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Fest features smooth to blues to country
By PHILIP BOOTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 31, 2002
The second edition of the Tampa Bay Verizon Music Festival, presented by noted jazz-festival guru George Wein and his Festival Productions, again offers a little of everything, at a variety of indoor and outdoor venues in St. Petersburg, Tampa and Clearwater.
In addition to Wednesday night's performance by Los Lobos, the Florida leg of the four-city Verizon Music Festival includes the following shows:
SATURDAY
3 p.m., Coachman Park, Clearwater:
An all-day free concert at Coachman Park in Clearwater marks the opening of the festival. It's an eclectic mix, with vocal chameleon Al Jarreau (Breakin' Away, We're in This Love Together, Take Five) sharing the bill with powerhouse blues belter Shemekia Copeland, touring in support of her new Talking to Strangers CD on Alligator Records; arty smooth-jazz trumpeter Chris Botti; Latin pop singer Kevin Ceballo, a fast-rising talent from Miami; and Tampa folk-pop favorites Halcyon.
8 p.m., Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg:
Little Feat, long after the death of main man and spiritual heart Lowell George, continue to churn out an infectious, rootsy mix of rock, blues, country and folk influences. Expect the sweet grooves of Dixie Chicken, Fat Man in the Bathtub, Oh, Atlanta and Feats Don't Fail Me Now, among other hits, as played by singer Shaun Murphy (with the band for a decade) and veteran Featsters, including keyboardist Bill Payne, guitarist Paul Barrere, percussionist Sam Clayton, bassist Kenny Gradney and drummer Richie Hayward. $20 advance, $25 day of show.
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WEDNESDAY
The Wayne Shorter Quartet represents an artistic comeback by the tenor and soprano saxophonist, perhaps best known as the composer of Footprints, Nefertiti, Speak No Evil, Yes or No, Juju and other tunes. Shorter, 68, once criticized for failing to adequately assert himself within the jazz-rock confines of Weather Report, has been playing more and better than ever, and his all-acoustic group may be the best working band in jazz. He's joined by virtuoso bassist John Patitucci (back in town after his dazzling Clearwater Jazz Holiday performance with the Chick Corea Elektric Band), Panamanian-born pianist Danilo Perez and Brian Blade, an in-demand drummer who has worked with a long list of jazz and pop greats
The saxophonist, in addition to co-founding influential fusion band Weather Report, was a member of Miles Davis' celebrated 1960s quintet (with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams) and, earlier, did a residency with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Shorter didn't take a high-concept approach to assembling his latest group, heard on this year's critically praised Footprints Live! CD.
"I just saw some guys, I liked the way they played, and I wondered what we would sound like playing together," he said from his Miami-area home. "To me, it's a mission. You beat the drums and carry the ribbons and all that, but you're actually selling the celebration of life."
The Regina Carter Quintet, led by the acclaimed violinist, will open the show. $36
8 p.m., Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa:
Jamaican-tinted "riddims" will energize the dancing under the oaks for a triple-bill show headlined by the Reggae Cowboys, a group of Stetson wearing musicians from Toronto. The quintet, organized in 1993 by guitarists-singers Stone Ranger and Click Masta Sync (no, not their real names), spike their reggae with R&B, blues, rock and jazz. Florida reggae bands Impulse and Democracy will open. $7 advance, $10 day of show.
THURSDAY, Nov. 7
8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater:
Lifestyle-accessory jazz will be the theme of the evening when smoother-than-smooth saxophonist Boney James shares the bill with Fourplay, a quartet of contemporary-jazz favorites. The latter, R&B-influenced supergroup includes keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East, drummer Harvey Mason and Larry Carlton, the masterful guitarist once known as Mr. 335. Fourplay's Heartfelt was released in July, while James' most recent disc is last year's Ride. $35.75 and $39.75
8 p.m., Jannus Landing:
It seems like it was just yesterday when The Samples began expanding beyond their college-age fan base and into the mainstream with a warm and fuzzy blend of laidback, jazzy pop melodies and exploratory, reggae-tinted grooves influenced by the Grateful Dead. The group, organized in 1987 in Colorado, still includes founding singer-guitarist Sean Kelly and bassist Andy Sheldon. Their most recent studio disc, 2001's Return to Earth, features a sit-in by Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley. $15 advance, $17 day of show.
FRIDAY Nov. 8
8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall:
Clint Black, one of the hottest new-traditionalist country acts of the 1990s, has landed 31 self-penned hits on country radio, along the way racking up a pile of multiplatinum, platinum and/or gold albums. The Houston-bred singer's hits include I'll Take Texas, Tuckered Out, Half Way Up, One Emotion, You Walked By, Untanglin' My Mind, a cover of the Eagles' Desperado and A Bad Goodbye with Wynonna. $45.50, $49.50 and $53.50.
8 p.m., Skipper's Smokehouse:
The Red Elvises, back in town after headlining several concerts organized by community radio station WMNF, combine Russian accents with groan-inducing comedy, and a pop concoction the trio fairly accurately refers to as "Siberian surf rock." They're always a lot of fun.
So are Jennifer and the Venturas, one of the Tampa Bay area's most polished bands. The Sarasota-based group, responsible for an inventive arrangement of the Beatles' When I'm 64, incorporates elements of jazz, jump blues, R&B and rock and singer Jennifer Sweat is a particularly charismatic front woman. $12 advance, $15 day of show.
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