By Nanette Wiser
The dog days of summer deliver a Paradise playlist of inspired music, from The Florida Orchestra’s magnificent new season, Suncoast Jazz Festival Nov. 21-23, Clearwater Jazz Holiday’s Oct. 16-19 “Back To Our Roots” line-up and spectacular jazz musicians. Tune in and mark your calendars for these great shows and artists.
SIMON LASKY
The Tampa-based, British-born pianist, composer, arranger, educator, and man about town stirs my soul. If you missed him this summer accompanying Allyson Briggs in The Palladium’s New York Style Jazz or enjoyed his social media songs from performing in London, you can catch him at The Palladium in the fall and Suncoast Jazz Festival where he will perform with Alejandro Arenas (La Lucha) and Allison Nash…his first time performing at the festival. You can catch him in Tampa at Eddie V’s and Ruth Chris Steakhouse. He will perform at The Palladium Sept.27 with composer/bassist Alejandro Arenas in Mixtura – A Multi-Cultural Journey in Sound and Oct. 25 with The Simon Lasky Group. But there’s more! “I’ve been accepted as a Voting Member of The Recording Academy. That means I’ll be voting for the GRAMMYS y’all! The Recording Academy also run the MusiCares charity which helped me a lot after the hurricanes last summer…it’s nice to give back and be part of advocacy organizations like this,” says Lasky. www.simonlasky.com
CLEARWATER JAZZ HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE
Clearwater Jazz Holiday Experience continues in Clearwater after a summer of jazz music at Central Park Performing Arts Center and Floridian Social. On Aug. 22, catch Vincent Ingala at The Palladium Theater. Declared by Jazziz Magazine as “one of the most exciting artists to emerge this past decade,” Vincent Ingala remains an unstoppable and ever-adventurous creative force in urban contemporary jazz, with a total of ten #1 Billboard hits, twenty-three Top 10 singles, and more to come from his latest release and eighth studio album, Escape With Me, on Shanachie Entertainment. Enjoy a rooftop concert and delicious food and adult beverages on Sept. 18 – Evy’s Terrace Bar & Bistro/Hampton Inn & Suites, Clearwater Beach. On Wednesdays from 6-9pm, downtown Clearwater’s Nash Keys features a jazz jam hosted by Alex Malkovich with young musicians coming from as far as Sarasota and many of the local CJH artists sitting in! Back to their roots, the 46th Clearwater Jazz Holiday in Coachman Park is Florida and the Southeast’s most anticipated music festival with an amazing waterfront view and world-class line up plus some local jazz artists. TICKETS Online: www.clearwaterjazz.com Phone: ETIX Box Office 1-800-514-3849.
MUSIC TIDBITS
Congratulations to the Al Downing Tampa Bay Association’s Monday Night Jazz Jam hosted by Dwayne White, celebrating 15 years at the The Hangar Restaurant & Flight Lounge. The house band often features Dwayne White – trumpet, Stretch Bruyn – keyboard and Kenny Walker – bass…Monday night at CJ’s Backstage with the TomKat Orchestra big band is a celebration of all the fabulous musicians who call Tampa Bay home…Downtown St. Pete’s Tampa Bay Drinkery features a number of jazz artists in a rotating jam from Hiram Hazley Jr. to Scotty Wright, who says “It’s Sunday night at TBD, and I’ll be at the piano, with Joe Porter joining me on bass. Our musical menu will feature the Great American Songbook (GAS), so if Rodgers/Hart, the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer and Jerome Kern are among your faves, we got you covered…TBD is becoming a popular listening room, with a full bar, cozy seating, and a laid-back, welcoming vibe. We look forward to seeing your face in the place!”