Jam session jump starts new Ybor City music exhibit

By Times Staff
Published June 10, 2005

TAMPA - A jam session of historical proportions will kick off tonight at the launch of a new music exhibit at the Ybor City Museum State Park.

The "Music of Ybor" exhibit, which celebrates the influences of Cuban, Spanish and Italian musicians on Ybor's musical heritage, starts at 6 p.m. and includes a live show by Latin jazz performers Guisando Caliente.

The museum is located at 1818 E 9th Ave., across from Centennial Park.

Visitors can listen to bands playing at Ybor City's Cuban Club captured in recordings in the 1930s by the Depression-era Works Progress Administration.

The museum has never before presented these rare recordings, normally housed at the Library of Congress.

The exhibit also will hold listening stations provided by Putumayo World Music, collectors and promoters of ethnic musical genres, the museum announced.

As part of the live jam session, smaller groups will perform from 6 to 9 p.m. at the galleries and shops along 19th Street.

Admission to the exhibit and to hear Guisando Caliente is $5, which includes beer from the Yuengling Brewery and food. Music at the casita shops is free.

For more information, call Manny Leto, outreach director for the Ybor City Museum Society, at (813) 247-1434.

[Last modified June 10, 2005, 01:10:11]