New Works Fest heats up San Jose Jazz’s Winter Series

For rising musicians, a little encouragement can go a long way.

San Jose Jazz has turned the appreciative head nod into a major initiative with the New Works Festival, a concert series showcasing artists who’ve received commissions from the organization.

Part of a recent expansion of programming at the intimate SJZ Break Room, which has become an essential hub of the South Bay Music scene, the New Works Festival features six bandleaders between Feb. 20 and March 14. Every show is priced at a bargain rate $15.