Upcoming Events
Performances, festivals, and events from the Jazz Club of Sarasota
Thomas Carabasi Quartet
Thomas Carabasi Quartet
Thomas Carabasi returns to Jazz at Two with an all-new program. Enjoy a mix of songbook favorites, classic jazz, popular standards, and some Samba and bossa sounds from Brazil. The Thomas Carabasi Quintet was an opening act in last year’s Sarasota Jazz Festival and performed a sold-out show with rave reviews at Monday Night Jazz at the Cabaret.
Tickets Sold Only at the Door
$20 / $15 JCS Members
High School Band Festival and Big Band Concert
Invitation Only - Morning and Afternoon Events
The annual High School Band Festival is scheduled for Holley Hall on April 18. Area HS Jazz Bands perform before an audience and a panel of professional musicians and music educators. The panel will provide each band with immediate feedback on their performance.
Each band will then attend a workshop focusing on the panel's recommendations.
Later in the afternoon, students from all the bands will be grouped together by instrument to attend a master class with a band member from the Nashville Brass Band.
Students and band directors receive free tickets to the evening concert with the Nashville Brass Band.
Evening Event - Open to the Public
The general public is invited to purchase tickets and attend the evening performance of Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass.
Grammy Award-winning The Nashville Brass is a unique Jazz-County-Fusion concert. Ticket proceeds will support the High School Jazz Festival.
Learn more about the performers and tickets at the link below.
Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass
Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass
Grammy Award-winning The Nashville Brass in a unique Jazz-County-Fusion concert. Proceeds will support a High School Jazz Festival that day.
Ticket Information
Students will be seated in the balcony.
Jazz Club Members will receive a 10% discount.
There are two price point levels:
$75 - Sponsor Seats. These tickets help to support the free student tickets
$39 - All Other Reserved Seats
Minor seat adjustments may be made by the event organizer to optimize available seats.
Accessible seating available at various price points. Call the Jazz Club for assistance - 941-260-9951
Jazz Jam SRQ
The SRQ Jammers are back for a fun and entertaining open jam session.
Sign up to play or just come out and enjoy the music. Jam is open to professional and non-professional musicians. Piano, bass, and drumset are available.
Live audience is welcome.
FREE and open to all in the Geldbart auditorium at the downtown Selby Library.
Brandon Robertson & Friends
MNJC Spring Series
Brandon Robertson & Friends
Bassist Brandon Robertson and Friends present classic and contemporary jazz, and original compositions.
Brandon L. Robertson is an EMMY® nominated music director, notable Upright/Electric Bassist, Composer, and Music Educator originally from Tampa, FL.
From FGCI - Currently, Brandon is the Instructor of Jazz Studies & Director of the FGCU Basketball Band at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL. He has been featured as a performer and bandleader at various national jazz festivals, and has also toured 22 countries in Europe, traveling from the Mediterranean to the capital of Iceland.
Paul Gormley Quartet
Paul Gormley Quartet
Bassist Paul Gormley returns to Jazz at Two and headlines the season’s finale with his talented quartet. A native of Southern California, Paul performed and recorded with many well-known artists and big bands. The concert features classic jazz compositions and American Songbook favorites.
Tickets Sold Only at the Door
$20 / $15 JCS Members
Jazz Jam SRQ
The SRQ Jammers are back for a fun and entertaining open jam session.
Sign up to play or just come out and enjoy the music. Jam is open to professional and non-professional musicians. Piano, bass, and drumset are available.
Live audience is welcome.
FREE and open to all in the Geldbart auditorium at the downtown Selby Library.
Hot Club SRQ
MNJC Spring Series
Hot Club SRQ
Hot Club of SRQ - We play Gypsy Jazz that is deeply rooted in the style of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. This music simply swings and is full of beauty and romance! We emulate the style of what the French call "Jazz Manouche" and "Le Jazz Hot" in the style of Sinti virtuosos and the "Quintette du Hot Club de France."
The heart of this ensemble is the violin and vocals of Keven Aland, the guitar of Jon McLaughlin, and the bass playing of Glenn Stevenson. Their string jazz ensemble has been thoughtfully cultivated and crafted for over a decade. There is a genuine warmth and connection that is unique to this ensemble. This group can swing ferociously, then suddenly hypnotize you with a beautiful ballad.
Barbara King and the Spirit of Jazz
Barbara King and the Spirit of Jazz
Free for Members | $25 in advance or $30 at the door for Not-Yet Members
(includes Museum admission)
Join us for live jazz at Sarasota Art Museum, co-hosted by the Jazz Club of Sarasota, featuring Barbara King and the Spirit of Jazz, and extended hours in the galleries, Bistro, and SHOP!
About Barbara King and the Spirit of Jazz
Brooklyn native Barbara King was introduced to jazz at an early age and has performed for audiences in Greece, Italy, Japan, Dubai, Eastern Europe, Cuba’s Havana International Jazz Festival, Jamaica, the West Indies, and, of course, New York City. Barbara was the co-owner and musical director of the Sound Bite Restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan, a jazz and blues venue that attracted many of the country’s top musicians.
Her debut CD, Perfect Timing, has earned critical acclaim with a combination of popular tunes and original compositions. Since relocating to Sarasota a year ago, Barbara has been actively engaged in the music scene locally and in surrounding areas in Southwest Florida.
Learn More at BarbaraKingjazz.com
Jazz on the Water aboard the Marina Jack II with Robert Nissim
Jazz on the Water
Aboard the Marina Jack II with Robert Nissim
Join us for a relaxing afternoon sightseeing and swinging jazz on Sarasota Bay aboard the Marina Jack II. Entertainment features Robert Nissim with a Tribute to Bill Evans. Full bar and snacks available for purchase.
Boarding begins at 2:30 pm from downtown Sarasota Bayfront at the Marina Jack Plaza on Tamiami Trail. Vessel departs promptly at 3:00 pm.
Tickets: $35 Jazz Club members, $40 for non-members.
Sale date - forthcoming.
Jazz Jam SRQ
The SRQ Jammers are back for a fun and entertaining open jam session.
Sign up to play or just come out and enjoy the music. Jam is open to professional and non-professional musicians. Piano, bass, and drumset are available.
Live audience is welcome.
FREE and open to all in the Geldbart auditorium at the downtown Selby Library.
La Lucha
MNJC Spring Series
La Lucha
La Lucha is a Tampa Bay-based trio that consists of three best friends from three different parts of the world: Colombia (Alejandro Arenas), Mexico (John O’Leary), & United States (Mark Feinman).
Their music ventures boldly into a wide variety of musical styles, offering an appealing and fun mix of genres under the jazz umbrella. The combination of their musical versatility and varied musical influences makes for compelling virtuosic performances. Through an engaging stage presence and a high level of interaction, La Lucha brings the audience into their world.
The Giving Challenge
The Challenge We Face
Despite our success, the Jazz Club has no permanent performance space. Each year, we must compete for and rent venues, working around schedules that understandably prioritize their own programming. This limits our ability to grow, plan long-term, and serve the community more fully.
A Bold Vision for the Future
As we develop our next Five-Year Strategic Plan, we envision a thriving future for jazz in Sarasota, including:
Growing membership to 2,500 by 2030
Launching a 24/7 jazz streaming radio station with local talk programming
Establishing the Synia Carroll National Vocal Jazz Competition
Expanding education for all ages, including middle and high school jazz summer programs and adult workshops
Presenting the annual Jazz Festival at the Van Wezel or a new large performance hall with top-tier artists
Creating the Jazz Club’s own 300-seat venue and jazz nightclub
Learn more and help support our community.
Allison Nash & Friends
Private Event
Oaks Men's Club Presents
Allison Nash & Friends
This is a private event. You must have an access code to view tickets for this event.
Tom Ellison Trio with Judy and Alex Glover
Tom Ellison Trio
with
Judy and Alex Glover
The Tom Ellison Trio features Judi and Alex Glover. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Tom Ellison, returns to Jazz at Two with an all-new show. Enjoy jazz standards and American Songbook favorites, along with some jazzy arrangements of familiar pop tunes, with one of the Bay Area’s most talented pianists, Judi Glover and Alex Glover on vocals
Tickets Sold Only at the Door
$20 / $15 JCS Members
The Suncoast Jazz Ambassadors Big Band
The Suncoast Jazz Ambassadors Big Band
Free for Members | $25 in advance or $30 at the door for Not-Yet Members
(includes Museum admission)
Join us for live jazz at Sarasota Art Museum, co-hosted by the Jazz Club of Sarasota, featuring The Suncoast Jazz Ambassadors Big Band, and extended hours in the galleries, Bistro, and SHOP!
About The Suncoast Jazz Ambassadors Big Band
The Suncoast Jazz Ambassadors Big Band is led by its outstanding director, David DeWitt. A jazz orchestra instrumented in the style of the American “Big Band Era,” they comprise outstanding volunteer musicians from throughout Florida’s Suncoast, with roots and experience from literally every corner of our nation. 2025/26 will be their 39th year.
Their performances are as varied as the experiences of their members, with literature selected from the past century and a half of our nation’s jazz history. This ranges from iconic arrangements by Duke Ellington and Count Basie, to developments by legendary band leaders such as Stan Kenton and Woody Herman, to the contemporary sounds of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band and the Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Michael Ross - MNJC
Michael Ross - MNJC
Sarasota's Michael Ross: bassist, composer, bandleader—fusing swing & lyricism, from Tampa Bay to global jazz stages.
Michael Ross is a Pennsylvania-born jazz bassist, composer, and bandleader whose lyrical style and "fat acoustic bass sound" have made him a cornerstone of the Tampa Bay jazz scene.
Raised in Harrisburg, Ross was mentored by bass greats Cecil McBee, Dee Moses, and Jim Miller. By his late teens, he was traveling regularly to New York to study and immerse himself in the city's jazz clubs, even crossing paths with Charles Mingus. He later moved to Florida to study at the University of South Florida, treating his coursework like a conservatory program while quickly establishing himself on local stages.
Ross became a leader in two acclaimed ensembles: Liquid Bebop and the Michael Ross Quartet. His discography includes Doghouse (2000), Dog Eat Dog (2002), Year of the Dog (2004), and Ginger (2014), each showcasing his blend of muscular rhythm and melodic invention. His most recent release, Giraffe (2023), continues this trajectory, mixing originals with inventive takes on jazz standards.
As a sideman, Ross has collaborated with luminaries such as Nat Adderley, Jimmie Cobb, Herbie Mann, and Nathen Page, leaving a lasting imprint on Florida's jazz landscape. Critics often compare his melodic sensibility to Charlie Haden, noting his ability to balance thoughtful composition with swinging improvisation.
Beyond recordings, Ross thrives in live performance, often partnering with vocalist Fred Johnson in improvisatory projects that invite audience participation.
His artistry reflects both technical mastery and a deep commitment to jazz as a living, evolving conversation.
In sum, Michael Ross embodies the dual role of bassist and storyteller— anchoring ensembles while opening new musical possibilities with every note.
Jazz Jam SRQ
The SRQ Jammers are back for a fun and entertaining open jam session.
Sign up to play or just come out and enjoy the music. Jam is open to professional and non-professional musicians. Piano, bass, and drumset are available.
Live audience is welcome.
FREE and open to all in the Geldbart auditorium at the downtown Selby Library.