By Nanette Wiser
JAZZ IS LOVE The ultimate Valentine concert is back at The Palladium’s Side Door 2/14 with jazz chanteuse Whitney James performing with Jean Bolduc on drums, John O’Leary on piano, Alejandro Arenas on bass, LaRue Nickelson on guitar. This show normally sells out and is returning for the first time since 2020. Music has been part of Whitney’s life since she was a little girl growing up in the San Francisco Bay. After hearing recordings of Sarah Vaughan, James got hooked on jazz. She has worked with master jazz vocalists Jay Clayton, Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy, and Nancy King and opened for jazz legends Nina Simone and Betty Carter and pop giants Earth Wind & Fire and Macy Gray. She has also voiced numerous radio station jingles and commercials airing in Europe and The United States. In 2007, Whitney made the move to the East Coast, splitting her time between New York City and Florida. Her 2010 debut CD – The Nature of Love – featuring trumpet great Ingrid Jensen, received rave reviews from US and international jazz press and spent 16 weeks on the Jazz Radio Charts. She’s a favorite at The Clearwater Jazz Holiday and The Palladium. She is a founding member and lead singer for The Florida Bjorkestra. www.mypalladium.org
FARM TUNES It’s official! Open Mic Night is back on Thursdays at Keel Farms! Join us Jan. 19th from 5-8pm on the beautiful outdoor dining patio and bring your songs, instruments, and more for an evening full of talent and fun. On the weekends, you can enjoy live music Fri. at 6pm, Sat. at 1pm and 6pm and Sun. at 1pm. Make a reservation for a delicious meal and enjoy festive ales, fruit wines and ciders from Keel + Curley Winery and Keel Farms Agrarian Ales and Ciders. Keel Farms offers tours, tastings, dining, events, yoga, and many farm activities year-round!
BLUES @ SAFETY HARBOR Safety Harbor Art & Music Center showcases many eclectic events including the third Wednesday of the month, when Ed Derkevics hosts SHAMc Alive, an open mic 7-9pm where singers, songwriters, poets, comedians, dancers, magicians, and storytellers come to entertain with doors open at 6:30pm. www.safetyharborartandmusiccenter.com
On Feb. 10 at 7:30pm, blues artist Vanessa Collier will perform as part of their concert series. Her talents have taken her to the Blues Music Awards Show where, in the words of the Blues Foundation, Vanessa “blew the doors off the Blues Music Awards.” Doors open at 7pm. It’s not surprising that the press has been quick to commend her efforts as well. Blues Blast Magazine affirms, “Vanessa Collier is a fresh face on the American blues scene, and in addition to her soulful vocals, she brings a mighty sax to the table.” Blues Music Magazine proclaims, “Collier is a fresh face who comes to the blues stage carrying her reed instruments, a dual degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, a major label debut, almost two years of touring with Joe Louis Walker, and a mature musical vision…Collier commands center stage with her vocals, soloing, and stage presence.” Midwest Record exclaims, “This bluesy singing sax player knows how to bring the slinking funk to her captivating, award winning sound that has echoes in young Bonnie Raitt/Maria Muldaur vocal sounds…Killer stuff on every level, this sounds like one of the reasons you first became a music fan. Killer stuff and AXS.Com declares that she “might as well go ahead and add another shelf to her trophy case because clearly, she’s going to need it. With a voice that often recalls that of blues-rock stalwart Bonnie Raitt, Collier turns up the heat.”