Passed on from Bob Seymore:

“In her first solo concert in the Tampa Bay Area, pianist Lynne Arriale will perform at Tampa’s historic Springs Theater on Sunday, November 23, at 3:00 PM.

Arriale’s recordings and live shows have earned her international critical acclaim, comparing her in stature to Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans and Ahmad Jamal. The New York Times said, “Lynne Arriale’s brilliant musicianship and bandstand instincts place her among the top jazz pianists of the day.” JazzTimes lauded her “flawless touch,” and “impeccable sense of complex rhythms” while the BBC Music Magazine raved about her “luminous tone and superlative melodic flair.”

Although the November 23 concert, presented by the Tampa Jazz Club, marks Arriale’s first solo performance in the Tampa Bay area, this Florida resident’s trio performances have been among the area’s outstanding jazz events at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in the past. As noted in Jazz Week: “She pinpoints a song’s power, majesty, and soul simultaneously.”

In early 2009, Arriale releases a new CD/DVD on Motema Music, backed by a new trio of jazz icons featuring Randy Brecker, George Mraz and Anthony Pinciotti. Titled NUANCE, The Bennett Studio Sessions, the studio produced CD will be accompanied by a bonus DVD capturing the group’s debut live performance with a studio audience.

The Spring Theater is located at 8029 Nebraska Avenue. Tickets are $23, $18 for Jazz Society members and $5 for students, and will only be available at the venue on the day of the show. For further information, contact 813/915-0074. For additional information on Lynne Arriale, visit www.motema.com/lynnearriale, or www.lynnearriale.com.

Please contact cary@gomediapr.com for high res images or to schedule an interview with Lynne.”

On Saturday, October 18, I will be performing at the Clearwater Jazz Holiday with the Ken Loomer Big Band. Here is an excerpt from the Band’s Bio: “The idea behind this band Ken states is to “First keep Jazz and Big Band Music Alive”, which is America’s greatest true art form, and having this music played by the best jazz musicians in the country. Many of the charts in the Ken Loomer Big Band are original arrangements, plus those done by Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Bob Mintzer and other famous big bands. The performance of this big band, driven by the consummate drummer Ken Loomer and his exciting musicians go through the repertoire of vital and brilliantly arranged contemporary music to produce a sound you will not forget!”

It should be a great concert and I hope to see you all there!

Where: Coachman Park, Clearwater FL

When: Saturday Oct. 18, 2008 3:45 - 5:00pm

How Much: Free!!!

View Larger Map

Here’s a gallery of some stuff that TBT Photographer Leigh Armstrong took at the Canvas 4 Show.

The Forefront will make its official debut at the Canvas 4 Art Premier at The Element Church in Tampa, this Friday September 26th. The whole shindig kicks off at 8:00pm and we will be playing one long set from 8:30pm to 10:00pm. The group has been working on a recording to be released in early 2009 and will be debuting some of the music from this recording as well as various other pieces. For more information check out www.theforefrontjazz.com

Canvas is in their second year and exists as a biannual art premier. This is an excerpt of their purpose statement: “Canvas exists simply to promote a community of inspiration. Our idea, our dream, was born to provide a springboard for up and coming artists, in such a way that would benefit both their craft and career.”

On another note, my wife Bonnie, a graphic designer and painter, will be showing some of her work at the show.

Click here for directions!

Other Bands on the bill include RELO and Lush Progress.

Originally posted here!

Come and check out a great New York City based swing group that I’m playing with tonight in YBOR.

There is no question about it! The greater Tampa Bay area, and for that matter, the entire USA needs to develop better public transportation in urban areas of the country. Tampa made the Forbes.com top ten list of worst commutes in the country…No. 6!!! We’re above LA? Movies always told me that the worst commute was in New York or L.A.

1 – New York, NY
2 – Detriot, MI
3 – Miami, FL
4 – Orlando, FL
5 – Dallas, TX
6 – Tampa, FL
7 – Washington D.C.
8 – Houston, TX
9 – L.A., CA
10 – San Fransisco, CA

I’d also like to note that fact that 3 of the top ten are Florida Cities! I would even venture to say that Tampa, is one of the worst areas. As a musician, living in Tampa, I have to drive at least 30 miles to most gigs. Traffic, however necessitates leaving anywhere from an hour and a half to 3 hours before the gig depending on the traffic or the location.

Two words…”Elevated Train” in the city limits.

Two more words…”Commuter Trains” Brandon, Town and Country, Sarasota, Land O’ Lakes, Etc.

Or heck, maybe start by fixing the bus system. Stop giving USF students free rides and use the money to expand the routes. Here’s a question that I have though, do we really think that westchase mom’s will give up their hummers?

RJ: That is an S.U.V; Humans ride in then because they are slowly losing their ability to walk.
Penny: Jeepers, its so big!
Lou: How many humans fit in there?
RJ: Usually, one.

Anyway, this was posted on creativetampabay.com:

“A Plan to Enhance Transportation in the Tampa Bay Region Moves Forward by Shelton Quarles, Chairman, TBARTA

The Tampa Bay region is a special place. We all live here for the unparalleled beauty, vitality, and quality of life. To preserve what’s best about our community, we need to act now. We need to work together to create mutually beneficial solutions for regional problems - such as congestion and pollution. We need transportation choices to enhance our quality of life; strengthen our economy; preserve our environment and rural areas; and give us access to job opportunities, medical facilities, and affordable housing.

Regional transportation choices could mean lower stress and lower cost to commute; saving money on gas and car maintenance; getting to the airport on time, reliably; taking your family to a game or a show without the hassle of parking or traffic; or even if you or your loved one can’t drive, transportation choices could provide another way to get to medical centers and activities.

Where do the residents in this region see future transportation improvements? So many options exist, such as high occupancy vehicle or toll lanes, light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit. The answer to that question got a bit clearer as the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) approved the Phase One Preliminary Recommendations for the Transportation Master Plan it is developing for this region. These recommendations outline a series of key connections where transportation options like mass transit could be added to move people and freight around the Tampa Bay region.

A few of the recommended connections include I-75, sections of I-275, Suncoast Parkway/Veterans Expressway, the US 41 area through most counties, and several corridors currently used for minimal freight rail traffic. As we move forward in this planning process, these and other recommendations will be narrowed down as more research and studies are completed.

Moving forward with the next phase of the Regional Transportation Master Plan, TBARTA is now evaluating the possible transportation options in these approved corridors. Will rail work? Is bus rapid transit a better option? Should we be examining managed lanes on the interstates for use by buses and carpoolers? These are the kinds of important questions that will be answered in Phase Two. I am excited to see this process moving forward and look forward to continued public support and participation throughout the development of this plan.

TBARTA will hold its Phase Two Community Workshops in late July and early August. The schedule of workshops is as follows:

Wednesday, July 23 – Manatee County
The Lakewood Ranch Community Room (located in Northern Trust Bank, Suite 101)
6320 Venture Dr., Bradenton

Thursday, July 24 – Sarasota County
Venice Community Center, 326 South Nokomis Ave., Venice

Tuesday, July 29 – Pasco County
Alice Hall Community Center, 38116 Fifth Avenue, Zephyrhills

Wednesday, July 30 – Citrus County
West Citrus Community Center, 8940 W. Veterans Dr., Homosassa

Thursday, July 31 – Hernando County
Holiday Inn Express - Spring Hill, 3528 Commercial Way, Spring Hill

Tuesday, Aug. 5 – Hillsborough County
Doubletree Hotel, 4500 W. Cypress Street, Tampa

Thursday, Aug. 7 – Pinellas County
Largo Cultural Center, 105 Central Park Drive, Largo

New for this round! TBARTA is also hosting two online community workshops:

Tuesday, July 22, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 6, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

For more information on these online workshops, go to www.TBARTA.com and click on the “Meetings” tab to locate the link to the online workshop you wish to participate in. Instructions on signing in to the workshop, the phone number to call and the necessary password, are all located on this website page.

I encourage you to attend and share your opinions and thoughts on the different transportation options that might one day better connect our region. As I have mentioned many times in the past, the public’s involvement in developing this plan is a key component to its success.”

Click here to see original post

This weekend, I will be performing with Bassist Matthew Wengerd at Lakeland’s annual Mayfaire Art Festival. This will be a Duo gig which is one of the most intimate orchestrations for a group. I liken it to listening to a concert of Jazz Two Part Inventions.

Click here to read more.

I was just hipped to a great video of the Tampa Bay area’s very own Buster Cooper. Buster has been playing for years now down at The Garden Restaurant in St. Petersburg and always generously allows young aspiring jazz musicians to sit. Sitting down to talk to him about his experiences is veritable history lesson in jazz and more specifically a recount of the late 1960’s Duke Ellington Orchestra. Here he takes the second solo blowing over “The Opener,” but what’s he playing?