The smooth-less Ybor Jazz Festival — presented by HCC-Ybor and Tampa Jazz Club — celebrates a third year with a line-up that spans the many sides and sounds of the genre. The festivities kicked off on Wednesday and run through Sunday, with “Prologue” concerts held in the Studio Theatre on Thursday and Friday before the featured program begins at Mainstage Theatre.
Two local sax masters, Jeremy Powell (Infinite Groove Orchestra, Swamp Logic) and Austin Vickrey stage a “Tribute to Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane” for the headlining slot on Thursday, while Friday night’s presentation by the 18-piece Helios Jazz Orchestra reprises their popular License to Thrill program of big band-style spy music from TV and films as joined on select numbers by vocalists Denise Moore, Bryan Hughes and Andrea Manson. Saturday night introduces a hot and slinky set of percussive, Latin-fused grooves by Guisando Caliente. The jazz fest closes on Sunday with two afternoon performances — straighforward keys-bass-drums trio Jazztek followed by avante jazz pop purveyors The Dreamboats as led by guitarist/bassist Ray Villadonga.
Details: Third Annual Ybor Jazz Festival, 6 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., Aug. 31-Nov. 4, Studio and Mainstage Theatres, HCC Performing Arts Building, East Palm Avenue and North 14th Street (Avenida Republica de Cuba), Ybor City, $15 individual passes/$50 full fest pass (HCC Students, faculty and staff free with valid ID). More info at tampajazzclub.com.
This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2012.