In December, I bought garment that said “Jazz Is Dead” on the front. The joke was supposed to be obvious.
In its short history, jazz has never been anywhere near close to dead. Unfortunately, the joke fell flat. At one show, a security guard chirped at me and said, “No it ain’t!”
“I know, it’s supposed to be ironic,” I quipped back.
The shirt was a conversation starter, but I quickly found out that while I’d written about some personal highlights of Tampa Bay’s jazz scene, I wasn’t really equipped to help a stranger on their quest to figure out where Tampa Bay jazz was offered, where it came from and why it mattered. It was embarrassing, and I felt like a poser. So I decided to try and some of that.
Educational organizations cultivate the next generation of musicians
Local radio provides a home for homegrown jazz
Local jazz artists rightfully follow their impulses
Tampa Bay’s young jazz musicians are wise beyond their years
Where Tampa Bay can see live jazz, seven days a week
The links above are an attempt to connect with some of the Bay area’s preeminent jazz artists, musicians and supporters in the hopes of showing readers — especially ones new to our area — why Tampa Bay’s jazz scene is thriving and poised to do so for years to come.
What this hopefully represents is a reacquaintance with that scene as told by the people who are hopelessly devoted to it. I hope the information inspires you to get out into a new venue or restaurant and get in touch with some of these amazing musicians and supporters because all their jazz — as you already knew and felt — is very much alive and well.
Follow @cl_music on Twitter to get the most up-to-date music news, concert announcements and local tunes. Subscribe to our newsletter, too.
