The festival's namesake, Jim Burge, is a retired Professor of Music at Hillsborough Community College with BME and Master's degrees at the University of Denver. His experience includes Las Vegas show bands, the Walt Disney World Band, and the Florida Symphony. In addition, he is active as a performer and teacher in the Tampa area and co-conducts the FanFare Winds Band. Burge also hosts Jazz with Jim, a monthly program at the Carrollwood Cultural Center.
On Friday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m., Jim Burge and The Jazz Directions (pictured above) will host a unique Jazz with Jim featuring the young performers of the Hillsborough County High School All-Star Jazz Ensemble. Burge hand-selected the performers during the All-County Jazz Event on April 22-23 and invited them to perform with him and the band.
On Saturday, April 30, the festivities will continue at 6 p.m. with the Jazz Directions again taking the stage, only this time with guest trumpeter Tom Ziegelhofer. Ziegelhofer has performed with Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Nell Carter, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Hope, and Connie Stevens, to name a few. He has also opened for Miami Sound Machine and Basia. In addition, he was a founding member of Baytown Brass and performed with The Jazz Cellar Underground Orchestra.
Next, O Som Do Jazz ("The Sound of Jazz" in Portuguese) with Rio de Janeiro singer Andrea Moraes Manson will join the festivities with samba-jazz, Bossa Nova, Balanco, Baião, and MPB. O Som Do Jazz's sound recaptures the sound, grace, energy, and spirit of 1960s Brazilian music. Their music has been featured on HBO, Fox, and on Chinese and Turkish Bossa Nova compilations.
Finally, Burge and the Center will welcome the Carrollwood Jukebox Big Band after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The Carrollwood Jukebox Big Band plays popular hip swivelin', jump jivin', swing dancin', Latin lovin', waltz, and cha-cha steppin', contemporary tunes of the 20th century. The band will put a big band twist on jazz as Burge joins in to close out the evening.
Tickets for the entire two-day indoor jazz event are USD 47 for Center members and USD 67 for non-members. Tickets are also available per day, with tickets for Friday, April 29 at USD 13 for Center members and USD 18 for non-members, and tickets for Saturday, April 30 at USD 39 for Center members and USD 54 for non-members. Streaming sponsored by AARP is also available for USD 10 on Friday and USD 30 on Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at the Center, online at carrollwoodcenter.org, or by calling (813) 922-8167.
The Carrollwood Cultural Center, located at 4537 Lowell Road in Tampa, is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization with a mission of creating culture through community and community through culture.
