Featuring Le Jazz – Hosted & Emceed by Erica Sutherlin The 2025 Al Downing Honors featuring Le Jazz, hosted and emceed by Erica Sutherlin, pays tribute to individuals who have contributed the understanding and appreciation of Jazz in the Tampa Bay area. Le Jazz, has been a staple of St. Petersburg’s music scene for over 15 years, delivering smooth, soulful,…
A COMMUNITY OF MUSIC “Music is the soundtrack of your life” – Dick Clark In 2018, two musicians with a deep love for jazz and a shared commitment to making people feel good set out on a musical journey that would not only transform their lives but enrich the lives of countless others. David Busch,…
“Jazz is freedom. You think about that.” – Thelonious Monk You can hear them nearly every Monday evening at the Hanger in St. Pete with the Al Downing Jazz Band. Three senior jazz musicians, for whom, as John Lamb succinctly says “There is only music. It’s all air.” And that’s how they sound, as easy…
MAGNETIC DUO WITH MELLOW BOSSA NOVA VIBE by Donna Sorbello Katharine Hepburn once said of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, “He gives her class, and she gives him sex.”, meaning, of course, sexual appeal. In the case of Nate Najar and Daniela Soledade, each, individually, has plenty of both. Together, however, they are a magnetic…
Trumpeter James Suggs – a Community Treasure By Edward Craig You could be almost anywhere in St. Petersburg these days and spot local musician and music educator extraordinaire James Suggs doing his thing. During this past holiday season he was like the jazz version of Elf on a Shelf. You might see him performing at…
A lifelong Love of Music You can hear them nearly every Monday evening at the Hanger with the Al Downing Jazz Band. Three senior jazz musicians, for whom, as John Lamb succinctly says “There is only music. It’s all air.” And that’s how they sound, as easy as breathing, time standing still as the Hanger…