Jazz Club of Sarasota lines up musicians and restaurants for
Oktoberfest Pub Crawl by Trolley, set for Wednesday, Oct. 26
Sarasota swings to a jazz beat as eight bands play in seven downtown venues
SARASOTA, FL: “Ok·to’·ber·fest, noun, a traditional autumn festival that
features beer-drinking and merrymaking”—and jazz! The Jazz Club of Sarasota
has updated the dictionary definition of “Oktoberfest” with its second
annual Oktoberfest Pub Crawl by Trolley. On Wednesday, October 26, music
will fill the air everywhere in downtown Sarasota when eight jazz bands play
in seven night clubs (two in the Starlite Room, one downstairs and one
upstairs) from 6 to 10 p.m.—and all for only $15. One of the most active
jazz societies in the United States, the Jazz Club has lined up some of the
most respected jazz performers based in the community, some with
international credentials. “Our Oktoberfest celebration was so much fun last
year that we knew we would do it again, “ said Peg Pluto, president of the
Jazz Club. Although this is only the Jazz Club’s second Oktoberfest, the
organization has been presenting pub crawls by trolley as part of the
prestigious Sarasota Jazz Festival for nearly two decades.
The excitement begins at 5:30 p.m. in the north parking lot of the VanWezel
Performing Arts Hall, 770 N. Tamiami Trail. Jazz lovers can park their cars
and hop on one of the trolleys, which will make continuous loops of the tour
including stops at three locations where night clubs are clustered. Pub
crawlers can walk from one nearby club to another, then hop on a trolley to
ride to the other clubs. All that’s needed to get on the trolley and into
the clubs is the wristband that the Jazz Club provides with each ticket
purchase. Tickets and wristbands can be obtained by sending an email to
<mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] or calling
the Jazz Club office, 941.366.1552. (The office is open on Wednesdays
through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; messages will be returned ASAP.)
Here’s the lineup for the Jazz Club of Sarasota’s Second Annual Oktoberfest
Pub Crawl by Trolley:
* The Starlite Room, 1001 Cocoanut Ave.
o Main level: Eddie Tobin on piano with Linda Baker
o 2nd level: Singer Debbie Keeton
* Mandeville Beer Garden, 428 N. Lemon Avenue: Matt Bokulic with a
pallet of texture for Jazz, unique and exciting for the 21st century
* The Gator Club, 1490 Main Street: Skip Conkling & the Dixie Mix
with knee slapping Dixieland tunes
* Servando, 1525 4th St.: David Pruyn, singer, drummer and trumpeter
* Z’s on Main, 1454 Main St.: Steve Roiland, trumpet, John Lamb, bass
with Tracey Davis
* Salute! Ristorante, 23 N. Lemon Avenue: The sensational Al Hixon &
his band
* Blue Rooster, 1525 Fourth Street: Synia Carroll’s clear, smooth
tones to classic jazz standards from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, with jazz
pianist Joe Delaney
For further information, email [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> , visit jazzclubsarasota.org
<http://jazzclubsarasota.org/events–2> or phone 941.366.1552 (open
Wed.-Thurs.-Fri., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; leave messages at any time).
