July 14, 2006

Verizon Summer Concert Series arrives at Eastridge

Eastridge will host the Verizon Summer Concert Series, which will showcase local talent as well as artists from different parts of the state.

Performers will include Aaron Lington Quartet from the Bay Area, Kendall Payne and the Ken Oak Band from Southern California.

“Eastridge is thrilled to be a gathering place for the San Jose community, and being a creative outlet for the Bay Area and Southern California artists,” said Alice Lam, Marketing Manager at Eastridge.

All performances are free to the public and will take place at lower level center court, next to Starbuck’s. The concert series will consist of the following performances:

Aaron Lington Quartet - Friday, July 21 at 7 p.m.

Kendall Payne - Saturday, August 19 at 1 p.m.

Ken Oak Band - Saturday, August 19 at 3 p.m.

The Aaron Lington Quartet is comprised of four gifted men with strong educational foundations in the field of music as well as amazing talent. Dale Wolford plays the soprano saxophone and is the Professor of Saxophone at San Jose State University and California State University, Stanislaus; Kevin Stuart plays the alto in addition to performing with the San Francisco Symphony; David Henderson plays the tenor and is also performer with the San Francisco Symphony; and Aaron Lington plays the baritone saxophone and is director of San Jose State University. With the gracious funding from San Jose State University’s School of Music and Dance, the members of the Aaron Lington Quartet were able to make their vision a reality. This saxophone quartet hopes to improve the visibility of jazz music one amazing performance at a time.

With only her guitar in hand, musician and songwriter Kendall Payne brings life to the stage. In 2001, she received the Dove Award for best Modern Rock Album of the Year. Kendall Payne’s music has been featured in films such as “Never Been Kissed” and “Beautiful.” Even after the successful release of her newest album, “Grown,” Payne continues to exercise her creative interests, not just through music, but also through writing non-fiction and children’s books. Payne writes from the heart and brings the listener into her world.

With the unique combination of Ken Oak’s cello and Ed Gorkski’s rhythm guitar, the two have been dazzling audiences and accumulating a countrywide fan base for over a year now. The Ken Oak Band’s distinct acoustic sound is even featured in the DreamWorks film “She’s the Man.” Together, these gifted individuals continue to wow crowds with their fascinating live performances.