The Jazz Club of Sarasota Presents
Joy of Jazz Series with the All That Jazz Quartet
January 11, 2 p.m. § Centennial Park in Venice
Venice’s Centennial Park swings once again with this popular series of free Sunday afternoon concerts showcasing some of the region’s top jazz artists.
(Sarasota, Florida) The Jazz Club of Sarasota’s 2015 Joy of Jazz concert series opens with an afternoon of jazz standards and bebop by the All That Jazz Quartet, Sunday, January 11, 2 p.m., in Centennial Park, 200 West Venice Avenue, in Venice. The program will feature tunes from such favorites as Duke Ellington, Benny Carter, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and more. The concert is free but donations are accepted in support of the Jazz Club’s scholarship fund. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. For more information, call 941-366-1552 or visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org. The series is sponsored, in part, by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
Pianist James Williams moved to Punta Gorda in 2013 and shortly after founded the All That Jazz Quartet, which has quickly become a popular fixture at venues in Venice, Englewood and Port Charlotte. Prior to his arrival in Punta Gorda, Williams played stride piano, traditional jazz and swing piano with several groups in northern California, including the Silicon Valley Gulch Band and his own quartets, The Vintage Four and Article 19. The other members of the quartet are bassist Joe Bruno, saxophonist Bob Miner, and drummer Dominik Teyke. Like Williams, sax player Bob Miner also arrived in southwest Florida in 2013 and jumped quickly into the local music scene, performing with the Oceans Eleven Big Band and several other area ensembles. Before relocating to the U.S. in 1998, drummer Dominik Teyke performed in Germany with The Peppermint Dandies, The Bartenders and Six Guys Named Moe. He also performed various musical and television productions with the Theater des Westens and Sender Freies Berlin. The quartet recently welcomed bassist Joe Bruno, already a familiar face on the local music scene. Local jazz fans know Bruno from Joe Bruno’s Dixieland Hotdogs, while country and rock enthusiasts know him as part of Ober Rivers and His D.U.I.s.
Jazz Club of Sarasota board member and series producer Bill Beckman promises a double treat for area jazz enthusiasts. “The quartet will be offering up a program of standard jazz and bebop from Duke Ellington and Benny Carter to Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. It’s the perfect recipe for a relaxing Sunday afternoon outside.”
The Joy of Jazz series continues on February 8 and April 12, at 2 p.m. The performers will be announced at a later date. Visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org for updates. 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.
