By Nanette Wiser
Fall is my favorite time of the year for two reasons. Cooler weather and the Clearwater Jazz Holiday at Coachman Park Oct. 15-18. This year’s headliners (Chris Botti, Sheena E, Arturo Sandoval, Larkin Poe) have me giddy with anticipation. I had the pleasure of interviewing CJH’s Steve Weinberger, the CEO who leads a team of volunteers to give CJH Experiences such as the jazz jam Aug. 15th at Central Park Performing Arts Center, the October Jazz Holiday and more importantly, musical opportunities for local youth to learn and play music. www.clearwaterjazz.com
This is the 47th Clearwater Jazz Holiday, and this year, each day has a genre, three stages, fabulous food and drink and expanded VIP experience. “We’re programming an entire waterfront environment in this wonderfully renovated Coachman Park, and that means there’s opportunities for everybody to experience Jazz Holiday completely differently depending on how they want to spend the day. We have the general admission experience on the green. We have reserved seats. We have our wonderful VIP experience new this year. There are stage front tables that also have VIP access, which is really cool,” says Weinberger.
CJH strives to make the festival feel curated from the moment you walk into the park with Cool Jazz Thursday, Feel the Rhythym Friday with Latin jazz legend Arturo Sandoval and Sheila E. On the weekend, enjoy Blues and Brass Saturday and Roots and Funk Sunday. CJ’s Backstage’s Monday night’s popular Tom Kat Orchestra Jazz Jam with Scotty Wright and Tony Castellano who will take over the Pier Party Stage with a swing dance party to the smooth jazz on the Lower Plaza Stage where Reinhardt George Group with guitarist Barry Green, there’s something for everybody.
New this year are the two side stages (Pier Party, Plaza Stage) are open to the public at no cost, and people can come in and roam around and enjoy the waterfront, and they can even bring blankets and lawn chairs if they wanted to sit up on the sunset bluff and overlook.
Lots of local musicians are featured including St. Pete Jazz Festival maestro David Manson with his band O Som Do Jazz, Ronnie D and the Superstars and our Young Jazz Lions Alumni Jazz Blues Collective featuring Alex Malkovich, James Wall & Friends; and CJH Youth All-Stars hosted by Frank Williams, Michael Kernodle and Tyler Wertman on Sunday.
New this year is cool vibe on Sunday with the Freeman Sound whose mission is about music and mental health called the Chilltronic Lounge, a mix of electronic music with jazz samplings and a Greek DJ and producer known as Mr. T and local DJ favorite Austin Van der Bleek creating an immersive mindset experience before.
MUSICAL NOTES We’ll talk more about November’s Suncoast Jazz Festival in our October issue. Until then, head over to Gulfport for Grego Anderson at the North End Tap House, Green Light Lounge + Kitchen for their jazz, music and comedy nights, Adrian’s Steakhouse for some cool weekend jazz and of course St. Pete Beach’s Chill.