Jason Charos comes from a family of musicians that CL adores, but the 19-year-old, highly decorated trumpeter is a talent all his own. The Gibbs High grad has been playing since he was five years old and is an alum of Sonny LaRosa’s youth-driven jazz band who has also appeared in the Clearwater Jazz Holiday band among many other ensembles. He’s currently majoring in studio music and jazz at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where he’s honoring heroes like Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, John Coltrane, and Freddie Hubbard.
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“Straight-ahead jazz is the style committed not only to improvisation, but also to swinging and playing the blues,” Charos explained to CL. It is an open groove, and it lets Charos play what he wants without infringing on the same rights of others onstage. Blues is meeting someone down low and dirty, optimism in the face of sadness.
“Jazz is all about freedom, but it is not anarchy,” he said. “It is the pursuit of a perfect equilibrium of expression between the musicians. I want to keep playing it because it challenges me to be myself and tell the truth of who I am.”
Next show: Wed. July 25th. 7:30 p.m. Socrates’ Studio, 627 Cleveland St., Clearwater.
