The Clearwater Jazz Holiday has announced its lineup and schedule for the 2021 festival set for Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 14-17 at Baycare Ballpark.
Headliners for the four-day festival include Snarky Puppy, Gloria Gaynor (with a 13-piece band), Kool & the Gang and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Continuing the festival’s tradition of mixing Americana, funk and other genres into the jazz programming, the 2021 Clearwater Jazz Holiday lineup also includes Lettuce, Dustbowl Revival, Lucy Woodward, plus Eric Marienthal Featuring The Silverman Brothers (see full schedule and lineup below).
Tickets for Clearwater Jazz Holiday 2021 start as low as $10 for single day admission and go as high as $200 for certain VIP packages. The public onsale goes live Friday, July 2. For now, a password is required to access a special presale.
The move to the Spring Training home of the Philadelphia Phillies is a result of construction happening at Clearwater Jazz Holiday’s longtime home at Coachman Park, which is currently under renovation as part of the “Imagine Clearwater” project, which, in part, is bringing a 4,000-seat amphitheatre to the downtown waterfront.
Having Snarky Puppy—which made its local debut with a show at Crowbar in Ybor City in 2014—share the Sunday bill with Lucy Woodward leaves the door open for some major collaboration (Woodward appeared locally with a Snarky Puppy side project Forq back in 2018), but it also showcases Clearwater Jazz Holiday’s intentional approach to bringing other genres to the bill (funky Americana band Dustbowl Revival plays Sunday along with soul and funk unit Lemon City Trio).
Saturday’s lineup brings a jam band element to the mix thanks to Lettuce, but also features recent Grammy-winner Gloria Gaynor bringing a 13-piece band to the stage (Best Roots Gospel Album, 2020). If there ever was an anthem for the comeback of a music festival, it is “I Will Survive”.
But the Clearwater Jazz Holiday stil also leans on the very things it was founded upon, jazz and community outreach. The Clearwater Jazz Holiday and Ruth Eckerd Hall Youth Jazz Band will play on Saturday, and Friday’s lineup finds Jason Miles leading a jam-packed tribute to pioneering jazz-funk saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. who died in 1999 at age 56.
Other highlights on the lineup include swing outfit Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Gumbi Ortiz, a farewell show for Tampa Bay jazz singer Gloria West (playing a “Last Hurrah” set on Friday before her previously announced hiatus from performing), saxophonist Eric Marienthal, Ariella McManus who Victor Wooten described as one of his all-time favorites.
Steve Weinberger, CEO of Clearwater Jazz Holiday, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that GA ticket holders have two options: First-come first-served stadium seating in the section of their choice, limited to a certain capacity to allow for spacing. Standing room GA tickets that let the ticket holder roam and take advantage of the different first-come first-served viewing areas at BayCare park are also available.
“There’s a large grass berm behind the stage, and a tiki bar, plus concourse high-top and picnic tables, and those seats are just $10 plus applicable fees,” he said.
Throughout the field are VIP areas and seating, which are also available to “High Note” boosters, sponsors and in limited quantities to the public as well.
In 2020, organizers were forced to re-imagine their festival and stages mini-concerts instead. The event normally welcomes up to 40,000 people over four days at Coachman, but Clearwater Jazz Holiday’s website bills the 2021 event as a reduced capacity special presentation.
Total estimated capacity at Clearwater Jazz Holiday 2021 is about 8,000 people per day, with the limited capacity plan according to Weinberger, but there may be some room to add more folks if the situation surrounding vaccine numbers and COVID safety changes.
What’s more is the organizers say that Clearwater Jazz Holiday 2021 will “follow the face mask rules/regulations that are set forth for outdoor events by Baycare Ballpark and the City of Clearwater” with a promise to update the safety guidelines throughout the run up to the festival.
Clearwater Jazz Holiday 2021 lineup and tentative schedule
Thursday, Oct. 14
- 3:30 p.m. Gates Open
- 3:45 p.m. Ariella
- 5:15 p.m. Gumbi Ortiz & Electric Rendezvous
- 6:45 p.m. Eric Marienthal Featuring The Silverman Brothers
- 8:30 p.m. Kool & The Gang
Friday, Oct 15
- 3:45 p.m. Gates Open
- 4 p.m. Gloria West & The Gents "The Last Hurrah"
- 5:30 p.m. Special EFX All-stars Featuring Chieli Minucci, Elliott Yamin, Eric Marienthal, Lao Tizer, Karen Briggs, Dave Livolsi & Joel Rosenblatt
- 7:30 p.m. Jason Miles Presents To Grover With Love: Feat. Jason Miles, Maya Azucena, Marion Meadows, Elan Trotman, Felicia Collins, Richie Goods & Adrian Harpham
- 9:30 p.m. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Saturday, October 16th
- 3 p.m. Gates Open
- 3:30 p.m. Clearwater Jazz Holiday / Ruth Eckerd Hall Youth Jazz Band
- 5:15 p.m. Joe Marcinek Band Featuring Taylor Galbraith, Ashley Galbraith, Tommy Shugart & Chris Sgammato
- 7:15 p.m. Lettuce
- 9:15 p.m. Gloria Gaynor
- 10:45 p.m. Fireworks
Sunday, October 17th
- 3 p.m. Gates Open
- 3:15 p.m. Lemon City Trio
- 4:45 p.m. Lucy Woodward
- 6:30 p.m. Dustbowl Revival
- 8:30 p.m. Snarky Puppy
UPDATED 07/20/21 9:30 p.m. Updated with comment from Jazz Holiday CEO Steve Weinberger.
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This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2021.