Jazz Club of Sarasota Announces
March “Jazz at Two” Concerts
The popular afternoon concert series welcomes spring with the John DePaola Quartet (March 13), a jazz jam session with the Jerry Eckert Trio (March 20), and the Billy Marcus Trio (March 27).
(Sarasota, Florida) The Jazz Club of Sarasota’s 2014-15 “Jazz at Two” concert series continues with the John DePaola Quartet, performing an eclectic mix of movie themes, jazz standards and groovy tunes from the sixties (March 13); a swinging Jazz Jam Session hosted by the Jerry Eckert Trio (March 20); and the virtuoso sounds of the Billy Marcus Trio, (March 27). The series, which was founded in 2001, showcases the region’s top jazz performers on Fridays, 2-4 p.m., October through April, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota. Tickets are $8 for Jazz Club members and $12 for non-members. A portion of ticket sales is directed to the Jazz Club’s scholarship program. For more information, call 941-366-1552 or visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org.
A freelance trumpeter for over 20 years, John DePaola has performed with such greats as Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra Jr., Tony Bennett, Peabo Bryson, and the Temptations. He has also played with the touring companies of major Broadway musicals and with several symphony orchestras. De Paola’s quartet consists of DePaola on trumpet and flugelhorn, Ian Goodman on drums, Mark Newenschwander on bass, and Chris Rottmayer on piano. For their Jazz at Two concert (March 13, 2 p.m.), they’ll be serving up an eclectic mix of sixties tunes, from Burt Bacharach to Nat Adderley, movie themes from Michelle Legrand, plus a variety of popular standards, including trumpet favorites like “Stardust” and “What a Wonderful World.”
The series continues with a Jazz Jam Session hosted by the Jerry Eckert Trio, (March 20, 2 p.m.). The Jazz at Two audience is in for a real treat as area musicians and vocalists are invited to join pianist Jerry Eckert, drummer Lenny Balistreri and bassist Bruce Wallace on stage for another swinging afternoon jam session.
The March Jazz at Two series concludes with the driving, sonorous sounds of the Billy Marcus Trio (March 27, 2 p.m.), with Marcus on piano, Ian Goodman on drums and Mark Newenschwander on bass. Marcus began his professional career in Massachusetts, where he worked with the late Buddy Hackett. He moved to Miami in 1974, where Miami/South Florida Magazine later named him as “Miami’s Best Musician.” Marcus has recorded several albums and has also toured internationally. In concert, he has appeared with or opened for such greats as the Buddy Rich Big Band, Woody Herman, Grover Washington, Spyro Gyra and Ramsey Lewis. Hailed by critic Sam Hirsch as a virtuoso, Marcus is sure to make the piano swing with his “rhapsodic riffs, tinkling tunes and gargantuan energy.”
For more information about the Jazz Club of Sarasota, call 941-366-1552, or visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org.
About the Jazz Club of Sarasota
The Jazz Club of Sarasota’s mission is to promote, preserve, and educate people about jazz, the original American art form. Founded in 1980 by the late Hal Davis, the club presents ongoing concert series, events, lectures and the annual Sarasota Jazz Festival.
