A high-angle, medium shot shows Brazilian jazz guitarist Diego Figueiredo sitting on a low stool, hunched over his acoustic guitar while playing intensely. He is an adult man with medium-toned skin and a tight, afro-like hairstyle. He's wearing a dark blue, patterned button-up shirt, dark pants, and white socks with black and white shoes. His eyes are closed and his mouth is slightly open, as if he's lost in the music. The background is dark and out of focus, suggesting a performance stage. The photo is well-lit, with warm lighting on the musician.
Diego Figueiredo, who plays Suncoast Jazz Festival in Sand Key, Florida, which starts on Nov. 21, 2025. Credit: Stephen Splane c/o Tampa Jazz Club

Don’t leave your jazz state of mind in Coachman Park after October’s Clearwater Jazz Holiday, because 10 minutes across the causeway, Suncoast Jazz Festival will kick off Thanksgiving break by celebrating 35 years of bringing brass to the beach.

The annual gathering—which first came about in the summer of 1990 as the Suncoast Dixieland Jazz Classic—will see over 80 acts across three different stages throughout the weekend. Locals like multi-cultural fusion trio La Lucha and Duke Ellington legend John Lamb, as well as drummer Jason Marsalis, Brazilian guitarman Diego Figueiredo, and New Orleans street band Tuba Skinny (which will hold the early jazz vibes focused on at the original festival 35 years ago), will all convene for the big 3-5.

Don’t be surprised if there’s also a tribute set to Synia Carroll, the soulful Sarasota vocalist who died of cancer earlier this year after giving one of her last performances at Suncoast last fall.

Single-day tickets to the 35th Suncoast Jazz Festival starting Friday, Nov. 21 at Clearwater’s Sheraton Sand Key Resort are now on sale and start at $53.80. A three-day pass is also available for $316.05.

Suncoast Jazz Festival

Time Fri., Nov. 21, 11 a.m., Sat., Nov. 22, 10 a.m. and Sun., Nov. 23, 9 a.m. 2025

Location Sheraton Sand Key Resort, 1160 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater Beach

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This article appears in Sept. 4-10, 2025.

Josh Bradley is Creative Loafing Tampa's resident live music freak. He started freelancing with the paper in 2020 at the age of 18, and has since covered, announced, and previewed numerous live shows in...