Jazz Club of Sarasota Concert Presents
The Eddie Metz Jazz Trio
With Eddie Metz Jr., Nicki Parrott, and Rossano Sportiello
January 16 • Riverview High School Performing Arts Center
“Put pianist Rossano Sportiello, bassist/vocalist Nicki Parrott and drummer Eddie Metz together and the results are pure joy.”
Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz
(Sarasota, Florida) The Eddie Metz Jazz Trio, featuring bassist and vocalist Nicki Parrott, pianist Rossano Sportiello and drummer Eddie Metz Jr., returns to Sarasota on Friday, January 16, 7:30 p.m., at the Riverview High School Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way, in Sarasota. Tickets are $25 for Jazz Club members; $30 for non-members; students admitted free at the door. Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/975619 or by calling 800-838-3006. For more information, call 941-366-1552 or visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Eddie Metz Jr. was given his first pair of drumsticks at age three and, by 12, had played his first professional gig. Since then Metz has toured with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Bill Allred Classic Jazz Band, the Les Brown Orchestra and many others. Metz has also worked with such greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Arturo Sandoval, Sammy Davis, Jr., Rosemary Clooney, Michael Feinstein, Chick Corea, and Patti Page. He continues to record with top jazz artists and perform at jazz festivals and events around the country. For more information, visit www.eddiemetzjr.com.
Bassist, vocalist and songwriter Nicki Parrott came to the United States from Australia in 1994 to study with the acclaimed bassist Rufus Reid at William Patterson College. Since 2000, Parrott has performed with such notable musicians as Billy Taylor, Dick Hyman, Terri Thornton, Holly Hoffman, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Warren Vache, Jr., and Jose Feliciano. Parrott’s friend and mentor, guitar legend Les Paul, once said that Parrott, “has that special gift you cannot buy in a music store.” Parrot has also performed in several Broadway shows, including “Avenue Q,” “Imaginary Friends,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “Summer of ’42,” and “Jekyll and Hyde.” Limelight magazine calls Parrott, “a rarity, a first-class bassist whose playing is as sublime as her vocals.” For more information, visit www.nickiparrott.com.
Award-winning jazz pianist Rossano Sportiello was born in Vigevano, Italy, and began studying the piano at the age of nine. By 16, Sportiello was performing professionally at jazz venues in the Milan area. In 1992, he joined one of Europe’s historic jazz bands, the “Milano Jazz Gang,” touring with the group until the end of 2000. In the same year, Rossano met legendary jazz pianist and educator, Barry Harris, who became a mentor and good friend. Since then, Sportiello has performed with some of the world’s finest jazz artists, including Slide Hampton, Barry Harris, Dan Barrett, Bucky Pizzarelli, Warren Vache, Howard Alden, Jake Hanna and Dick Hyman. For more information, visit www.rossanosportiello.com.
“We’re thrilled to bring these supremely entertaining artists back to Sarasota,” says Jazz Club of Sarasota president Dave Walrath. “This trio never fails to electrify audiences. It promises to be another evening of jazz to remember!” 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, present, 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.
