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| Jazz Club of Sarasota Announces February “Jazz at Two” Concerts The Jazz Club of Sarasota's 2014-15 "Jazz at Two" concert series continues with an assortment of bebop, ballads, blues and show tunes performed by the Michael Royal Trio (February 20); and the swinging jazz sounds of the Kitt Moran Quartet (February 27). The series, which was founded in 2001, showcases the region's top jazz performers on Fridays, 2-4 p.m., October through April, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota. Tickets are $8 for Jazz Club members and $12 for non-members. A portion of ticket sales is directed to the Jazz Club's scholarship program. For more information, call 941-366-1552 or visit www.jazzclubsarasota.org. Pianist and composer Michael Royal has developed his own unique idiom for the piano, merging the classical influences of Ravel and Debussy with the sounds of such jazz pioneers as John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk and Bill Evans. He has performed at major jazz venues around the world, and with such acclaimed artists as Clifford Jordan, George Morrow, John La Porta and The Count Basie Orchestra. In the '80s, Royal's career took him to Hollywood and New York, where he created film scores and produced jazz events, including the 1989 Western New York Jazz Festival. Royal returned to Sarasota in 1989, where he has since been a major force on the area's vibrant jazz scene. For this Jazz at Two performance (Friday, February 20, 2 p.m.), Royal will be joined by drummer Tracy Alexander and bassist Mark Neuenschwander for an afternoon of inspired bebop, ballads, blues, show tunes and selections from the Great American Songbook. February's Jazz at Two series concludes with the sultry sounds of vocalist Kitt Moran, who will be performing jazz favorites and tunes from The Great American Songbook, accompanied by husband Mike Moran on the piano, Dane Hassan on drums and Dominic Mancini on bass, Friday, February 27, 2 p.m. Moran's captivating stage presence and powerful musical abilities have made her a favorite of New York jazz critics. She and husband Mike are regulars on the New York City jazz club circuit, performing at such venues as Michael's Pub, the Village Vanguard, The Blue Note, and Shanghai Jazz. Moran has opened for Jay Leno, Rodney Dangerfield and Jackie Mason and performed with a number of others. She also recorded with Rosemary Clooney, John Pizzarelli, Ron Carter, Harry Allen and many other greats of the jazz world. "Our Jazz at Two audiences are in for a real treat, " says Peg Pluto, president of the Jazz Club of Sarasota. "Michael Royal and Kitt Moran are consummate artists and, whether they're performing a lyrical ballad, a bit of driving bebop or a beloved classic from The Great American Songbook, the result is always magical." write your comments about the article :: © 2015 Jazz News :: home page |