept of live performances, with a “pop-up” filming and performing studio inside its San Jose headquarters that would be both streamed online and projection-mapped onto screens outside for a live audience.

The nonprofit organization will officially unveil the space, “The SJZ Break Room,” during a four-day New Works Fest that kicks off April 29. Performances from 11 Bay Area artists like Kev Choice, GRAMMY-winning headliner Oran Etkin and Vân-Ánh Võ, will be streamed live for an admission fee and be available for an in-person live audience outside, on San Carlos Street. The festival takes place on four days in a 10-day span. It encompasses a free livestream performance on April 30, which is International Jazz Day.

Eventually, once pandemic distancing rules ease, San Jose Jazz will be able to accept small audiences inside The SJZ Break Room.

The state-of-the-art projection technology uses ultra-short throw projectors, which allows people to get close to the projection fabric, which is mounted on rollers and will be rolled up during regular business hours.

Tickets cost $10 per stream, which includes up to four performances, or $20 for all four days of performances. They’re available to purchase on the San Jose Jazz website. Outdoor viewing along San Carlos Street is free.

The entire lineup, by day, includes:

• Thursday, April 29: Ian Santillano, Tammy Hall and Claudia Villela.
• Friday, April 30: Oran Etkin Project (free for International Jazz Day)
• Thursday, May 6: Robbie Benson, Justin Ouellet, Ten Spencer, Chris Cain
• Saturday, May 8: Howard Wiley, Vân-Ánh Võ, Javier Santiago, Kev Choice

All shows start at 7:30 p.m. PT.

All 11 performing artists were among 33 awarded a $1,000 grant through the nonprofit’s SJZ Jazz Aid Fund, and they will receive an additional grant to perform.

Following the festival, the projection screens will be used to enliven downtown San Jose street life, and will be used as a community bulletin board on which organizations can promote upcoming programs and community news.

“San Jose Jazz has always worked to vitalize downtown San Jose with music and to provide avenues for artists to create and be heard,” SJZ Executive Director Brendan Rawson said in a news release. “Over the past 12 months, our programs have underscored just how essential the arts are for people. It’s part of their lifeline to live fully. We need to be a part of that.”