Jazz Club of Sarasota Season Kicks Off Oct. 14
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Fans of jazz look forward to the Jazz Club of Sarasota’s Jazz Festival each spring. But the club offers a lot of jazz concerts and events well before then, with a full slate taking place this fall.
Lorri Hafer
The 37th season for the club, one of the most active in the country, commences with its Jazz at Two concerts at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Oct. 14. That’s when the Lorri Hafer Quartet presents “The Music of Their Lives,” playing jazz standards and songs of the Big Band era from such composers as George Gershwin, Duke Ellington and Harry Warren.
Tenor sax player Jim Wellen, performing Oct. 21
Next up in the series is the Jim Wellen Quartet, Oct. 21, playing light-hearted tunes selected from standards and jazz favorites. The Sarasota Jazz Project, a 16-piece band led by George McLain, is up Oct. 28, followed by “Sarasota Lounge Legend” Eddie Tobin Nov. 4, drummer-bandleader Thomas Carabasi Nov. 18, and jazz vocalist Whitney James, Nov. 25. The December concerts feature Austin Vickrey Dec. 2, Tony Benade Dec. 9, Synia Carroll Dec. 16, and Jazz club scholarship winners, Dec. 30. All of these concerts are from 2 to 4 p.m., with tickets sold at the door.
Vocalist Synia Carroll is set to perform Dec. 16
In addition to Jazz at Two, the jazz society also presents Jazz Meets Art with vocalist Debbie Keeton performing Oct. 19 at Art Center Sarasota, so you can take in paintings and sculptures as well as music. Tickets sold at the door here, too; light snacks and a cash bar will be available.
Also on the fall schedule: the second annual Oktoberfest Pub Crawl, featuring eight bands playing in seven downtown nightclubs. Fans can board trolleys at the north parking lot of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall starting at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26, then hop on and off at three locations. Wristbands required for admission; call the Jazz Club office at (941) 366-1552.
And lastly, musicians Valerie Gillespie and John DePaola present “Music of Jazz Legends,” featuring the collaborations of Nat and Cannonball Adderley along with work by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Nov. 12 at the Glenridge Performing Arts Center. For tickets to this concert, call (941) 552-5325.
And for more information about any Jazz Club event, go to jazzclubsarasota.org.
