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Smooth first day sets tone of Jazz Holiday
By EILEEN SCHULTE
CLEARWATER -- Wrapped snugly in sweaters and drinking white wine and Budweiser, a crowd estimated at 2,000 danced to Deanna Bogart's boogie-woogie piano tunes at Coachman Park as the 23rd annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday got off to a rousing start Thursday night. "I love this venue," said Bogart, dressed in black from head to toe and cradling her tenor sax before going on stage. "Everybody is so cool, and it's run better than most festivals." Bogart, a friendly, outgoing musician who likes to joke with the crowd, played all original songs, some from her latest CD, Timing is Everything, a disc about all the things that have been happening in her life lately, she said. But Bogart, the headliner for Thursday night, was suffering from a slight bronchial infection she had caught from her 8-year-old daughter. She said she was going to "alter her set list so I'm not insulting people's ears." No one seemed to be put off by her deep, throaty voice. Indeed, they enjoyed the upbeat music under a dark, clear sky lit by a three-fourths moon. "I love Deanna Bogart," said Tony Samphson, 46, a Jazz Holiday veteran who said he hadn't missed the event for 18 straight years. He staked out a spot behind the preferred seating section for himself and the 200 people he invites every year. He even made a small tent for shelter for his friend's baby, Ross, 7 months. "It's one of the greatest places to meet people," said Samphson. The first night of the four-day music event drew a lot of regulars like Samphson and some first-timers, such as Robin Favors of Brandon, who plans to attend all four days of the event. "We love jazz," she said. "So it doesn't matter who plays." Although the park wasn't filled to capacity Thursday night, Wayne Garcia, the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation president, wasn't concerned. "Thursday night is a great night," said Garcia, waiting to do a live TV spot with WTSP-Ch. 10. "You have smaller crowds and you can shake out the bugs." The free show runs though Sunday and features such headliners as the Chick Corea Elektric Band, Lou Rawls and Jonathan Butler. Earlier in the evening, Suzette Jennings and Moodswingz! opened the show, followed by Jack Wilkins, an associate professor of jazz studies at the University of South Florida School of Music. Wilkins, a composer and sax player, and his eight-piece band performed songs from his latest CD, Ridgelines. At times he sped things up with a fast-paced jazzy version of Singin' in the Rain, featuring Clay Perry on the piano. Then slowed things down. "Now we're going to play a ballad," Wilkins told the crowd before playing A Ridge Away. "It's always dangerous to play a ballad at an outdoor festival, but I hope you relax into it and let it wash over you." Susie Lones, huddled in the VIP section with a pal, did. "It's nice, it's enjoyable," she said. "But it's a little chilly."
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