Jazz Club of Sarasota

The Jazz Club of Sarasota has been exposing the greater Sarasota community to fine jazz since 1980.  The Jazz Club’s stated mission is "to promote, preserve, perform and educate people about jazz: the original American art form."

The Jazz Club of Sarsota is located at 330 South Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota.  The lively group provides both great jazz and numerous community programs and activities to Florida residents and visitors. 

One of the most popular events hosted by the Jazz Club of Sarasota is the Sarasota Jazz Festival, an annual major festival showcasing the art of jazz music, including many well-known and renowned artists in the genre, such as Eartha Kitt and The Count Basie Orchestra.  The Festival opens with Jazz in the Park, a traditional outdoor concert, and is followed by a week of jazz performances presented in various Sarasota venues, including concert halls, nightclubs, parks, and other locations.  Many events are free; others require tickets.  Besides musical performances, the Jazz Festival presents a series of jazz lectures.

The Jazz Club presents numerous concerts year-round.  "Joys of Jazz" is an annual holiday show, presented in December.  "Jazz at Noon" is a series of free community lunchtime performances.  "Jazz Club Jams" is a popular series that brings musicians and fans of jazz together in a casual environment on Saturday afternoons.  "Jazz in the Park" presents concerts, often free, outdoors in Sarasota parks, and "Jazz at the Library" offers concerts at local libraries.

Also popular is the "Jazz at Two" program, an annual series of concerts running from September through June by local as well as nationally-acclaimed artists.  Past Jazz at Two performers have included Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Doc Severinson, and many others.  Admission to Jazz at Two performances is currently $8.00 for the general public and $4.00 for Jazz Club members.

Tickets for other performances and special events vary in price; information is available at the Jazz Club website at http://www.jazzclubsarasota.com, by telephone at (941) 366-1552, or via email at admin@jazzclubsarasota.com.

The Jazz Club of Sarasota also offers a number of educational programs, including seminars on the art of jazz and a film and lecture series called "Inside Jazz."  The Club provides scholarships for aspiring musicians, free music instruction at the Sarasota Boys & Girls Club, and donates jazz-related books, tapes, and CDs to Sarasota-area libraries to increase accessibility to the music.  In addition, the Club has an Artist-in-Residence program, which brings top jazz musicians to area schools.

2007 will be the second year for the Jazz Club’s "Jazz Cruise," a cruise on the Crystal Symphony ship departing from and landing in Miami with stops in Cozumel, Puerto Costa Maya, Belize, Belize City, and Key West.  The Jazz Cruise features daily jazz performances as well as jazz-related lectures and seminars.