James Suggs, who plays The Horse & Jockey in South Pasadena, Florida on the last Thursday of each month. Credit: Jeremiah Khokhar

LaRue Nickelson is the first to admit that he’s not the guy you want to talk to when you’re looking for live jazz in Tampa Bay on any given night of the week.“I don’t get out enough,” he told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

If the guitarist is not onstage working, or working on music in the classroom, he’s being a homebody with his wife and three cats, Hodor, Kilgore Trout, and Pea. He does have fond memories, however, of seeing local legends like guitarist Larry Camp playing alongside iconic trumpeter Buster Cooper at the since-shuttered Garden on St. Pete’s First Block (there’s a camper-themed bar there now). “He was really important to me for my first, like, five years here,” Nickelson added.

While he won’t be out, Bay area jazz fans do have plenty options when it comes to seeing the artform on any night of the week.

In an effort to update a couple of nearly five-year-old listings, I asked readers and members of the Jazz in Pinellas County social media group to chime in on where they would catch live jazz on any day of the week.

Please reach out to rroa@cltampa.com to tell us what we missed, but here’s some of what we found.

Monday

The Al Downing Jazz Foundation’s jam at The Hangar with Dwayne White is still the gold standard for Bay area Monday jazz hangs. Emergent talent can play alongside seasoned vets, and visitors can gawk at the planes taking off and landing in the background at Albert Whitted Airport. It happens from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at 540 1st St. SE in St. Petersburg.
Eight miles towards the beach on Mondays is another popular Monday gig featuring The Tomcats Jazz Band playing CJ’s Backstage at 7022 22nd Ave. N starting at 7 p.m.

Tuesday

Iconic Tampa jazz pianist and singer Kitty Daniels just passed away, and it’ll be hard to fill her shoes, but her home base at Donatello’s, including residents Kelly Mettling and Jerry Kenney, will maintain its commitment to hosting live jazz seven nights a week in its San Marco Lounge located at 232 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa.
Other surefire Tuesday gigs happen at Eddie V’s in Tampa (4400 W Boy Scout Blvd.), plus Dunedin’s Fenway Hotel (453 Edgewater Dr.), which hosts saxophonist Kyle Schroeder, plus more artists on Thursday and Friday nights.

Wednesday

Look to south Pinellas county where the small town of Gulfport hosts jazz at The North End Taphouse & Kitchen (2908 Beach Blvd. S).
The veranda at Pia’s Trattoria (3054 Beach Blvd. S) has live music (including jazz) on Wednesdays-Fridays when the season is on, and stages it year-round on Fridays-Saturdays, too.
On the Tampa side, Shuffle hosts a jazz, funk and soul night every Wednesday though May 28.

Thursday

While it happens just on the last Thursday of each month, this British pub gig at The Horse & Jockey (1155 Pasadena Ave. S, South Pasadena) attracts the cream of the crop who come to play onstage with trumpeter James Suggs and The Crew, which includes Bryan Hughes on vocals, John O’Leary or Stretch Bruyn on piano, Jean Bolduc on drums and Steve Boisen on bass (with occasional appearances from Bay area jazz totem John Lamb).
Positano’s Ristorante (3309 Tampa Rd., Palm Harbor) devotes its Thursdays to jazz every week.
If you’re hoping to stay downtown on Thursday, look no further than Ruby’s Elixir (15 3rd St. N, St., St. Petersburg), one of the busiest live music venues in Tampa Bay, which hosts a trio featuring bassist Hiram Hazley.
Less than two miles from Ruby’s is Left Bank Bistro (1225 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N) where the Jazz Librarians set up camp.

Friday

Fresh off its first anniversary, DI CoffeeBar’s Friday Night Jazz finds guitarist Dominic Walker on the back patio entertaining about 75 people each week, with open jams and shows featuring small ensembles. Walker credits a lot of the vibe to DI CoffeeBar owners Marilyn and Ramon Perez, who just celebrated 10-years open on the island. They’ve been committed to having music, and they’ve built a crowd that almost needs to come together each week for what’s now the premier Friday night jazz gig in town. DI CoffeeBar’s no-cover Friday Night Jazz happens Fridays from 7:30 p.m.-10 p.m. at 214 E Davis Blvd. in Tampa.
Located at 310 E Tarpon Ave., H’ours Creole Smokehouse in Tarpon Springs—where the Jazz Phools play on the first and third Fridays—is among the handful of places to catch a gig to kick off the weekend.
Also reliable for Friday night jazz are Dunedin’s Crown & Bull (319 Main St. No. 5733) and Lakeland’s Jazz Loft (108 S Tennessee Ave.).

Saturday

H’ours Creole is at it again on Saturdays along with Ybor City’s Copper Shaker (1502 E 7th Ave.), but jazz fans will want to save the first and third Saturdays for jazz on the patio at Independent Bar and Cafe (5016 N Florida Ave.), which hosts one of the longest-running regular jazz nights in the Bay area.

Sunday

There are a lot of jazz gigs to be had in Pinellas on Sundays, from brunches at Palm Harbor’s Bogata Kitchen (917 11th St.) and lunches (Boulevard Burgers & Tap House, 5905 Gulf Blvd., St Pete Beach) to matinees at St. Pete’s Studio Public House (2950 Central Ave.).
Floridian Social (687 Central Ave. N) has a fantastic jazz Sunday afternoon jazz series, while Scotty Wright regularly plays Tampa Bay Drinkery (2756 Central Ave.) as a nightcap.
And if you’re in Tampa, head to Old Seminole Heights’ Corner Club (1502 E Sligh Ave., Tampa) on the second Sunday of every month to see the young talent from the In The Pocket ensemble take on tunes from the likes of Clarence Clemons, Grover Washington Jr., and seemingly everything in between.
The last Sundays of the month are also home to tea shop shows at Kaleisia Tea Lounge (1441 E Fletcher Ave. No. 1).

Other Tampa Bay venues not mentioned above that regularly host live jazz include:

Carrollwood Cultural Center In the ‘burbs is where Jim Burge hosts regular jazz concerts. This is a great place to catch Dick Rumore’s Jazz Cellar Big Band. 4537 Lowell Rd., Tampa
The Chattaway Sundays are for jazz at this quaint, long-running St. Pete staple. The second half of a perfect jazz afternoon that starts with the Independent Bar in the EDGE District. Cash only here. 358 22nd Ave. S., St. Petersburg
CW’s Gin Joint Next door to downtown Tampa’s majestic Vault event space, CW’s offer’s jazz on many nights of the week. Call (813) 816-1446 to see who’s on. 633 N. Franklin St., Tampa
David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts Home to the Patel Conservatory, which includes a jazz intensive taught by saxophonist Matthew Weidmuller. Revered jazz vocalist Fred Johnson is the artist-in-residence at this multi-hall venue, too. 1010 N. Macinnes Pl., Tampa
Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts at Mahaffey Theater Like Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater this large Pinellas venue occasionally books a big name in jazz. 400 1st St S., St. Petersburg
Dunedin Brewery Regularly home to jam bands and hip-hop, Dunedin Brewery also hosts bands that occupy the fringes of jazz (think Snarky Puppy, anything GroundUP-related). 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin
Far Forest This Seminole Heights vintage shop hosts a Forest Sounds series that regularly features young homegrown talent as well as jazz acts from around the state. 4312 N Florida Ave., Tampa
Hillsborough Community College Mainstage Theatre Utilized regularly by the Tampa Jazz Club, HCC Ybor’s Mainstage Theatre provides an alternative performing arts center. 1411 E 11th Ave., Ybor City
Intermezzo Tampa Bay jazz greats Nate Najar and James Suggs joined D.C. bassist Tommy Cecil at Intermezzo coffee, cocktail and oyster shop in November 2018, but we’d call before heading there looking for jazz. 1111 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Palladium Theater This venues books jazz 1-3 times a week, mostly in its intimate Side Door Cabaret. 253 5th Ave. N., St. Petersburg
Ruth Eckerd Hall and Bilheimer Capitol Theatre Like Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, these large and large-ish Clearwater venues occasionally book a big name in jazz (ie: Herbie Hancock, who played Ruth Eckerd Hall in February). 1111 McMullen Booth Rd. and 405 Cleveland St.
University of South Florida School of Music Concert Hall A 483-seat hall that’s home to USF’s many music programs and the Monday Night Jazz series. 3755 USF Holly Dr., Tampa