Continuing the Legacy of WUSF Jazz
Celebrating Florida Jazz
JAZZ ON ARTS AXIS FLORIDA celebrates Florida's rich jazz history and the large community of musicians and venues that make live performances possible by continuing WUSF Jazz's 56-year legacy: showcasing the best of live, local jazz through providing digital resources and advertising opportunities to jazz musicians, organizations, and venues throughout Florida.
Recent Studio Performances
Rafael "Ruffus" Silva is a Boston based Jazz piano player with nearly two decades of experiences. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and majored in Performance. He plays about 15+ instruments and is proficient in Jazz piano, saxophone, flute, and bass. He specializes in Jazz music from the early to mid 20th century and performs with a repertoire of over 900+ songs.
Ryan Devlin is a 27-year-old saxophonist and music educator from Orlando, FL Ryan started his musical journey with his father Scott Devlin who was the leader of the Walt Disney World Sax Quartet.
Rod Alnord is Haitian-born drummer with multiple musical influences including Jazz, Gospel/Worship, and Afro-Caribbean Music. He studied at the University of South Florida under Ric Craig and Bob McCormick. He has since developed his playing style, inspired by the explosive Elvin Jones and modern-day drummer Brian Blade.
Latest Jazz Updates
St. Pete may not have a devoted jazz venue, but there are tons of venues, bars, and restaurants that host jazz concerts and events. See our 2025 picks for listening to jazz in St. Petersburg, Florida:
Restaurants and venues that host jazz have helped the genre's resurgence in Tampa over the past decade–making up for the fact that this area no longer has a true, dedicated jazz club. From the pandemic to the rising cost of real estate and groceries, restaurants have struggled to stay afloat, and 2024 was no different. It was a traumatic and harsh year for many reasons including the shuttering of three major venues that provided recurring jazz music. Let's take a moment and remember the venues we've lost.
Rafael "Ruffus" Silva is a Boston based Jazz piano player with nearly two decades of experiences. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and majored in Performance. He plays about 15+ instruments and is proficient in Jazz piano, saxophone, flute, and bass. He specializes in Jazz music from the early to mid 20th century and performs with a repertoire of over 900+ songs.
The Tampa-based jazz ensemble Crisis: The Jazz Project features musicians who play in non-jazz bands around the Tampa Bay Area and cover contemporary jazz artists like Roy Hargrove and Herbie Hancock. Their setlist also includes trumpeter and comedian Brad Gilmore performing a cover of "All of Me" with a Louis Armstrong twist.
Meet Sarasota's Rich & Rose–a musical duo that features the guitar work of Charley Rich with the captivating vocals of Daenah Rose. For four years, this duo has been charming audiences with their blend of American Songbook classics, jazz favorites, pop, and original compositions.
Meet Mindi Abair. She’s a 2x GRAMMY nominated saxophonist, vocalist, author and wine entrepreneur. She’s recorded and toured with ensembles and musicians like Aerosmith, Gerald Albright, Gregg Allman, Dave Koz and Trombone Shorty. Mindi has just released a new album “I Can’t Wait for Christmas.” She’s currently touring and will be performing at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, FL on December 20 at 8pm. You can learn more about this wonderful holiday show at RuthEckerdHall.com
Spoken Word Poetry Performances
New Performances coming in 2025
Nicole has always had a love for writing and especially poetry, one she has only expanded on through high school and college. Inspired by lyricists, other poets, and the natural world, she commonly writes about internal and external struggles and how language shapes our understanding of ourselves. For more of her work, check local literary magazines and community poetry events in the St. Pete area, where she appears regularly.
Ty Scott King is an award-winning, multi-Billboard charting poet and hip hop artist and a best-selling author. Ty has successfully showcased her poetic talent on the National Poetry Slam level and hosted both an internationally aired TV show and her own radio show. Learn more at tyscottking.com.
Dorrian Tyrell Bridges (born April 2nd, 1997) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Bridges gained distinction and acclaim for his hybrid style that combined his unique spoken word delivery, pained lyrics, and dark classical production. As an entrepreneur, Dorrian Bridges and his Wife founded The Lindsay School of the Arts, a private performing arts school dedicated to providing high-quality arts education programming at no cost, ensuring complete accessibility to children and families.
Poetry Written and Performed By Grentry Burkes. Artwork Referenced: “swansong” by Caroline Colby and "Juicebox of Desire” by Andrew King.
Jazz Album Reviews
Gabriel Guerrero, a Colombian-born and NYC-based pianist, composer and educator has given us eleven charming and silky-smooth tracks to enjoy on his new record Equilibrio - while at times verging on the inoffensive and anodyne, Guerrero and his band QUΔΠTUM provide enough energy to keep listeners engaged with their particular brand of high end jazz.
With his latest album release ‘The Crew,’ singer Bryan Hughes demonstrates a (personally) much-appreciated earnestness and true love for the Great American Songbook. While still bringing a fresh and modern take to these tunes, Hughes and his crew so passionately remain true to the jazz tradition.
Solidarity is an assured debut record by Colorado composer, arranger and trombonist Zach Rich – at points one’s shocked that this his first foray into studio recording as a bandleader. Blending a full chamber jazz sound with influences from more-contemporary composers, Rich paints a vivid sonic tapestry that captivates from start to finish. Replete with skillful musicianship from players like Gavin Allen-Dunn and Austin Cebulske, Solidarity is a worthwhile purchase for any attentive jazz enthusiast.
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