Fall is here, which means Tampa Bay’s classical and jazz calendar really ramps up. CL’s been tucking these listings away in Music Week, but we brought them out this week with the hope that readers who were curious about these niche scenes might easily find more options to explore. Please email ray.roa@creativeloafing.com with any suggestions or feedback as we move through the season.
October 20: Kevin McMillan If awards ring your bell, then Juno you want to see Kevin McMillan at one of Tampa’s most overlooked concert venues. The baritone has been nominated several times in Canada’s version of the Grammys and even won an actual Grammy in 1992 for his role in the San Francisco Symphony & Chorus’ recording of Orff’s Carmina Burana. This show is free. (Sykes Chapel at University of Tampa, Tampa) INFO
October 21, 22 & 23: Florida Orchestra Masterworks Series: Jeremy Denk plays Mozart Karina Canellakis conducts while award-winning pianist Denk (Avery Fisher Prize, MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship) dances his way around works by Stravinsky, Dvorak and Strauss. Denk was going to work through “Concerto for the Left Hand” by French composer Maurice Ravel. He's ditching the piece first commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, an Austrian pianist who lost his right arm in a wartime injury, however, and will be performing Mozart's "Piano Concerto No. 20" instead. Fans on both sides of the bay won’t have to stray too far from home, since Tampa’s Straz Center hosts on Friday while Mahaffey Theater in St. Pete Handles Saturday’s performance and Ruth Eckerd Hall opens its doors on Sunday. Listen to different guy (Sergei Babayan) work through the Mozart piece below. (Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa; Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg; Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater) INFO
October 22: Jazz by the Bay w/Butch Thomas' All-Star Band Band/Theo Valentin/Tomkats Jazz Orchestra/more He’s on tape with big names like Lenny Kravitz, Sting and Aretha Franklin, but these days sax man Butch Thomas leads his own outfit, which includes one of Tampa Bay’s finest percussionists (and recent birthday boy) in Gumbi Ortiz. Gulfport is fun to visit and the day-long, pet-friendly event sounds like a good way to spend the Saturday. (Gulfport Beach Park, Gulfport) INFO
October 23: St. Petersburg College Madrigalians w/Sine Nomine A madrigal is a form of chamber music arranged for voice. You’d have to go back to the 14th century to find a time when it was revolutionary, but the style endures thanks to its countless devotees and folks like Saint Petersburg College professor Dr. Vernon Taranto, who leads the college’s Madrigalians through this exploration of folk yarns and fairy tales beloved by American children way back in the day. This is another free show, but donations are being accepted. Howie Day, in his awkward days, can be seen below attempting to give contemporary context to the art form. (St. Petersburg College Music Center, St. Petersburg) INFO
October 23: East Meets West: A Cross-Cultural Experience Part II The University of South Florida taps students, professors and visiting scholar Zhan Jingyi to utilize traditionally Eastern instruments like the guzheng (sort of like a Chinese sit-down harp), pipa and lute along with Western ones like piano and flute as they all work through Korean art songs, Chinese traditionals, and works by award-winning Chih Chun Lee. This event is free. (University of South Florida Barness Recital Hall, Tampa) INFO
October 23: Acme Jazz Garage If you simply want some chimichangas with your jazz-fusion, then head to Seminole Heights, where Ella’s stages their famous Soul Food Sundays and Tampa’s own Acme Jazz Garage play tunes to sooth your full belly. (Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, Tampa) INFO
October 25: PipeScreams There are more than 4,000 pipes on the church’s Aeolian-Skinner organ, and on Tuesday concertgoers are encouraged to be in costume as musicians work through the creepiest of classical tunes. (Christ United Methodist Church, St. Petersburg) INFO
See more events at CL's events page.
To submit your event, please follow the format available at local.cltampa.com. In the music section, correctly submitting your event is the quickest way to get it added to the calendar.
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This article appears in Oct 13-20, 2016.