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
The Nick Peters Quartet is a dynamic jazz ensemble led by pianist Nicholas Peters, who has been performing since age four and immersed in jazz since middle school. Based in the Tampa Bay area, Nicholas has performed at renowned venues such as the Straz Center, Ruth Eckerd Hall, the Clearwater Jazz Festival, the Mahaffe
Aliqua, “to some extent”, is a jazz fusion band formed in Tampa, Florida. With members originating from all walks of life and different corners of the world, they blend their cultures and passions into a musical dialogue that listeners can resonate, engage, and change their lives with.
Mutant Fusion Collective (MFC), the jazz/rock sonic conquistadors, have set sail from Dunedin, FL.
Fronted by guitarist and bandleader Kirk Yates, MFC has earned a reputation for its genre-blending prowess. Their signature sound seamlessly melds original compositions with classic jazz standards and ‘90s alt-rock anthe
Latest Jazz Updates
The Nick Peters Quartet is a dynamic jazz ensemble led by pianist Nicholas Peters, who has been performing since age four and immersed in jazz since middle school. Based in the Tampa Bay area, Nicholas has performed at renowned venues such as the Straz Center, Ruth Eckerd Hall, the Clearwater Jazz Festival, the Mahaffe
Aliqua, “to some extent”, is a jazz fusion band formed in Tampa, Florida. With members originating from all walks of life and different corners of the world, they blend their cultures and passions into a musical dialogue that listeners can resonate, engage, and change their lives with.
Meet Al Di Meola. He’s a GRAMMY® Award-Winning American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist/composer, working as a solo artist on hit albums like Casino and Land of the Midnight Sun and performed with Chick Corea’s Return to Forever. He recently released a new album Twenty Four and is currently on tour where he’ll be
Spoken Word Poetry Performances
Leandra Diaz, known as SlimTruth, is a spoken word artist, author, coach, and workshop facilitator based in Orlando. She’s nationally ranked and known for using her voice to highlight mental health and uncover personal truths.
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.
Travis Van Bumble and Stephanie Ruscito are The House Cats: a husband and wife, guitar and vocals duo, playing straight ahead-jazz, bebop, and swing. Travis and Stephanie grew up near Clearwater, and have been playing music together for over ten years. Travis’ walking baselines and chord melodies give The House Cats a big, swinging sound, but as soon as they play a ballad you’ll feel the mood shift, and see the two’s chemistry shine. The House Cats pull inspiration from many of the greatest names in American jazz including Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery and Sarah Vaughan. Their repertoire consists of timeless tunes from The Great American song book; the pair hopes to breathe new life into these songs with original and inspired arrangements.
Jeremy Carter is a true study of Jazz music, Nebraska native, and understudy of the Southeast’s best professors and musicians. Jazzy funk riffs, screaming over the sounds of the BSP is truly a spectacle, for the ears and the eyes. If you find yourself stop dancing in a dropped draw fashion, it is probably because of Carter’s riffs, his soul pouring over the speakers like sand. Carter has recorded with numerous national acts and has performed, recorded and produced solo albums and cameo appearances too many too list.
Born and raised in Leawood, Kansas, Angelus Matthew C. Roxas began playing piano at the age of three, and after a couple of years, he studied under Ms. Ying-Yu Emily Yeh. He began competing at a young age, and his passion and determination led him to perform four times at Carnegie Hall in New York, an invitation to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, and a performance at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Teatro Studio, in Rome, Italy. He obtained a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance Degree in 2022 at the University of Missouri - Kansas City Conservatory where he studied under Dr. Thomas Rosenkranz. Matthew is currently studying under Dr. Svetozar Ivanov as he pursues a Master of Music in Piano Performance Degree at the University of South Florida with an accompanying assistantship. Matthew teaches as a piano instructor at the USF Community Music Project.
Jazz Album Reviews
Within the opening moments of the Premazzi/Nasser Quartet’s debut release From What I Recall, it becomes clear that this is the work of a distinctly unique and modern voice.
Make no mistake, Carlos Henriquez’s album A Nuyorican Tale is heavily influenced by its Latin music roots. However, there are threads of Straight Ahead Jazz, Afro-Jazz and even some Big-Band winding through the 9 songs that help broaden its appeal to a wider audience.
“Smokin’ Guitar Cat” is a beautiful single from vocalist Julie Black, which features Julie’s classic raspy, mellifluous bluesy voice. Dave Eichenberger's acoustic guitar and synth structure compliment Julie’s vocals, which makes you feel like you’re roaming the rainy streets of Ybor City. The song’s Cuban noir influences showcase lyrics like “soon everybody’s dancing to this smokin’ guitar cat on the rainy streets of Tampa where they roll the cigars at.”
