Al Downing Credit: Photo vy Jared, CC BY-SA 3.0

Tampa Bay’s jazz scene is seriously active, with players tackling everything from the next-gen sounds of la Domi and JD Beck or Thundercat, to more traditional work by classic jazz icons like Art Blakey, Django Reinhardt and Duke Ellington.

This gig features disciples of the latter school—including trumpeter Dwayne White, trombonist Andy Foertsch, bassist Erik Hempel and more—celebrating the life and legacy of Al Downing, a legendary local jazz teacher, musician and mentor who died in 2000 but not before serving St. Pete as the city’s first Black Commissioner of the Housing Authority and member of the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra.

There’s no cover for children 12 and under during the 2 p.m. matinee, and tickets to the Al Downing Birthday Celebration on Sunday, Aug. 6 inside Hough Hall at Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg are still available for $25 & up. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.