Article by Nanette Wiser
Virtual or in-person, live music soothes the savage beast and boy, are we hungry as starved lions for jazz, blues, folk, rock and more.
Lucky for Paradise residents, local artists are keeping the beat alive. St. Pete Catalyst and Studio@620 virtual music sessions cooled off the summer with a chill vibe.
Some live performances are back, many outdoors and some inside, socially distancing with masks. Check online for concerts, notably Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Cabaret series, Madeira Beach’s new Cambria Hotel Rooftop Bar (Friday), Tierra Verde’s Island Grille, Bongo’s, DTSP’s Hideaway, Ruby’s Elixir and Tryst, St. Pete Beach’s Chills (dueling pianos, singers and more) and Largo Cultural Arts Center’s live shows. For jazz, head out to Redington’s Wine Knot or Treasure Island’s Sunset Bistro on Friday.
For virtual and live events, check out Paradise News’ entertainment listings. We caught up with just a handful of our fave local musicians to see what they’ve been up to and where you can find them in October; check their website for more listings or to book the band. (Performance schedule subject to change.)
Paul Wilborn & Palladium: “We just recorded a concert for the Palladium’s new streaming entertainment service, released in late Sept. called Palladium Presents. It will feature other bands – jazz and blues bands, plus dance, chamber music and a little theater. My new band is called Seventh Avenue Picnic, and it’s two married couples – Paul Wilborn and Eugenie Bondurant and Robin and Sher Sibucao performing acoustic songs we love from the 50s through the aughts.”
Betty Fox: With a love of Southern country gospel and soul music, the fiery songstress showcase an old soul who performs all over town, and were a staple at The Hideaway and Ale & The Witch. Her band wowed Treasure Island’s Bikini Blues Bash Festival, the Tangerine Blues Festival, the Dunedin Wines the Blues Festival, the Gasparilla Music Festival, they headlined the Safety Harbor Seafood Festival, and will be performing at the Daytona Blues Festival in October. They have opened for such artists such as Mavis Staples, The Legendary JC’s, Selwyn Birchwood (IBC WINNER), Roosevelt Collier of “The Lee Boys”, Damon Fowler, Lucky Peterson, Shaun Murphy, Bill Wharton “The Sauce Boss”, and Marcia Ball, They have performed on festivals with Lord Huron, Ozomalti, Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears, Best Coast, Dawes, and The Meter Men. Her first album “Too Far Gone” released in July 2012, and we’re hoping there’s another one in the works and a return to St. Pete from Europe soon.
Carlos & Joe: All you favorite covers (Jimmy Buffett, Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn just right for dancing and a lively banter on Thursdays at Caddy’s Sunset Beach, Fridays at Island Grille in Tierra Verde and Bongo’s on Saturday. carlosandjoe.com
Alex Harris: Doing good and making music is Harris’s mission, just out with the electrifying music video and song Rollin. “Let’s get it all out in the open Let’s have that talk what you wanna know?” showcases his powerful lyrical styling and earthy energy. The soulful powerful vocalist is also a songwriter, with Gospel grit and an international star. Alexharrisofficial.com
Photo: Crystal Shutter Photography
Fred Johnson: The legendary jazz vocalist/percussionist uses music to unite diverse people in areas of conflict (inner cities, the Middle East) as well as entertain. He’s performed with B.B. King, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Aretha Franklin and Herbie Hancock. Some of us recall his first St. Pete Beach gig in 1977, and knew he would be famous. Through music education, storytelling, chanting and drumming, his tonal “come together” seminars give peace a chance. In September, he performed at the Lake George Arts Project. Johnson has been an artist in residence and community engagement specialist at the Straz Center.
Lounge Cat: You probably have heard their “velvety swinging sounds” in Gulfport, DTSP’s The Independent and Hideaway Cafe, Madeira Beach’s Saltwater Hippie and more frequently this fall, at Club 201 at The Detroit (the old Detroit Liquor). The versatile combo play old school blues, New Orleans jazz, swing, ska, standards, Motown and Latin. “They swing, swagger and sway,” say reviewers.
Nate Najar: Another Palladium regular, the internationally know guitarist, composer and music producer has worked with Ken Peplowski, John Lamb, Bucky Pizzarelli, Eric Darius and others. His musical style, influenced by Charlie Byrd’s bossa nova and Brazilian jazz, adds to his charm and popularity on the jazz music charts, including a top ten spot in 2011 for the song “Groove Me”, with singer Melba Moore. Catch Nate and Daniela Soledade performing live on Fridays @Facebook in Love & Bossa Nova. https://danielasoledade.com/live-stream-concerts
Rebecca Penneys: Her annual piano festival has garnered international acclaim, with the next one schedule for July 6-25, 2021 at USF Tampa. The St. Petersburg resident and pianist Rebecca Penneys is a recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral soloist, educator and adjudicator who has performed globally for more than 60 years. Her current CD’s and DVD’s on Naxos, Fleur De Son Classics and Centaur Records have received worldwide acclaim and “are eloquent testimonies of a major artist of intelligence, originality, massive technique and bravura temperament,” according to Fanfare Magazine. rebeccapenneys.com
Soul Circus Cowboys: Baby, let’s rock at Gators Café Oct. 25 or Nov. 1 with lead singer/songwriter Billy McKnight and the band. If you like Southern rock roots, awesome guitar licks and old school showmanship, catch this nationally known local band and their 2019 album “I Can’t Imagine.” soulcircuscowboys.com
James Suggs: The internationally known jazz trumpet musician, Suggs has performed with musical legends Kenny Burrell, Joanne Brakeen, Billy Hart, Frank Foster, Allen Vizutti, Robin Eubanks, Jane Ira Bloom, Eric Alexander, John Clayton, Chuck Mangione, John Lamb and Bob Brookmeyer among others. With accolades for playing The House of Blues in Orlando, FL., B.B. King’s in New York City, Yoshi’s in San Francisco, The Howard Theatre in Washington D.C., Thelonious in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and London venues, locally he has played to sold-out audiences at the Palladium Theater’s Side Door covering the music of Lee Morgan, Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and Miles Davis. In 2015 he was awarded the Best of the Bay’s “Best Jazz Transplant”. In May 2018, James received a Masters Degree in music- jazz performance from the University of South Florida. His Sunday jam session at DTSP’s Independent Bar is sorely missed but with any luck, will swing back into session soon. https://www.wusfjazz.org/new-wusf-all-night-jazz-concert-series-side-door-at-the-palladium/
Gloria West: Mermaid, musician, chanteuse, Gloria West and the Gents band is big demand. You’ve heard her at Chills, and in Sept./Oct. she had gigs lined up at Zydeco Brew Werks in Ybor and St. Tropez in DTSP, with more to come. Gloria West and The Gents bring old school stride-swing jazz with a sultry twist to stages across Tampa Bay, including The Clearwater Jazz Holiday, The St. Pete Coliseum, and The Tampa Theatre performing classic mid-tempo swing-dancing numbers, sultry torch songs and strutting period costumes whenever she can. In 2017, she release her first CD, “Dem Keys.” Her newest project, Mermade designs, are darling, from the t-shirts to the coozies, with more to come as she moves into her new Madeira Beach digs. gloriawestmusic.com
