If all music forms encompassed a herd of prey animals, jazz might be the unfortunate member struggling to keep up at its rear flank. It’s unfortunate, and not the way it should be, but sadly the way it is in the modern music biz. South Florida has numerous music schools producing quality jazz musicians, yet many need to go into teaching, perform and record popular music, and/or join the tribute bandwagon to make ends meet.
Labeled by some as “America’s classical music,” jazz now has much in common with its distant European cousin in that it’s largely become a vehicle for nostalgia acts such as Armstrong, Ellington, Goodman, Dorsey and Basie. What’s missing are the audiences attending orchestral and symphonic classical presentations — or at least were attending them before our governor spitefully slashed all statewide arts grants for 2024.
Jazz was popular music a century ago. And swing was indeed king more recently, allowing big bands and small groups to fill dance floors until the advent of instrumental subgenres like bebop and fusion emerged in the 1940s and ’60s, respectively. For better or worse, and perhaps even a bit of both, each of those is a more complex style that emphasizes listening and thought over dancing and singing.
And instrumental non-classical music has always been a tough sell, even more so within the attention deficit disorder of the vocal-worshipping Internet era. Keyboardist and living legend Herbie Hancock is on recent record about the celebrity-over-sound nature of 21st-century music. For all of trumpeter and icon Wynton Marsalis’ musical nationalism, sexism and closed-mindedness, he’s largely kept traditional acoustic jazz alive since his “Young Lions” movement began in the 1980s. But sparse 2024-2025 seasonal South Florida jazz bookings signal an aging, formerly-lionized genre bringing up the rear in a quest to survive.
It’s telling that one of this season’s featured jazz artists has a house gig, with no admission charge, at an area restaurant. Greenacres-based veteran pianist Copeland Davis has written arrangements for vocal group the Fifth Dimension; he’s recorded three albums under his own name and performed in jazz and symphonic pop settings from locally to Las Vegas. Born in Orlando, Davis has become a fan favorite in South Florida since he relocated here to attend Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in the 1970s. For the past four years, his trio (with bassist Val Shaffer and drummer Bill Alexander) has been part of Italian restaurant Cafe Centro’s entertainment calendar, and currently plays instrumental jazz standards, show tunes and pop covers most Thursdays through Saturdays in one or the other of the establishment’s two live music rooms. The music-friendly cafe also features Alexander’s trio and an open mic on weeknights, and a Sunday jam night with bassist Susan Merritt’s trio.
6:30 p.m. Thursdays and 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at Cafe Centro, 2409 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach (561-514-4070, free).
Salsa music might fall somewhere in-between jazz and popular music, but with its emphasis on horns, percussion and sashaying rhythms, jazz gets the nod. And the Puerto Rican group El Gran Combo is the style’s premier veteran practitioner. The 13-piece ensemble was founded in 1962 by musical director and guitarist Rafael Ithier, who still remarkably performs at age 98 as the only remaining original member. Having outlived scores of his former bandmates, Ithier’s orchestra has released an incredible 77 albums, and is now completed by pianist Willie Sotelo, vocalists Jerry Rivas, Anthony Garcia and Joselito Hernandez; saxophonists Freddie Miranda and Virgil Rivera, trumpeter Luis “Taty” Maldonado, trombonist Moises Nogueras, bassist Freddy Rivera, and percussionists Miguel “Pollo” Torres (on congas), Domingo “Cuqui” Santos (timbales), and Richie Bastar (bongos). South Floridians can experience what’s made El Gran Combo superstars in their island nation.
8 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale (954-462-0222, $45-$185).
Jazz has accurately been described as “the sound of surprise.” Pump up the volume, and you have its comparatively-youthful electrified update, jazz/fusion. And you’re unlikely to find sounds more surprising than the ones produced by drummer Adam Deitch, trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom, bassist Brad Miller and keyboardist BigYuki. Deitch is best-known for his work with renowned jam band Lettuce, and has also collaborated with artists ranging from fusion guitar icon John Scofield to pop star Justin Timberlake. The drummer’s production credits even include hip-hop artists 50-Cent, Redman, and Talib Kweli. The New Orleans-based Bloom joined Lettuce in 2011, and has worked with artists from Dave Matthews and the Tedeschi Trucks Band to Questlove and Christian McBride. Miller and his band’s BigYuki round out the quartet. The 30-year-old bassist has become a rising star since moving back to his native New York City 10 years ago after growing up in South Florida.
6 and 9 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Funky Biscuit, 303 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton (561-395-2929, $30-$45).
Like made-up individual stage nicknames, band names have increasingly become about advertorial novelty and gimmickry. But at least with Black Violin, there’s truth in advertising. The group’s “BV20: Then & Now” presentation is part of the Arts for Action organization’s “Black Voices Series,” and features Florida-bred talents in violinist Kev Marcus and viola player Wil Baptiste. Both attended Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, and they formed Black Violin 20 years ago to bridge the wide chasm between classical music and hip-hop, often meeting in-between in the jazz realm. Their band name, after all, was lifted from a 1965 record by Stuff Smith (1909-1967), the trailblazing African-American jazz violinist. Along with drummer Nat Stokes and turntable artist DJ SPS, the two string players are likely to perform unique and creative originals from their multiple recordings. Brandenburg, for one, features improvisations amid the framework of Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto.
6 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Au-Rene Theater ($20-$169.50).
If you can judge a musical artist by the company they keep, then veteran pianist Michael Wolff is certainly deserving of wider recognition late in his lengthy career. The 72-year-old California native has been musical director for disparate entities like vocalist Nancy Wilson and TV’s The Arsenio Hall Show, has a 30-year solo recording career that includes the Gold Disc Award in Japan for his 1995 trio effort Jumpstart! (with all-stars in bassist Christian McBride and drummer Tony Williams), appearances with more than 25 orchestras worldwide, and session credits and concerts with names from Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley and Wayne Shorter to Jean-Luc Ponty, Cal Tjader, and even rocker Warren Zevon. Recent efforts include recordings and shows by the Wolff & Clark Expedition, with former Herbie Hancock drummer Mike Clark. Wolff will perform standards and originals from his latest CD Memoir with bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard.
8 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Arts Garage, 94 N.E. 2nd Ave., Delray Beach (561-450-6357, $45-$50).
If you’re looking for an authentic and traditional jazz roots concert, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the logical choice, even if the theme is “Creole Christmas.” Named for the historic New Orleans venue that Allan and Sandra Jaffe launched in the city in 1961, its touring act started hitting the road in 1963 while Preservation Hall continued to feature live performances 360 nights a year in the French Quarter. Son Ben Jaffe is the longtime creative director of the hall, and a tuba and bass player within its touring troupe’s rotating personnel. Others include multi-wind instrumentalist Charlie Gabriel, trumpeters Wendell Brunious, Branden Lewis, Leroy Jones, Will Smith, Kevin Louis, Gregg Stafford and Mark Braud; pianists Kyle Roussel and Rickie Monie; and drummers Shannon Powell and Joe Lastie. The group appeared on rock band Foo Fighters’ 2014 album Sonic Highways, but concert-goers can expect pumped-up holiday volume more through brass than amplification.
7 p.m. Dec. 1 at Lillian S. Wells Hall at The Parker, 707 Northeast 8th St., Fort Lauderdale (954-462-0222, $55 + up).
The gifted pianist and leader of the Shelly Berg Trio is often overshadowed, especially in South Florida, since he’s also been the dean at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music since 2007. With the school’s reputation for education, that’s somewhat understandable. Yet Berg is also a veteran, under-the-radar recording and touring artist as well as a standout producer, arranger, and a five-time Grammy Award nominee. His new album Alegria features his original compositions, along with covers of standards from George Gershwin to The Beatles, augmented by saxophonist Melvin Butler, bassist Carlitos Del Puerto and drummer Dafnis Prieto. The bassist and drummer, plus special guests, will be on hand in this Gold Coast Jazz Society presentation of the animated and underrated Berg — whose additional session credits include artists like Patti Austin, Lorraine Feather, Renee Fleming, Monica Mancini, Keb Mo, Arturo Sandoval and Livingston Taylor.
7:45 p.m. Jan. 8, 2025, in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts ($65).
Pink Martini featuring China Forbes’ “30th Anniversary Tour” is much more self-explanatory than the band itself. Pianist Thomas Lauderdale’s self-described “little orchestra” will often traverse jazz, classical, pop, and Latin themes — separately or together — through any live performance. While working in politics in Portland, Oregon, in the early 1990s, Lauderdale decried the live music at such fundraisers as loud, predictable and boring. Literally deciding to take the matter into his own hands, he contacted vocalist Forbes, a former classmate at Harvard University, to start Pink Martini. With rotating personnel that’s since included another stellar female singer, Storm Large, the group has released 11 albums on its own Heinz Records label. Think you’ll know what to expect for the ensemble’s 30th anniversary? Forbes sings in 15 different languages, and Lauderdale and the remaining 10-12 musicians display the on-the-fly dexterity of the groups fronted by late bandleader Frank Zappa.
7 p.m. Jan. 12 at the Au-Rene Theater ($39.50-$149).
As always, this year’s Jazz Fest Pompano Beach features marquee names. Day one of the two-day event features Grammy-winning trumpeter Randy Brecker, whose touring and session recording career spans everyone from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the Brecker Brothers (with late brother and saxophone icon Michael Brecker) to Parliament/Funkadelic and Frank Zappa. Celebrated saxophonist Joshua Redman’s group, with vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, and guitarist Adam Hawley round out day one’s Beach Sand Stage headliners, preceded by locals in trumpeter Fernando Ferrarone’s trio, and Bop Shop Brass, on the Great Lawn Stage. Day two headliners are Grammy-winning vocalist Judith Hill, veteran saxophonist Gerald Albright, guitarist Jonathan Butler, and Jazz Funk Soul (keyboardist Jeff Lorber, saxophonist Everette Harp and guitarist Paul Jackson Jr.), with locals in saxophonist Luigi Arredondo, the trio Trad305, and the combo Ginetta’s Vendetta.
1:45-10 p.m. Jan. 24, 2025, 1-10 p.m. Jan. 25, Pompano Beach (www.pompanobeacharts.org/jazzfest, free general admission; $200 for two-day VIP pass).
The John Pizzarelli Trio is a legacy act. Its namesake vocalist/guitarist is the son of another jazz guitar great, the late Bucky Pizzarelli (1926-2020). The father appeared on multiple recordings by one of the son’s influences, Frank Sinatra, but the younger Pizzarelli gets even more inspiration from another late great — singing pianist Nat King Cole. It was, after all, his 1994 ode Dear Mr. Cole that catapulted the young vocalist and hollow-bodied guitarist into further name recognition. A practitioner of the Great American Songbook, Pizzarelli performs in a lower-volume trio format with acoustic upright bassist Mike Karn and either Isaiah J. Thompson or Tadataka Unno on piano. Pizzarelli’s first solo album in 1983 was called I’m Hip (Please Don’t Tell My Father), so he’s likely to also pay tribute to Bucky, who died from complications related to COVID-19, along with material from his latest album Stage & Screen, a nostalgic 2023 collection of memorable chestnuts.
7 p.m. Jan. 25, 2025, at the Lyric Theatre, 59 S.W. Flagler Ave., Stuart (772-286-7827, $65).
The Yoko Miwa Trio has become a seasonal favorite at the Arts Garage in Delray Beach. Its namesake pianist and composer is an “only in America” success story who studied classical music in her native Japan, then successfully auditioned on a lark to attend the renowned jazz institution the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Even after arriving in 1997 on a full scholarship, she intended to stay in the United States for only a year. More than a quarter-century later, Miwa is still a favorite in Beantown, one of America’s jazz hotbeds. Part of her rise can be credited to the great vocalist Kevin Mahogany (1958-2017), the Berklee instructor who recognized Miwa’s gifts and made her an accompanist in his classes and live shows. The pianist’s impressive touch and technique have been featured on nine albums — from In the Mist of Time (2000) through Songs of Joy (2021) — and her trio is rounded out by acoustic bassist Will Slater and drummer Scott Goulding.
8 p.m. Feb. 28, 2025, at the Arts Garage ($45-$50).
Of the historic last names in jazz, including Armstrong, Ellington, Dorsey, Goodman, Fitzgerald, Gillespie, Holiday, Parker, Davis, Shaw, Blakey, Rich and Coltrane, a more recent addition is Marsalis. New Orleans-born saxophonist Branford Marsalis is the eldest of a family of talented brothers that includes trumpeter Wynton, trombonist Delfeayo, and drummer Jason. Even as Wynton gained more celebrity through his virtuosity, artistic direction of Jazz at Lincoln Center and leadership of its orchestra, and appearances in Ken Burns’ PBS documentary Jazz, the 64-year-old Branford out-cooled him by playing in Sting’s band while sidestepping the criticism of popular music by his younger sibling. The eldest Marsalis brother has played every variety of saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone) during his career, and has hundreds of session recording credits and a Grammy-winning veteran quartet with pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner.
7 p.m. April 1, 2025, at the Lyric Theatre ($85).