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Thanks to his talents on saxophone, flute, vocals and songwriting, Alan Darcy is one of Tampa Bay's most in-demand performers, with appearances at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa Theater, Tampa Museum of Art, the Cheval Country Club, the Florida Aquarium and Walt Disney World, to name but a few. Darcy's original music, showcased on three CDs, blends the instrumental prowess of David Sanborn with the pop instincts and vocal stylings of Billy Joel.

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This St. Petersburg native and Gibbs High graduate became a world-renowned jazz trombonist, most notably with Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton. The affable Cooper played in the house band at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem and formed the Cooper Brothers Band with his brother Steve playing the upright bass. Cooper's long-running residency at the Garden Restaurant in downtown St.Petersburg has become an area institution.

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An outstanding vocalist, charismatic performer and learned aficionado of jazz, jazz history and contemporary Gospel music, Belinda Womack blends her musical roots of gospel, jazz and blues, creating an exciting on-stage presence that appeals to diverse audiences. Belinda and the Katz (formerly Kool Reflektions) offers everything from smooth jazz through the contemporary R&B of Al Jarreau and Anita Baker to swing-era favorites by Duke Ellington, plus Brazilian music and light pop. Womack has been awarded numerous accolades including "Best Jazz Band in Tampa Bay" for 5 years by the People's Choice Poll, “Best Female Vocalist Award” by the Tampa Bay Best Magazine and she's a recipient of the Florida Jammy Award for Best Female Vocalist in Florida. Womack has performed with the Florida Orchestra, and was recently asked to direct and lead the choir for the production of The Lion King at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

Big Z Band

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The Big Z Band is a ten-piece show band that offers some of the most talented musicians in the area. Big Z plays a variety of popular titles and chart-topping hits with their own distinctive flair. The Big Z Band is a versatile band that can perform for any type of function from a private party or wedding reception to a corporate function at a large venue.

 Trio Vibe

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The vibraphone — an instrument with a mellow, very pretty, sometimes lush sound — along with upright bass and drums, lends the group a romantic mood, and Trio Vibe will cater to that feeling by playing ballads like "As Time Goes By" and "Body and Soul." It's not always on the down-slow, though. These jazz veterans love to cut through the standards with healthy doses of bebop, blues and bossas.

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This jazz triumvirate have played together off and on since meeting up as music students at USF in the 1970s and have been at it as Dagari Jazz Trio since 1997. Combining classical technique with the harmonic freedom of modern contemporary jazz, DJT evokes the classic piano trios of the past while forging a new sound all their own. Past and upcoming DJT shows include restaurants, museums, weddings and cathedrals. The group can play electric/amplified or completely acoustic as required by the event.

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High-flying trumpeter Dan McMillion and The Groovin' High Orchestra invoke the boundless spirit of the awe-inspiring Maynard Ferguson bands of the '60s and '70s. Thrill as McMillion's eager ensemble rocks and roars through jazz standards by former Ferguson sidemen Slide Hampton ("Got the Spirit") and Mike Abene "Knarf", Duke Ellington's oft-proven dictum "It Don't Mean a Thing "If it Ain't Got That Swing", Butch Evans' funky "Closing Time at the Engine Room Bar," Bobby Troup's trenchant "Meaning of the Blues," Benny Goldon's mournful "I Remember Clifford," guitarist Herb Ellis' bright-eyed "Country Boy" and the delightful standards "Just Friends," "The Lamp is Low" and "What's New." Dan McMillion and The Groovin' High Orchestra is a group that's tailor-made for those who admire and appreciate high-powered big bands forged in the image of the undisputed ruler of the high-note heavens, the irrepressible Maynard Ferguson. When it comes to adventurous big-band jazz that stirs the soul and shakes the rafters, there's no doubt whatsoever that this band has got the it!"

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Along with their original material, this dynamic ensemble performs classics from Ella Fitzgerald to Milton Nascimento. With a band ranging in size from a quartet to a seven-piece group, a repertoire that covers everything from the bluesy swing of "Route 66" to the steamy shout of "Fever" and appearances at the Gasparilla Sidewalk Art Festival, Michael's on East, Club 442 and the Jazz Cellar, this group is a perfect addition to any event.

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Though he's only 21 years old and still a student at the University of South Florida, Eric Darius plays his saxophone with more soul and street than many veterans, infused with an enthusiasm that's downright irresistible. As a member of America's Youngest Jazz Band, led by renown trumpeter, Sonny LaRosa, Darius was able to perform all over the country and even at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. While a student at Blake High School of the Performing Arts in Tampa, Darius and the Blake Jazz Ensemble were selected to perform at the Essentially Ellington Festival in New York City, where they placed fourth out of the top twenty jazz bands in the United States. In the years since, Darius has played at renowned venues such as the Apollo in New York, the Clearwater Jazz Festival, and - as a member of the University of South Florida Jazztet - the Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy), and the Vienne Jazz Festival (France). In addition, he has shared the stage with notable smooth jazz artists such as Rick Braun, Richard Elliott, Ken Navarro, David Benoit, Jonathan Butler, Warren Hill, Norman Brown, Chris Botti, Kim Waters and Chuck Loeb. Night On The Town, Darius' second album overall and his first for Higher Octave, shows the 21-year-old's maturing talent as both a songwriter and musician, his freshly-funked tunes exhibiting a breezy vibe that perfectly underscores his wicked chops.

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Specializing in "hot jazz," an acoustic jazz variant pioneered and popularized by Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt in the ‘30s, this ensemble serves to amaze and enlighten the listener, musicians and student of music alike as the live experience of Gypsy Jazz has all the power, fire, freedom and virtuosity of Be-Bop to Bossa Nova. Impromptu works primarily as a traditional Gypsy Jazz quartet (two guitars, violin and bass) but can function as a duo or trio as needed.

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Blending straight-ahead jazz, rock-informed fusion, rhythm 'n' blues and funk, The Mike MacArthur Group's focus is on a fresh, new sound in the jazz world playing original music as well as their take on selected jazz standards. Led by saxophonist Mike MacArthur, the group's sound is contemporary while giving a respectful nod to ‘70s fusion heavyweights like Weather Report. In addition to leading his own group, Mike has toured with Maynard Ferguson throughout Europe, Asia and North America and performed with a variety of internationally known artists, including Diane Schurr, Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), Rick Derringer, Mary Wilson & The Supremes, Clarence Clemmons, Allon Sams, Jeff Tyzik, Dennis DiBlasio, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Dan Electro and the Silvertones, Beanstalk, Brian Scanlon and Bogus Pomp, Tampa Bay's own Frank Zappa tribute juggernaut. One of the favorites at Jazz Company on Pleasure Island at Disney Orlando, the Mike MacArthur Group would make a stellar booking for any festival, corporate event or club.

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The fiercely original musicians that comprise the Michael Ross Quartet have established themselves among the premier jazz players in Florida, leading many area jazz enthusiasts to dub them Tampa's leading modern jazz combo. With two original releases in the last 2 years, MRQ is expanding their fanbase while solidifying the group's unique musical approach.

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While many guitar players like using chords and others like to play single notes, a la horn players, master guitarist Nate Najar plays the entire instrument. In his hands, a Guild archtop is transformed into an orchestra unto itself. The sound of the quartet features the unique combination of guitar, vibraphone and traditional rhythm section. Being polyphonic instruments, the combination of guitar and vibes allow the group to achieve great musical possibilities. Najar began playing professionally at the age of 13 with various blues outfits around his hometown of St Petersburg, Florida. Following those formative years, he began studying modern theory and concepts for guitar with Frank Mullen and soon joined pianist Jerry Libby's quartet. Nate's career as a bandleader soon followed, with his second CD, The Cool Sounds of Nate Najar, receiving nationally syndicated radio airplay. Appearances at the House of Blues and Washington DC's Blues Alley have further solidified Najar's growth. In addition to leading his own quartet, Najar is a member of the Modern Guitar Quintet and can frequently be seen performing with Duke Ellington alumnus Buster Cooper.

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The son of Bazillian jazz piano pioneer, the late Manfredo Fest, Phil Fest's background and training gives his musicality a unique twist uncommon for many of his generation. Exposure to Brazilian and American Jazz from an early age, combined with the rock 'n' roll and alternative music influences, gives Fest a vast musical vocabulary to draw from. Among Phil's accomplishments are four recorded compact discs, with his father Manfredo Fest for Concord Jazz. In the spring of 1995, Phil landed his first solo deal, releasing Acoustic Shore on the Inspired Artists label and shortly thereafter was awarded the BAMA "Best Jazz Artist" award. He traveled throughout Germany and Denmark with the Hendirck Muerkens Samba Jazz Quintet and England and Spain with the famous Brazilian singer, Maria Creuza. Fest has also performed with the who's who of oldies including Joey Dee and the Starlighters (Peppermint Twist") to Bo Didley, Spencer Davis, The Coasters and The Drifters. Fest is often joined for live performances by his wife, jazz vocalist, Terezinha Valois Fest, who lends her entrancing voice to the many different genres of Latin music the duo plays, including Bossa Nova (sung in the traditional Portugese), Chorinho, Samba, Saraba-Reggae, Samba-Jazz, Samba-Duro, Ballad, Forro, Reggae, Tango, Salsa as well as American Jazz standards and popular songs from Brazil.

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Multi-instrumentalist, composer/arranger and producer Richard Drexler, an Illinois native, has been based in Florida since 1985 and the list of noted jazz musicians and singers he has played with runs in the hundreds. Drexler is renowned for combining classical music with jazz and Latin forms, as in his Songosaurus CD "Senor Juan Brahms" and arrangements of works by Mahler, Chopin and other composers. His current touring schedule includes performances with The Jeff Berlin Trio and The Woody Herman Orchestra.

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Combining elements of Adult Contemporary, pop, Latin, jazz, and a little rhythm ‘n' blues, saxophonist/flautist/vocalist Stacey Knights creates an accessible sound, one that appeals to a whole generation of people who have matured too much to relate to the over-saturated "teenage icon" music. A skilled vocalist and instrumentalist, Stacey is in demand both in the studio and on stage, alone and with her band, a finely honed ensemble that includes guitar, keyboards, flugelhorn/trumpet, bass and drums, complementing Stacey's horns, flute and vocals. As a member of The Women's Blues Revue, she was there when they won the 1999 Virginia Slims Dueling Divas Contest, and again when they appeared with Delbert McClinton and Maria Muldaur. She has showcased her, um, versatility when she opened for the Baja Men ("Who Let the Dogs Out?"), and as the opening act for exclusive, upscale performances of Nestor Torres, Cheili Minnucci (of Special FX), Steve Oliver, Jimmy Reid, and "Tingstad & Rumbel." Large venues have seen her opening for huge acts such as Peter White, Warren Hill & Down To The Bone, Richard Elliot and Spyro Gyra. As the main act, Stacey has headlined at the "SummerJazz On The Gulf", First Friday @ Downtown St. Pete, Friday Night Jazz @ Hyde Park and the "House of Jazz" Concert Series.

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A Latin Jazz trio consisting of two flamenco guitars and congas/bongos, Sol Caliente's music is harmonically rich with blistering melodies and syncopated rhythms from around the world, providing listeners with an experience like few others.

Suzette Jennings & MoodSwingz

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Motown born & bred singer/entertainer Suzette Jennings specializes in rhythm 'n' blues, contemporary jazz, standards, swing and classic soul. Backed by four to six-piece group, Jennings delivers a show comprised of jazz standards (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday), classic rhythm 'n' blues (Etta James, Al Green, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye) and contemporary artists (Sade, Diane Krall, Norah Jones). This seasoned ensemble is available to provide top quality entertainment for nightclubs, private parties, corporate affairs and festivals. "

Terry T. Trio

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The Terry T. Trio offers a rich and sophisticated take on lounge jazz. The lush stylings of guitarist Jeff Pinkham's guitar complement Terry T's sultry, rich vocal.

TFOXX

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"The Foxx" has established himself in the smooth jazz music scene of Tampa Bay. He's opened for a variety of acts, among them George Benson, BB King, Roger Smith, & more recently Brian Culbertson & Patti Austin. A veteran performer, Thompson has played professionally for 29 years and has five cds to his credit.

Wholly Cats

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WHOLLY CATS!!! knows how to get things swingin'! This versatile band plays a wide variety of styles, including swingin' jazz, jump blues, surf and rockabilly 50's and 60's favorites.

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Who is Charlie Vegas? The man himself calls his stuff 'space age retro'. Think early '50s rock meets classic blues, only different. It's swing, rockabilly, jump and some R&B all melded together Charlie-style. Backed up by the hot New Blues Combo, Charlie Vegas' cool sounds will blow you away. Some folks think of The King when he shows up in his funky black outfit. Others say he's a LOT of Kings, from B.B. to Freddie. Charlie and the New Blues Combo re-interpret big blues classics from giants like Muddy Waters and T-Bone Walker. His personal 'Joisey' style tosses in hints of old blue eyes, little sinister Sinatra-isms. Speaking of 'Joisey,' one panting fan swears when she watches Charlie, she thinks of The Boss. One night with Charlie may not be enough, but it's a chance to soak up some retro roadhouse cool, authentic down and dirty hip-swingin' blues.

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