Latin Jazz Fest

Ruth Eckerd Hall and EMIT announces that the Clearwater Latin Jazz Fest previously scheduled for Friday, September 27 at The BayCare Sound has been rescheduled to Sunday, December 8 at 7 pm. The FREE festival will feature award-winning musicians from Brazil, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the U.S., including Renesito Avich & Friends, Mauricio Rodriguez and the MJR Latin Project and O Som Do Jazz with Andrea Moraes Manson and José Valentino Ruiz. This free concert is general admission. A ticket is not needed and seating will be first come first served. The Clearwater Latin Jazz Fest is presented by EMIT and Ruth Eckerd Hall with support from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the City of Clearwater and South Arts.

Renesito Avich is a Cuban-born, twice Latin GRAMMY® recipient and master of the tres guitar. His concerts are always exciting and entertaining, and this quartet has some of the best Latin musicians in the state including bassist Mauricio Rodriguez, percussionist Andy Fornet on Percussions and singer Otto Duniel Ferreiro. Renesito was born in Santiago de Cuba and pursued his musical education at the University of the Arts in Havana. At the age of 15, while still living in Cuba, Avich began performing with the 17-member salsa big band Elito Revé y su Charangón. This group toured across South America and Europe. His primary instrument remains the tres guitar, which is the national instrument of Cuba. It is named “tres” (three) because it contains three pairs of strings, for a total of six strings. His compositions display a broad conception of the sound of the Cuban Tres, in which he uses expressive resources of Classical music, Jazz and World Music. Its roots lead him to recreate and develop melodies, rhythms, styles and rhythms of the Trova, the Changüí Nengón, the Conga, Rumba and Son Santiago, making a kind of journey through the different playing styles of the eastern country, mixed with the urban concept of Arsenio Rodríguez and Child Rivera.

Mauricio Rodriguez and the MJR Latin Project revives the Latin jazz scene with its intricate fusion of Latin rhythms with jazz and flashbacks to the Latin greats of musical history. The MJR Latin Project has some of the finest musicians in the area including GRAMMY® winning saxophonist, Zach Bornheimer, Venezuelan pianist Pablo Arencibia, drummer Andy Fornet (former drummer for Orquesta Revé and Charanga Habanera, Cuba), conguero and percussionist Sergio Gala and Mauricio Rodriguez (former bassist with Fervet Opus in Cuba). This band revives the Latin jazz scene with original compositions pleasing the most demanding spectators with its intricate fusion of Latin rhythms and momentary flashbacks to the Latin greats of musical history.

O Som Do Jazz features Rio de Janeiro singer Andrea Moraes Manson and an international crew of musicians performing samba-jazz, Bossa Nova, Baião and MPB. Imagine Brazilian musicians in love with American jazz playing in Rio de Janeiro night clubs circa 1965 - and you get an idea of what O Som Do Jazz is about. Special guest Latin GRAMMY® recipient José Valentino Ruiz joins the group.

O Som Do Jazz has recorded four CDs and is delighted to present authentic Brazilian music to audiences that appreciate this beautiful music. The sextet includes Andrea Moraes Manson (voice), José Valentino Ruiz (flute & sax), John O'Leary (piano), Alejandro Arenas (bass) , David Manson (trombone) and Mark Feinman (drums). O Som Do Jazz is active performing on festivals, concerts and special events in the South and its music has been placed in shows on HBO, Fox and BBC One.