Jazz Scene & News
The Instrument of Hope Discussion and Concert - Gun Violence Discussion in St. Pete, FL - Jazz Music
The Warehouse Arts District Association, in collaboration with the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, EMIT, Arts Axis, 7C Music, and Jazz on Arts Axis Florida hosted an important roundtable discussion on gun violence and a paired concert that featured the Instrument of Hope. The 2-part event took place at 7C Music and the ArtsXchange Outdoor Theater, located at 515 22nd Street South, St. Petersburg, on Friday, November 3, 2023, from 6:30 PM to 9 PM. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch made a special appearance and gave a short speech.
Meet Suzanne Lucas, the extraordinary jazz singer from Brooklyn, NY who captivates audiences with her unparalleled ability to craft each song into a unique masterpiece. In the world of jazz, her spellbinding phrasing and soulful interpretation, weaves stories through her music like no other. Suzanne has been captivating audiences with her unique blend of jazz, blues, and folk since she was a young woman. She recently stopped by the WUSF Performance Studio to perform with her bands the Hot Boyz and Black Box Duo.
Vocal jazz has been on the wane in recent years - as contemporary musicians veer either towards the bleeding edge of avant-garde jazz or the J Dilla-inflected stylings of jazz rap, the moody vocalists and smooth records that once were the standard bearers of popular jazz music fade from view in a genre that seems increasingly unfriendly to the music of Mel Tormé, Dinah Washington and ol' Blue Eyes himself.
David A. Miller was born in 1967. He studied music sporadically throughout his life, taking him from the Arizona State music program, London University, Mesa Community College Jazz Program, and to NYU. He wrote and conducted his first symphony in 1995 which was read by the Telluride Orchestra. David moved to China in 1996 and performed weekly in Beijing. He won silver prize for foreigners singing in Chinese in 1997. After living in Asia for nearly five years, he attended Chinese Medical school in New York City and drastically switched careers. Now residing in Sarasota, he is performing stand up comedy, already appearing twice at McCurdy's Comedy Club and will be performing original piano works when he returns to Beijing.
If it sounds like drummer John Bishop and pianist Bram Weijters are playing like their hair's on fire, in a way, they are - Bishop, Weijters and bassist Piet Verbist made yearly trips to the Belgium city of Antwerp, using their time in the city to record, jam and play over a hundred shows as a trio that overflows with effortless chemistry. The COVID-19 Pandemic changed that with strict international travel restrictions meaning the three friends couldn’t make their usual trip to the city on the Scheldt.
Feeling down? Life seem a bit drab, depressing, totally-not-groovy? Change that today by getting in the groove with Jazz on Arts Axis Florida with our curated selection of smooth and slick fusion songs sure to bring the funk into your life! Handpicked by in-studio staff, this playlist featuring everything from funk classics from Isaac Hayes, Parliament and the J.B.'s to modern day four-on-the-floor psychedelic rave ups sure to bring down the house, Get in the Groove is sure to get you dancing as soon as you hit "play."
O Som Do Jazz, despite what the name may imply, is not a purely Brazilian affair. A Brazilian vocalist, backed by American, Colombian and Cuban players each put their own spin on the established genre conventions. Comprised of seasoned musicians such as husband and wife duo David and Andrea Moraes Manson, José Valentino (appearing both on the flute and tenor sax) and Tabajara Belo on guitar, O Som Do Jazz has released one fine collection of songs in Aberto that pays loving tribute to the classic Brazilian sounds of Bossa Nova and música popular brasileira over eight carefully composed tracks.
About Dan Bremer: A freelance musician in NYC for 40 years. Plays bassoon, clarinet, sax and piano. Played venues from the Staten Island Ferry to Lincoln Center and everything in between. Taught at Wagner College and Staten Island Community College. As a woodwind player performed with the Staten Island Chamber Music Players, the Staten Island Symphony, 7th Army Band, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. As a legit pianist, he worked as an accompanist for soloists, choirs, community theater, musical director for Staten Island Children's Theater. As a jazz pianist, he played clubs, hotels and restaurants, including Birdland, the 21 Club, the Riverside Cafe.
Tiny Big Band 2 opens strong; a mysterious piano figure sets the scene before giving way to a sprightly tenor saxophone. All the players move through bandleaders Nikos Chatzitsakos’ charts with skill and nerve on “All or Nothing at All,” with the joy of the ensemble coming through the recording loud and clear. The best part is? It only gets better from here.
Travis Van Bumble and Stephanie Ruscito are The House Cats: a husband and wife, guitar and vocals duo, playing straight ahead-jazz, bebop, and swing. Travis and Stephanie grew up near Clearwater, and have been playing music together for over ten years. Travis’ walking baselines and chord melodies give The House Cats a big, swinging sound, but as soon as they play a ballad you’ll feel the mood shift, and see the two’s chemistry shine. The House Cats pull inspiration from many of the greatest names in American jazz including Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery and Sarah Vaughan. Their repertoire consists of timeless tunes from The Great American song book; the pair hopes to breathe new life into these songs with original and inspired arrangements.
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