Founded in 1975 by Tim Jackson, Sheba Burney, and Rich Wills, Kuumbwa Jazz Center settled into its home at 320-2 Cedar Street in downtown Santa Cruz in 1977. The name comes from a Swahili word meaning "act of spontaneous creativity." A 1987 expansion funded by the Packard Foundation brought the room to its current 200-seat capacity, creating an intimate listening environment recognized by DownBeat Magazine as one of the great jazz venues in the world. Kuumbwa presents over 130 concerts per year and serves more than 1,000 students annually through its education programs. The nonprofit celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, a testament to Santa Cruz's enduring appetite for world-class jazz in a small-room setting.
Jazz (27)Folk (5)Rock (2)Country (1)R&B/Soul (1)World (1)
Upcoming Shows
Recent Shows
Shows from the last 90 days
Mon, Jul 27
Latin Jazz
Ray Obiedo's Latin Jazz Ensemble + Pete Escovedo
7:00 PM
Thu, Jul 23
Jazz
Michael Wolff Quartet
7:00 PM
Tue, Jul 21
Jazz
Michel Petrucciani
7:00 PM
Mon, Jul 20
Jazz
Keshav Batish & Friends in Sonic Kinship
7:00 PM
Sun, Jul 19
Appalachian
Leah Song
7:00 PM
Sat, Jul 18
Bluegrass
Water Tower
7:00 PM
Thu, Jul 16
Jazz
Tony Lindsay Quintet + Tom Politzer + John R. Burr + Gary Brown + Deszon Claiborne
7:00 PM
Mon, Jul 13
Jazz
Maruja Limón
7:00 PM
Fri, Jul 10
Rock
Alice Howe + Freebo + Glenn MacPherson
7:00 PM
Thu, Jul 9
Jazz
Mads Tolling Trio + Bruce Forman + Dan Feiszli
7:00 PM
Wed, Jul 8
Jazz
TAE & the Neighborly
7:00 PM
Tue, Jun 30
Jazz
Susan Muscarella
7:00 PM
Mon, Jun 29
Jazz
Luciana Souza + Marcel Camargo
7:00 PM
Sun, Jun 28
Jazz
Billy Childs Quartet
7:00 PM
Fri, Jun 26
Jazz
Kuumbwa Jazz Camp
7:00 PM
Thu, Jun 25
Jazz
Pamela Rose
7:00 PM
Mon, Jun 22
Jazz
Keith Greeninger + Vicki Randle
7:00 PM
Sat, Jun 20
World Music
Mufaro weDzimbahwe
7:30 PM
Thu, Jun 18
Folk
Mary Gauthier + Jaimee Harris
7:00 PM
Wed, Jun 17
Jazz
Barbara Higbie + Teresa Trull
7:00 PM
Mon, Jun 15
Jazz
Jason Marsalis Quartet
7:00 PM
Sat, Jun 13
Burlesque
Sin Sisters Burlesque & Drag
8:30 PM
Thu, Jun 11
Jazz
Nicole Zuraitis Quartet
7:00 PM
Sat, Jun 6
Jazz
Le Boeuf Brothers
7:00 PM
Thu, Jun 4
Jazz
Emi Makabe + Vitor Gonçalves + Thomas Morgan + Kenny Wollesen
7:00 PM
Wed, Jun 3
Benefit Concert
Voices for Vista
6:00 PM
Mon, Jun 1
Jazz
Bennett Roth Trio
7:00 PM
Sun, May 31
Folk
Jaeger & Reid + Aileen Vance + Emma's Revolution
3:00 PM
Sat, May 30
Son Jarocho
Olas Perdidas
7:00 PM
Fri, May 29
Jazz
Frankie Moreno Trio
7:00 PM