Najee, who plays Gasparilla Jazz Festival at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Tampa, Florida on January 27, 2019. Credit: Stephenson Photography

Najee, who plays Gasparilla Jazz Festival at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Tampa, Florida on January 27, 2019. Credit: Stephenson Photography

If you haven’t noticed, Gasparilla fever has taken ahold of Tampa. The big parade happens on Saturday, and while the eighth Gasparilla Music Festival isn’t until March, there is one free music festival happening in downtown this weekend.

The inaugural Gasparilla Jazz Festival is set for Sunday, January 27 at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. There’s no cover, and Grammy-winning ‘80s instrumentalist Najee will headline festivities. Joining Najee are Althea Rene, Jeanette Harris, and Tampa’s very own Omari Dillard.

Gasparilla Jazz Festival w/Najee/Althea Rene/Jeanette Harris/Omari Dillard. Sun. Jan. 27, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. No cover (VIP tickets available). Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa.from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. gasparillatreasures.com.

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This article appears in Jan 24-31, 2019.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...