sarasota jazz - Jazz Club of Sarasota

SARASOTA JAZZ
FALL/WINTER 2015
Join us for the First Annual Oktoberfest!
What’s Inside
President’s Letter..........................2
Sounds Staff....................................2
Board of Directors .......................2
Oktoberfest Venues.....................3
Ken Franckling Article.................4
Jazz Meets Art...............................6
FIRST ANNUAL JAZZ CLUB OF SARASOTA
Oktoberfest
October 7, 2015
Jazz on the Water........................ .7
There’s music in the air—everywhere!
Jazz Holiday Concert..................8
Hop on and off our jazz trolley for a happy jaunt to eight popular venues
Eddie Metz Trio..............................8
with a different jazz group playing in each one. Trolleys run from 6 to 10 p.m.
2015/2016 Season.........................9
Jazz At Two...................................10
Joy of Jazz .................................... 11
from Old School Bar & Grill (parking available) and the other venues.
(See page 3 for the list of venues and musicians.)
Afterwards if you’re still game, jam with us at Old School from 10:30 to midnight.
DON’T MISS A MINUTE OF THE FUN!
Starlite Players.............................. 11
Membership Application.......... 12
TICKETS:
330 S. Pineapple Avenue, Suite 111
Sarasota, Florida 34236
jazzclubsarasota.com
$15 ($20 day of event)
online at jazzclubsarasota.org or call 941-366-1552
SARASOTA JAZZ
President’s Letter
H
Sounds Staff
Editor
Peg McKay Pluto
Contributors
Carline Ash
Ken Franckling
Carol & Brad LoRicco
Jo Morello
Jazz Club
Board of Directors
Peg Pluto
President
Gordon Garrett
Vice President
Keith Goebel
Treasurer
Tracey Davis
Secretary
Directors
*Dave Walrath
Immediate Past President
Carolyn Evans Curry
Sandy Livon
George McLain
Nancy Roucher
Norm Vagn
Bob Weitz
Honorary Board Members
Dick Hyman
*Bob Seymour
*Life Member
ello Everyone! This issue is very exciting because we are
adding several new events for the fall season. There’s a lot
going on! Besides the information in this issue, we have rack
cards for Oktoberfest and will soon have the new brochure
for the 36th Annual Sarasota Jazz Festival, and will provide
flyers for our Jazz at Two series in the lobby of Unitarian
Universalist Church of Sarasota at 3975 Fruitville Road.
Please mark your calendars, as we live in a city with many
arts and cultural events throughout the fall and winter
season. One of our new events, Jazz Meets Art, will be
held on Friday, September 25 at Art Center Sarasota from
5–7 p.m. with David Pruyn. Cost is $10 at the door. There
will be refreshments served at a nominal cost.
Wednesday, October 7, we are hosting our first Jazz Oktoberfest, a Pub Crawl blend
of walking and trolley rides to eight popular downtown venues from 5:30 p.m. (checkin) to 10:00 p.m. We will also host an Afterglow party (free) at Old School from
10:30-midnight. Tickets are $15 in advance; $20 on the day of the event. You can identify
fellow Pub Crawlers by their bright orange wristbands. Come with your friends for an
evening of live jazz and fun.
We resume our popular Jazz at Two series on Friday, October 16, featuring Katt Hefner
and will host the concerts on most Fridays through April 15, 2016. Jazz at Two schedules
will be out soon. Sunday, November 1, is our annual fall Jazz on the Water cruise. Greg
Nielsen will play for us from 2-4 p.m. on Marina Jack II. Boarding is at 1:30 p.m. Tickets
are $30 for members; $35 for non-members.
Jazz Meets Art again on Monday, November 16, 5-7 p.m. at Art Center Sarasota featuring
Synia Carroll and Billy Marcus. Nate Najar and his All-Star Big Band will bring us some of
the Nutcracker Suite and a lot more holiday spirit on Friday, December 18, beginning at
7:30 p.m. at Riverview High School Performing Arts Center.
We’ll start the new year with the Joy of Jazz on Sunday, January 10, 2016, in Venice at
the Centennial Park Gazebo, where all of our concerts are free and run from 2-4 p.m.
We’re back to Art Center Sarasota on Wednesday, January 13, for our last Jazz Meets
Art concert of the season. Andres Colin, a Latin guitarist, will entertain at this event,
which runs from 5-7 p.m.
The popular Eddie Metz Trio will play for you on Friday, January 15, starting at 7:30
p.m. at Riverview High School Performing Arts Center. We’re back in Venice again at
Centennial Park Gazebo for our second Joy of Jazz concert on Sunday, February 7. Then,
less than a week later, on Saturday, February 13, you can bring your Sweetheart to our
special Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance in the Bayfront room at Marina Jack. Cocktails and
appetizers are served from 5:30 p.m., followed by an elegant dinner at 6:30 p.m. Cost is
$50 per person. The Patricia Dean Trio will perform for this event.
I would like to personally thank all members who graciously donated to our Giving
Challenge fundraiser, which was held on September 1 and 2. A special thank you goes to
all our volunteers who give so much of their time and energy to assist with our events.
Welcome, too, to our new volunteers. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
Sincerely,
Peg Pluto, President
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FALL/WINTER 2015
SARASOTA JAZZ
Oktoberfest
TROLLEY STOPS:
Old School Bar & Grill
1991 Main Street
Bruce Wallace
October 7, 2015
The Gator Club
1490 Main Street
TICKETS:
$15 ($20 day of event)
online at jazzclubsarasota.org
or call 941-366-1552
Bill Buchman
Sarasota Wine Bar & Bistro
1528 Main Street
David Pruyn
Z’s Restaurant & Bar
1454 Main Street
Tom Carabasi
Salute!
23 N. Lemon Avenue
Al Hixon
Blue Rooster • 1525 Fourth Street
Bob Minor with Joe Bruno Jr.
& Synia Carroll
Starlite Room
1001 Coconut Avenue
Katt Hefner
Mandeville Beer Garden
428 N. Lemon Avenue
James Williams with Joe Bruno Sr.
FALL/WINTER 2015
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SARASOTA JAZZ
Jazz in the Key of Light: The stories behind the images and interviews
By Ken Franckling
Editor’s note: Sounds contributor Ken
Franckling shares a few stories related to
interviews that helped form the basis for his
new book, “Jazz in the Key of Light.”
F
irst some background. This
coffee-table style book reflects
more than 30 years of writing about
and photographing jazz musicians.
In this format, each featured musician
is matched with illuminating quotes
from interviews I had with that player
or singer, hence its subtitle: “Eighty
of Our Finest Jazz Musicians Speak
for Themselves.”
There are countless books on
the shelves by critics giving their
interpretation or opinion of the music.
I wanted to take a different approach, because
I’ve always felt that what’s most important about
jazz is the way it touches each listener through their
own visual and listening filters.
I want to share two stories with you here.
Marian McPartland
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FALL/WINTER 2015
The fine pianist and broadcaster Marian McPartland
offered a great perspective when I talked with her in
Boston one afternoon. In her wonderful British accent and
genteel way, here’s what she said about playing
jazz piano in the 1980s. “When it seemed a few years ago
that there wasn’t as much jazz as there should be, I always
thought to myself, ‘Well, I don’t have to worry because
the piano will be the last to go,” McPartland said. “They
may say they can’t afford to have a six-piece group or a
trio, but the piano will always be there. Then I would get
pleased when I’d hear somebody in the pop field play
piano, like Elton John. I’d say ‘Well, thank God he’s playing
on the piano, this is going to help our side.’”
In the summer of 1987, I interviewed singer Helen Merrill
at the Overseas Press Club in midtown Manhattan early
one evening for one of my jazz columns for United Press
International. Helen is a wonderful singer who is far better
known and revered in Europe and Japan than here in
the U.S. She told me considers her few New York gigs
to be “rehearsals” for her overseas tours. As we started
chatting, she said she was flattered that I wanted to talk
with her, but she said “the person you really need to
interview is Tom Harrell.”
SARASOTA JAZZ
She explained that the trumpeter,
who was then working in saxophonist
Phil Woods’ band, was misunderstood
because of his on-stage demeanor.
In a nutshell: Tom often appeared to
be nodding off like a drug abuser
on stage, when in fact he was
concentrating on listening to the music
between his own beautiful and forceful
solos. Tom was no druggie, but he
was taking powerful medications to
control the severe schizophrenia that
was first diagnosed back in the 1960s
when he was in college.
I took Helen’s advice when Phil Woods
brought his quintet to Boston that fall.
In the interview, Harrell talked about
his music and his illness. He had turned
his “catatonic” need to shut off outside
distractions into a musical asset, allowing
him to focus on his playing, improvising
and composing. He has become one
of the finest jazz trumpeters and
composers of his generation. He’s
also one of the most prolific.
Tom Harrell (a 1987 portrait)
Tom often writes entirely new material for his bands’
concerts and club gigs. I see a lot of photos of Tom
that his wife Angela posts on social media these days.
Those images usually were taken in an airport terminal
while waiting for his plane, or sitting in his hotel room.
More often than not he’ll be practicing with his horn or
composing something fresh for a project.
Thanks to Helen Merrill’s sage advice, I was able to explain
his reality. And in early August, I got to see, hear and talk
with Tom again after his first appearance as a bandleader
Tom Harrell
at the Newport Jazz Festival, playing with his longtime
quintet. The tented Harbor Stage was overflowing with
rapt listeners. The impactful set had a spiritual quality. If
you are unfamiliar with his grand body of work, check it
out; you’ll be the better for it.
Ken Franckling was United Press International’s jazz
columnist for 19 years. Franckling won an ASCAP Deems
Taylor Award in 1987 for excellence in music journalism.
In June 2003, he won the Jazz Journalists Association’s
Lona Foote-Bob Parent Award as Jazz Photographer of
the Year. Ken’s new publication—“Jazz in the Key of Light:
Eighty of our Finest Jazz Musicians Speak for Themselves”
—is available through his blog or through Amazon.
FALL/WINTER 2015
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SARASOTA JAZZ
INVITE YOU TO JOIN US AT
&
Jazz Meets Art
Fun-Filled Evenings of Art and Jazz!
Art Center Sarasota
707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida 34236 • 941-365-2032
Friday, September 25 • 5-7 p.m.
David Pruyn is passionate about early 20th-century jazz, claiming he was “born 40 years
late because I wasn’t around for the creation of some of the best music in this country’s
history.” This multi-talented musician and conductor with a Mel Torme-like singing voice has
worked in musical theater (including Broadway), studios, TV, film, big bands, and on cruises
and concert tours. He was music director for regional productions of 42nd Street, The
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Evita. He also played for 18 months with the Pulitzerwinning musical A Chorus Line.
Monday, November 16 • 5-7 p.m.
Billy Marcus, jazz pianist, began his professional career in 1968 in the Boston-Cape Cod area of
Massachusetts where he also worked with the late, great Bobby Hackett. In 1974, Marcus moved
to Miami where he formed his own quartets and quintets. He did regularly scheduled live radio
and television broadcasts and played at all of Miami’s and South Florida’s major festivals.
In his hotel and club work, he played with some of the biggest names in jazz. He worked
opposite Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, the Bill Evans Trio, the Horace Silver Quintet, McCoy
Tyner, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Band, Maynard Ferguson, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. Now
in Sarasota, Billy has played for The Jazz Club of Sarasota many times and it is always perfect.
Synia Carroll draws her inspiration from the jazz legends of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. Hints of
Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan can be heard whether it’s a
sultry ballad, a raucous, finger-snapping dance tune or an up-tempo Bebop number. Synia
brings the same clear, smooth tones and respect to these classic jazz standards.
Wednesday, January 13 • 5-7 p.m.
Andres Colin is a singer, songwriter and a one man band. He builds songs from scratch
using a loop pedal to record live percussion, bass, and many other instruments. He sings
a wide variety of music which includes flamenco and classical guitar, as well as popular
music from all around the world. He can sing in many languages such as Spanish, English,
Portuguese, French, Italian and Greek. Join us in his first performance for The Jazz Club
of Sarasota.
Exhibits 5-7 • Jazz Concert 5:30-7 • Admission: $10 JCM / $15 Non-Member • Light Snacks • Cash Bar
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FALL/WINTER 2015
SARASOTA JAZZ
JAZZ ON THE WATER
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2015
FEATURING
Greg Nielsen Band
Aboard Marina Jack II
2-4 p.m.
(boards at 1:30)
Join us for our end of the year cruise around beautiful Sarasota Bay!
TICKETS:
$30 JCM, $35 Non-Member
Call 941-366-1552 (Wed.-Fri. 9-5)
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SARASOTA JAZZ
A Jazz Holiday
with the Nate Najar All Star Big Band
Friday, December 18th
Nate Najar, guitar; Ken Peplowski, reeds; Harry Allen, reeds; Jeff Rupert,
reeds; Rodney Rojas, reeds; Austin Vickrey, reeds; John Lamb, bass; Chuck
Redd, drums; Bill Allred, trombone; Ron Moss, trombone; Marius Dicpetris,
trombone; Jon-Erik Kellso, trumpet; James Suggs, trumpet.
7:30 p.m. • Riverview Performing Arts Center • 1 Ram Way, Sarasota, FL
Call The Jazz Club of Sarasota for ticket information: 941-366-1552.
PRESENTS
The Eddie Metz Trio
January 15, 2015
E
ddie Metz, the percussionist in the trio, is one of the
great multi-talented drummers of the past three decades
that have been the driving force of groups both large and
small. He has over thirty featured albums on the Concord,
Arbors and recently the Nagel-Hier label. It was not surprising that Benny Goodman chose Metz to be his drummer
when Goodman restarted his band. It is noteworthy that he was also the drummer in the recreated Count Basie Band.
Nicki Parrott is a giant among female jazz entertainers and perhaps the busiest as she travels the globe playing the bass
and adding her vocal styling. She also has many albums on the Arbors label. Nicki, a native of Australia, is now living in
Connecticut. She was Les Paul’s bassist for ten years for their Monday night performances at the Iridium in NYC. She is
delightful, charming and humorous, not to mention super-talented.
The incomparable Rossano Sportiello is a master of classical and jazz piano. He can transition from jazz to a classical
rendition with ease. Rossano has emerged as one of the greats of swing and stride piano. He departed from his classical
training in Milan, Italy, to pursue jazz in the U.S. because, as he has stated, no one in his area wanted to listen to jazz.
Since he moved to the U.S. he has rapidly become well known with subsequent tours of Europe. He is featured on many
recordings on the Arbors label.
7:30 p.m. • Riverview Performing Arts Center • 1 Ram Way, Sarasota, FL
Jazz Club Members $25, Guests $35, Students Free (After 1-6-15, all tickets $35)
Call The Jazz Club of Sarasota at 941-366-1552 for more information.
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FALL/WINTER 2015
SARASOTA JAZZ
THE
JAZZ
CLUB
OF
SA R AS OTA
2015/2016 SEASON
OCTOBER 16-APRIL 15 • FRIDAYS
Jazz at Two
Unitarian Universal Church, 3975 Fruitville Road • $10 JCM / $15 Non-Member
OCTOBER 7:
1st Annual Oktoberfest Trolley Pub Crawl
8 venues with Jazz, $15 per person
NOVEMBER 1 • 2-4 P.M.
Jazz on the Water
Marina Jack II – Marina Jack Plaza • $30 JCM / $35 Non-Member
NOVEMBER 16 • 5-7 P.M.
Jazz Meets Art: Synia Carroll & Billy Marcus
Art Center Sarasota, $10 JCM / $15 Non-Member
DECEMBER 18 • 7:30 P.M.
A Jazz Holiday with the Nate Najar All Star Big Band
Riverview PAC, $TBA
JANUARY 10 • 2-4 P.M.
Joy of Jazz Free Concert
Venice Centennial Park Gazebo
JANUARY 13 • 5-7 P.M.
Jazz Meets Art: Andres Colin, Latin Guitarist
Art Center Sarasota, $10 JCM / $15 Non-Member
JANUARY 15 • 7:30 P.M.
Eddie Metz Trio
Riverview PAC, $TBA
FEBRUARY 7 • 2-4 P.M.
Joy of Jazz Free Concert
Venice Centennial Park Gazebo
FEBRUARY 13 • 5:30-9:30 P.M.
Valentine’s Dinner Dance
Marina Jack’s Bayfront Room, $50 per person
FEBRUARY 21 • 7:30 P.M.
Evening Concert with Sharon Scott
Holley Hall, $TBA
MARCH 3-12
36th Annual Jazz Festival
Details coming soon
For more information, call 941-366-1552 or visit our website at jazzclubsarasota.org.
FALL/WINTER 2015
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SARASOTA JAZZ
Jazz At Two
2-4 p.m. • Tickets: $10 JCM, $15 Non-Member
Unitarian Universalist Church
3975 Fruitville Rd, Sarasota
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FALL/WINTER 2015
SARASOTA JAZZ
Free
Joy of Jazz Concerts
CENTENNIAL PARK, DOWNTOWN VENICE
Sunday, January 10, 2016 • Sunday, February 7, 2016 • Sunday, April 3, 2016
The Jazz Club of Sarasota’s 2016 Joy of Jazz concert series begins Sunday, January 10, from 2-4 p.m.,
in Centennial Park in downtown Venice. Performers will be announced soon! The concerts are free
but donations are accepted in support of the Jazz Club’s scholarship fund. Guests are encouraged
to bring lawn chairs and blankets. For more information, call 941-366-1552 or visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org.
The series is co-sponsored by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
Ringling International Arts Festival hosts
Don Mopsick All-Stars and The Jazz Club of Sarasota
S
unset on the bayfront at the Ringling Museum provides the perfect setting for classic jazz with the Don Mopsick
All-Stars on October 16 and 17. Join us under the tent, where Don and his group will play from 5:00 to 8 p.m.—and
stop by our information table to say hello!
Bassist Don Mopsick hails from Linden, New Jersey. Upon graduation from the Manhattan School of Music in 1977 he
relocated to Fort Myers, FL. After a move to Orlando in 1983 he found himself in demand statewide, playing jazz concerts
in Orlando, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Sarasota, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona and elsewhere. For the
Jazz Club of Sarasota—during its 1980s leadership under founder Hal Davis—Mopsick played concert dates with Mousie
Alexander, Don Lamond, Bob Rosengarden, Warren Vaché Jr., Scott Hamilton, John Bunch, Dick
Meldonian, Ira Sullivan, Spanky Davis, Joe Wilder, Don Goldie and Ken Peplowski. He’s also appeared
at other jazz societies with Dick Hyman, Ralph Sutton, Terry Gibbs, Flip Phillips, Howard Alden, Richie
Cole, Red Rodney, Buddy DeFranco and many others.
Jazz Sunsets on the Bay are part of the acclaimed RIAF 2015 (Ringling International Arts Festival),
which runs from October 15-18 at the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. The concerts
are presented at the Bolger Campiello, 5401 Bayshore Road near Ca’d’Zan (Ringling Mansion).
For Ringling patrons, the Don Mopsick event is free of charge with a RIAF performance ticket
stub, regular admission to the Museum or admission to Art After 5. Admission for all others is $10.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase.
Jazz Club of Sarasota sponsors Starlite Players
T
he Jazz Club of Sarasota is a proud sponsor of Starlite Players, the newest
performing arts group in our area. Founded by Jo Morello and featuring
professional talent—playwrights, directors, actors and tech crew—from the
Tampa Bay area, Starlite Players presents short comedies upstairs in The Starlite
Room for one weekend each month.
The Jazz Club’s sponsorship is a natural extension of the club’s ongoing relationship with The Starlite Room, which
regularly hosts numerous Club events including the Jazz Caravan by Trolley, Oktoberfest and performances by Jazz Club
scholarship winners and other jazz musicians. “This is a wonderful opportunity for extending our reach to new people,”
says Peg Pluto, president. “The audiences for Starlite Players are exactly the arts lovers we view as potential supporters
for the Jazz Club too.”
The next sets of plays for Starlite Players will be presented on October 8-9-10-11 upstairs in The Starlite Room,
1001 Cocoanut Avenue, Sarasota. Tickets cost $16.50 and include a 15% discount on a pre- or post-show dinner.
For more information, visit www.starliteplayers.com or phone 941-587-8290 between 10 a.m.and 6 p.m.
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SARASOTA JAZZ
Thank you for your support of The Jazz Club of Sarasota.
We have an exciting 2015/2016 season planned and hope you enjoy!
2015/2016 Membership Application
It’s Your Way to Support Jazz in Sarasota
September 2015 - August 2016
Individual Membership: $60 per person
In addition to supporting The Jazz Club of Sarasota, you will receive reduced admission
to most of our events, a newsletter and weekly emails of jazz happenings in the area.
Please remit check to:
The Jazz Club of Sarasota
330 S. Pineapple Avenue #111
Sarasota, FL 34236
OR
Pay online at:
www.jazzclubsarasota.com
Membership Dues ($60 per person): $_______________
In addition to membership, I would like to support young jazz
musicians with a donation to the scholarship fund: $_______________
TOTAL amount enclosed: $_______________
Name(s)______________________________________________________________________
Street Address_________________________________________________________________
City______________________________State____________Zip__________________________
Phone____________________________Email*_______________________________________
*For updates concerning concerts and club news (for use only by The Jazz Club of Sarasota)
I would like to volunteer for
oMembership
The Jazz Club of Sarasota
o Jazz Festival or Outdoor Concerts
o Jazz at Two
o Office Help
Please list any special expertise (i.e. tech, speaking, etc.)
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Jazz Club of Sarasota, official registration SC-03656, meets all requirements specified by the Florida Solicitation of Contributions Act.
The Jazz Club of Sarasota does not contract professional solicitors and 100% of funds received go directly to programs of the organization.
A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free,
(800-435-7351), within the State. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State.
Thank you to all our volunteers! We could not do it without you!!!
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FALL/WINTER 2015