Joe Sharino Band opens Music in the Plaza
Popular series begins season of musical Sundays
By Shari Kaplan
Just in time for Father's Day, the first of a summer of Music in the Plaza concerts begins June 20 at 5 p.m. with the Joe Sharino Band, a local favorite whose specialty is that it does not have just one specialty. Instead, the group performs rock, pop, Motown, funk, swing and country music spanning six decades.
MIP, as Music in the Plaza is popularly known, consists of a variety of free summer concerts held on Sunday afternoons in the Los Gatos Town Plaza Park. Those attending often bring blankets, lawn chairs and picnic dinners to enjoy before, during or after the concerts.
The Father's Day concert is a special one for Sharino, as it marks the 25th anniversary of his band. A radio/TV/broadcasting major at San Jose State University, Sharino moonlighted at South Bay nightclubs in the early 1970s, earning about $30 per gig. Within one year, the acoustic guitarist and singer was playing to standing-room-only crowds for $400 per gig. In 1978, Sharino added a drummer to his act, followed in later years by additional members on keyboards, brass and other instruments.
The group has since won 12 awards from various Northern California newspapers and magazines, has released two albums and a music video and makes dozens of appearances each year, including at nightclubs, county fairs, art and wine festivals, weddings and anniversaries.
MIP was proposed to the Los Gatos Town Council by then-arts commissioner Emerald Hathaway-Bush in the spring of 1988 in the hopes of creating an entertaining event for the whole family and a way for friends and neighbors to mingle and enjoy a cultural event. Arts commissioners listen to dozens of demo tapes each year and select the best.
Funding for MIP comes from donations by citizens, small merchants and larger businesses; the Arts Commission uses monies for booking performers and for printing programs and advertising posters. Each Sunday performance also has one or two major sponsors. This year's MIP program cover artwork is by English artist Simon Bull.
The series runs every Sunday from June 20 through Aug. 29; all concerts take place at 5 p.m. in the Town Plaza Park, except for the July 4 San Jose Wind Symphony performance, which takes place at 1:30 p.m. on the Los Gatos High School front lawn. The 1999 lineup is as follows:
* June 20: Songs of all genres from the 1940s through the '90s by the Joe Sharino Band
* June 27: Dixieland jazz by Toot Sweet Jazz Band
* July 4: Patriotic orchestral favorites by the San Jose Wind Symphony
* July 11: Swing by Wally's Swing World
* July 18: Country by Fred McCarty & Co.
* July 25: Celtic and folk by Celtic Heart
* Aug. 1: Blues by Delta Wires
* Aug. 8: R & B, rock, funk and jazz by Board of Directors
* Aug. 15: R & B by My Ol' Man's Band
* Aug. 22: Big Band by The Terry Summa Orchestra
* Aug. 29: Music and folkloric dancing of Mexico performed by Mariachi Tapatio and Alika del Nayar, respectively.
The Los Gatos Arts Commission always welcomes donations toward Music in the Plaza. For more information, call Jenny Linenberger at the Community Services Department, 354-6820.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
