Note to readers: Thanks, and follow me!

Thanks to all who follow my blog, as well as to those who visit only occasionally.

Jazzlands is purely a labor of love, a way to kind of document my comings and goings in the music and jazz world, and to share my magazine work with a larger audience.

If you like what you read, please follow my blog, and I’d also invite you to follow me on Twitter at @pboothmusic.

You may know that in addition to writing about jazz and other music, I actively play with several bands around Florida, including: Acme Jazz Garage (also on Facebook; and @acmejazzgarage on Twitter ), Swan City Jazz Project (on Facebook), Trio Vibe, and Zensemble. I occasionally play with blues band the Juke Joint Kings, and the Blue Guava Orchestra (on Facebook), and once or twice a year I sub with the Tomkats Jazz Orchestra.

Also, I have a Facebook page offering info on my all of my various music-playing activities — Philip Booth Music.

So … stop by one of the above online locations if and when you can, and please follow me.

If you’re in Tampa on a Thursday or Friday night, you can catch me with Acme Jazz Garage at Timpano, 1610 W. Swann Ave. in Hyde Park Village. We start at 7 pm both nights (until 10 on Thursdays; until 11 on Fridays).

Lately, I’ve been doing more gigs with Swan City Jazz Project, with my Lakeland pals Jody Marsh (fellow LHS classmate) on piano, and Rick Runion on sax; sometimes we’re joined by a drummer to make it a quartet.

Ahead for Swan City:

• Saturday, Feb. 10 — Lakeland Loft, 108 S. Tennessee Ave., 9 pm to 1 am
• Saturday, Feb. 17 — Somewhere Along the Way art gallery, Gainesville, 5:30  to 9 pm.
• Saturday, March 3 — Lakeland Loft, 108 S. Tennessee Ave., 9 pm to 1 am

I’d love to bring one of my bands to your festival, special event or nightclub. We’re actively looking for paying gigs. And I’m always looking for a way to a label home for my next CD project. The Acme Jazz Garage CD, released in 2016, was played on 35 or so radio stations across the country, and was reviewed in Relix and other national and local publications.

So if you have any ideas on gigs or on helping me fund a recording of original music, hit me up at jphilipboothAThotmailDOTcom

Meanwhile, back to your usual programming.

 

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All Hail the Jazz DJs, and Saluting WUSF and WMNF

It’s National Disc Jockey Day

So let’s give props to all the great, hard-working, well-informed radio DJs out there, and the significant role they play in getting good music to the public.

In particular, I want to say thanks to Bob Seymour, longtime jazz guru at WUSF, 89.7 FM in Tampa.

I remember first listening to Bob during my high-school days in nearby Lakeland. Bob and Vic Hall and the others provided a great on-air jazz education. Then, and now, Bob and Co. served as a sort of jazz clearinghouse of the airwaves, alerting everyone in the Tampa Bay area to all of the local worthwhile concerts.

Bob, too, always has made a point of supporting the scene with his presence at concerts by national artists as well as gigs featuring local musicians (including my own bands).

I felt privileged to take a turn at the WUSF mic in the late ’90s, when I did some jazz announcing for a few years. And I’ve had the chance to get to know Bob and his wife Marian via hanging out together at local jazz shows, festivals at home (Clearwater Jazz Holiday) and abroad (Montreal Jazz Fest), and at jazz conferences (the old IAJE gatherings).

So …

KUDOS to Bob and all the other current WUSF jazz DJs, including Mike Cornette, Whitney James, Mark Feinman, and Richard Jimenez.

KUDOS to Randy Wind and all the great on-air talent at WMNF, 88.5 FM, in Tampa, including Scott Hopkins, Thomas Dickens, Ray Villadonga, Cheryl Mogul, Cameron Dilley, Ronny Elliott, Rev Billy C. Wirtz, Jeff Stewart, Speedy Gonzalez, Lee Courtney, Cricket Larson, Ed Greene, and Peter Tush.

Greatly appreciate all the support the folks at WMNF and WUSF give to local music, too, as they’ve played recordings I’ve done with Acme Jazz Garage, Trio Vibe, Ghetto Love Sugar, The Irritable Tribe of Poets, Greenwich Blue, the “Monk in the Sun” CD, and other projects.

(And extra thanks to WMNF for asking my bands, including Acme Jazz Garage, Ghetto Love Sugar, and Trio Vibe, to perform at special station-sponsored events, including the Tropical Heatwave and concerts at Skipper’s Smokehouse and the New World Brewery).

I’ll also give a shout-out to some of the nationally syndicated shows that provide hours of listening pleasure, including Christian McBride‘s new “Jazz Night in America” on NPR and the shows hosted by Mark Ruffin, Eulis Cathey, Dermot Hussey, and Les Davis on Sirius XM’s “Real Jazz” channel.

As the National Day Calendar explains, “National Disc Jockey Day is celebrated in remembrance of the death of Albert James Freed.  Freed, also known as Moondog, was an influential disc jockey in the 1950s.  He is credited with introducing the term ‘ rock ‘n’ roll’ to the world. Within our research we were unable to find the creator of National Disc Jockey Day.” More information

Stay tuned … to your local jazz DJ. Let them know you care.

 

Tampa Jazz Notes: Child of the Sun Jazz Festival Returns; Don Capone Tribute; Jazz Cellar Underground Orchestra to Play

The Child of the Sun Jazz Festival, a first-class Lakeland event begun in 1988 with major input from late great cornetist Nat Adderley but shuttered after a great 20-year run, will be revived next spring.

That’s the word from Larry Burke, longtime music professor at Florida Southern College, original home to the event. The revived fest, to be sponsored by the Lakeland Rotary Club, will be held April 15-16 downtown at Lake Mirror. An affiliated triathlon is slated for that weekend, too.

Over the years, the fest, directed by Burke and usually held outdoors on campus and at Branscomb Auditorium (and sometimes in Munn Park) featured impressive lineups headlined by major jazzers. A partial list: Adderley, pianists Larry Willis and Rob Bargad, bassist Walter Booker, drummer Jimmy Cobb, saxophonists Antonio Hart and Vincent Herring, and percussionist Gumbi Ortiz (all of whom variously played or guested with Nat), guitarists Barney Kessel and Roni Ben-Hur, saxophonists Junior Cook and Ernie Watts, trumpeters Lew Soloff and Jeremy Pelt, and pianists Manfredo Fest and Kenny Drew, Jr. The fest, which took its name from the architectural theme of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed campus, also provided a showcase for many Tampa Bay area jazz musicians.

The lineup for the 2011 fest is TBA — check back here for updates.

———-

Several bands and musicians who worked with late drummer Don Capone, including Denise Moore and Then Some, and Trio Vibe (my group) are gathering to play a concert/jam in honor of Don, who passed away Feb. 12. We’re getting together Wednesday, May 12 at Lenny’s Latin Cafe in Temple Terrace, where Don played host to a jam session.

Trumpeter Dwayne White will be master of ceremonies for the evening. Music begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but donations will go to the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association’s scholarship fund. More details are TBA.

———-

The Jazz Cellar Underground Orchestra, who ruled the roost at Dick Rumore‘s old Jazz Cellar at Ybor Square, are reuniting to play a May 16 concert benefiting the jazz program at Blake High School in Tampa. I’ll post more info soon.

Don Capone, in Vertical/Tampa Bay

The new edition of webzine Vertical/Tampa Bay features several shots of late Tampa Bay area jazz drummer Don Capone, co-founder of my Trio Vibe group with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman.

Alongside the pix is a re-publication of the blog post I wrote about Don. Check out the Vertical feature here.

Vertical additionally spoke with Lenny Cruz, owner of Lenny’s Latin Cafe in Temple Terrace, home to a jam session that Don spearheaded for almost a year. Lenny told the magazine that a concert/jam in tribute to Don is in the works. When I get more info, I’ll report it here.  Tampa Tribune reporter Joyce McKenzie wrote about Don and the jam session, in a piece published in January 2009.

Tampa Jazz Notes: The March of Jazz

Dick Hyman and other pianists, alone and with trios, rising-star jazz singer Sophie Milman, a duo featuring guitarist LaRue Nickelson and saxophonist Jeremy Powell, saxophonist Jack Wilkins’ new project, and a show saluting women in jazz are all on the jam-packed jazz calendar in March.

A quick look:

Tonight, March 12 – Pianist Kym Purling (left) is joined by two players whose names have been popping up a lot lately, bassist Alejandro Arenas and drummer Stephen Bucholtz, for a program titled “Music From the Movies,” saluting the Oscars. Side Door Jazz at the Palladium in St. Petersburg, 8 p.m.

Sunday, March 14 – Saxophonist Jeremy Powell and guitarist LaRue Nickelson play a duo show in support of their impressive new CD, Amizade (right, below), a collection of striking original compositions, including some influenced by Brazilian music. Musicology, Clearwater, 4 p.m.

Thursday, March 18 – Sophie Milman, a fast-rising Toronto singer who was born in Russia and largely raised in Israel, brings her touring band to town for standards and pop covers — from Cole Porter to Springsteen — heard on her third CD, last year’s engaging Take Love Easy. That CD debuted at No. 6 on Billboard‘s jazz chart. Palladium, 8 p.m. (See the St. Petersburg Times Weekend section on Thursday for my interview with Milman)

Friday, March 19 – The Valerie Gillespie Ensemble, led by the saxophonist (left) and USF jazz studies adjunct professor, presents a program titled “It’s About the Melody”! at the Bayview Room at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, at 7 p.m.

Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20 – Trio Vibe, my group with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman, returns to Della’s. For this show, we’ll be joined by drummer Jose Munoz. We play from 7 to 10 p.m. each night.

Saturday, March 20 – Nationally known artists “Sweet” Sue Terry, alto sax, and Peggy Stern, piano, headline Women of Jazz III, with Rose Bilal and Theo Valentine, vocals; Patty Sanphy, guitar; Sandi Grecco, drums; Anne Van Atta, bass; and Arbra Tawwab, mistress of ceremonies. The show, presented by the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association and the Jazztorian organization, is a scholarship benefit. Palladium, 7:30 p.m.

(The show’s musicians and other female jazzers will be saluted by Tampa singer Denise Moore on this Saturday’s edition of the Charles Vann Memorial Jazz Party, from 6 to 9 p.m. on WMNF, 88.5 FM)

Sunday, March 21 – Renowned pianist and composer Dick Hyman, a Venice (Florida) resident probably most widely known for his contributions to Woody Allen soundtracks, goes solo for “A Century of Jazz Piano,” a Tampa Jazz Club show. HCC Performing Arts Theater, Ybor City (Tampa), 3 p.m.

Sunday, March 21 – Larry Camp (right, below), by now the dean of the area’s front-rank jazz guitarists, is joined by a first-rate rhythm section — bassist Mark Neuenschwander and drummer Walt Hubbard. Marriott Hotel, Roosevelt and 28th St. N., St. Petersburg, 3 p.m.

Sunday, March 21 – Drummer Ron Gregg‘s trio with saxophonist Jim Holibaugh and keyboardist Kevin Wilder is joined by guitarist Vince Sims. Royal Theater, St. Petersburg, 4 p.m.

Sunday, March 21 – A group led by pianist Stan Hunter (left) is joined by singer Sasha Tuck. La Grande Hall @ Yamaha Piano, Clearwater, 3 p.m.

Monday, March 29 – Saxophonist Jack Wilkins, director of jazz studies at USF, premieres the music from his forthcoming Blue Ridge Mountains-themed CD. For the Monday Night Jazz Series concert on the USF campus in Tampa, he’ll be joined by guitarist (and former USF jazz studies grad student) Corey Christiansen, now a nationally known artist and Utah State University music prof; drummer and UNF prof Danny Gottlieb, formerly a USF artist in residence and part of the old Pat Metheny Group; renowned vibraphonist Jon Metzger; and the USF Jazz Faculty Ensemble. 8 p.m. at Theatre 2. (Wilkins and Christiansen appear together, doing “Tenor Madness,” in the below video).

For more information about the above mentioned concert venues, including addresses, phone numbers, and links to their web sites, please visit my Tampa Bay Area Music Calendar.

Tampa Jazz Notes 3.27.09: Ray Anderson at USF, WMNF Jazz Jam, Local Jazz Tracks Online

Ray Anderson, a critically acclaimed trombone virtuoso known for injecting humor and grit — and creative use of the plunger mute — into his improvisations and compositions, joins the USF Jazz Ensemble I (the big band) for this Monday’s edition of the Monday Night Jazz Series.

The concert starts at 8 p.m. at Theatre 1 on the USF campus in Tampa. For more info, call the box office at (813) 974-2323 or visit the Monday Night Jazz Series site.

———-

Legendary saxophonist and composer Sam Rivers — leading his trio, most likely — is slated to headline the first WMNF Jazz Jam, Sunday, May 31 at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa.

Rivers, 85 (believe it or not), based in Orlando, is a monstrously creative improviser who made his name on New York’s downtown loft jazz scene in the ’70s. He’s since led a variety of pianoless trios, big bands and other ensembles. The last time I caught him, several years ago, he was still going strong.

For his trio dates, Rivers typically plays tenor and soprano saxophones, flute and piano, and he’s usually joined by Doug Mathews, on acoustic and six-string electric bass, and bass clarinet; and a drummer (varies).

The mini-festival will feature a variety of Tampa Bay area groups, ranging from the gypsy jazz of Impromptu to the jazz-jam fusion of Infinite Groove Orchestra to the World Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble. The  program, organized by WMNF, 88. 5 FM DJs Ray Villadonga and Jimmy Lyons, also includes PBS and Trio Vibe (yes, my band with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Don Capone).

The WMNF Jazz Jam starts at 4 p.m., and admission is $12 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information, contact WMNF or Skipper’s (see above links).

———-

Speaking of Trio Vibe, we’re one of several jazz groups showcased in a local music round-up penned by Tampa Tribune pop music critic Curtis Ross. The story is published in today’s Friday Extra; read it by clicking here.

Online, readers can also listen to clips of one of our tunes, “Zag,” from the CD (Almost) Live at Springs Theatre, as well as O Som do Jazz’s ” Com Esse Que Eu V” from Infinite Bossa, by the group co-led by trombonist/composer David Manson and his wife, Brazilian-born singer Andrea Moraes Manson. Ross also covers trombone-playing USF music prof Tom Brantley‘s Boneyard.

Once on the main page of the Tribune feature, readers can scroll down to see previous mini-reviews of recordings by Tampa Bay area jazzers, including Nothing Standard from singer Denise Moore and Then Some.

———-

Denise, headed to New Orleans next month to pick up some musical inspiration and enjoy R&R at the French Quarter Fest, has a new regular home for her music.

Starting April 1, the singer and her band will play Wednesday nights beginning at 7 p.m. on the rooftop balcony of the Bungalow Bistro in Seminole Heights (Tampa).  For more information, check out the restaurant’s web site. Reservations are suggested – (813) 237-2000.

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Guitarist LaRue Nickelson, saxophonist Jeremy Powell, bassist Michael Ross and drummer Ian Goodman play this Sunday’s jazz brunch at Gratzzi’s Ristorante at Baywalk, in St. Petersburg.

Music is from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., and admission (including the buffet) is $20. Gratzzi’s is at 199 Second Ave. N. The quartet’s appearance is sponsored by the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association.

Philip’s gigs — 2015

Upcoming——————-2015

Acme Jazz Garage: Every Thursday and Friday at Timpano, 1610 W. Swann Ave., Hyde Park Village (Tampa), starting at 7:30 (until 10:30 on Thursdays, until 11:30 on Fridays).

Monday, March 30 — subbing with TomKats Jazz Orchestra, Blue Parrot Cafe, 85 Corey Circle, St. Petersburg Beach, 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 30 — PBJQ, Frescos, 132 S. Kentucky Ave., Lakeland

Upcoming—————- (2012)

Sunday, Dec. 2 – Acme Jazz Garage, Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, Seminole Heights, 4 to 7 p.m.; free admission

Fri-Sat, Dec. 7-8 – Trio Vibe, Della’s After Dark, Brandon, 7 to 10 p.m.; free admission, reservations suggested

Fri-Sat, Dec. 14-15 — Trio Vibe, Della’s After Dark, Brandon, 7 to 10 p.m.; free admission, reservations suggested

Dec. 31 – (private) Tomkats Big Band, NYE gig

Older————————————

(Most Sundays): P&W Band, South Tampa Fellowship, 9 and 10:30 a.m.

Monday, Feb. 14 – Trio Vibe, with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Jose Munoz, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon.

Friday, Feb. 18 – Philip Booth Jazz Quartet, with saxophonist Jeremy Powell, pianist Jody Marsh, and drummer Ryan Marsh, Tampa Museum of Art, 8 to 11 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 20 – Acme Jazz Garage, with guitarist Matt Swenson, drummer Tim Diehl, saxophonist Jeremy Powell, more, Skipper’s Smokehouse (Rockin’ for Raulton 2 benefit), 5 to 9 p.m.

Friday-Saturday, Feb 25-26 – Trio Vibe, with saxophonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Jose Munoz, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon, 7 to 10 p.m.

Friday-Saturday, March 4-5 – Trio Vibe, with saxophonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Jose Munoz, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon, 7 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, April 16 – Trio Vibe, Child of the Sun Jazz Festival, Lakeland

Previous (2011)———————-

2010———————————–

Monday, Feb. 1 – Tomkats Big Band, The Blue Parrot, St. Petersburg Beach, 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20 – Trio Vibe (with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Jose Munoz), Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon; free admission, reservations suggested.

Sunday, March 21 – Trio Vibe with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Jose Munoz, dinner cruise from Tampa Convention Center

Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3 – Trio Vibe, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon; free admission; reservations suggested

Friday, April 9 and Saturday, April 10 – Trio Vibe with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Ryan Marsh, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon; free admission, reservations suggested.

Sunday, April 18 – Philip Booth Trio with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman and saxophonist/flutist Willie Lawson, Jazz/Poetry event,  Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 West Bearss Ave., 2 p.m.; free

Wednesday, May 12 – Trio Vibe playing with others at the tribute to late drummer Don Capone, Lenny’s Latin Cafe, Temple Terrace, 7 to 10 p.m.

Sunday, May 16 – Andy Irvine‘s “Enter the Thunder Dome” with Andy and Beanstalk hosting, and many other bassists, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, June 1 – Free Time Trio with pianist Jody Marsh and drummer Ryan Marsh, Red Rose Inn, Plant City, 6 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday, June 15 – Free Time Trio with pianist Jody Marsh and trumpeter Ron Wilder, Red Rose Inn, Plant City, 6 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, June 20 – Praise & Worship Band, South Tampa Fellowship, 9 & 10:30 a.m.

Thursday, July 8 – Duo with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon, 7 to 10 p.m.; free admission

Fri-Sat, Aug. 13-14 – Trio Vibe with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Ryan Marsh, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon, 7 to 10 p.m.; free admission, reservations suggested

Sunday, Aug. 22 – Praise & Worship Band, South Tampa Fellowship, 9 & 10:30 a.m.

Friday, Aug 27 – Trio Vibe with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Ryan Marsh, Play, 1701 E. 8th Ave., Ybor City, 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.; (813) 443-075

Sunday, Aug. 29 – Praise & Worship Band, South Tampa Fellowship, 9 & 10:30 a.m.

Fri-Sat, Sept. 10-11 – Trio Vibe with vibraphonist Sam Koppelman and drummer Ryan Marsh, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon, 7 to 10 p.m.; free admission, reservations suggested

Thursday, Nov. 4 – Ybor Jazz Festival (more info TBA)

Fri-Sat, Nov. 5-6 – Trio Vibe, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon, 7 to 10 p.m.; free admission, reservations suggested

2009———————

Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7 – Trio Vibe, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon; free admission, reservations suggested.

Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, October 3 – Trio Vibe, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon; free admission, reservations suggested.

Thursday, July 30 – Duo with pianist Ron Delp, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon; free admission, reservations suggested.

Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25 – Trio Vibe, Della’s Delectables (restaurant), Brandon; free admission, reservations suggested.

Friday, June 12 and Saturday, June 13 – Trio Vibe, Della’s Delectable’s (restaurant), Brandon; free admission, reservations suggested.

Sunday, May 31 – Trio Vibe (with Sam Koppelman and drummer Dave Hamar) at First WMNF Jazz Jam, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, 4 p.m. (Kevin Mahogany heads this mini-festival. For more info, click here)

Thursday, May 28 – Trio Vibe (with Sam Koppelman and drummer Dave Hamar) + singer Edgar Wilcox, Side Door Jazz Series at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, 7:30 to 10 p.m.; $20, general admission; $15 for members of jazz associations, Palladium members, seniors, and students with ID. (727) 822-3590. More info.

Friday, May 8 – Ghetto Love Sugar REUNION SHOW (guitarist Joel Lisi, keyboardist Raulton Reichel and drummer Jonathan Priest), with Infinite Groove Orchestra and Rocksteady@8 and special guests, 9 p.m.; $5 at the door. Click here for more information.

Wednesday, April 29 – Free Time Trio (w/pianist Jody Marsh and trumpeter Ron Wilder), Red Rose Inn, Plant City, 6 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, April 2 – Free Time Trio (w/pianist Jody Marsh and drummer Ryan Marsh), private event, Lake Wales

Wednesday, April 1 – Free Time Trio (w/pianist Jody Marsh and drummer Pat Close), Red Rose Inn, Plant City, 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7 – Trio Vibe (with Sam Koppelman and drummer Don Capone), Della’s, Brandon

Band links:

Trio Vibe

Ghetto Love Sugar