Free-minded bassist John Lindberg, and a quintet co-led by saxophonist Jeremy Powell and trumpeter Jonathan Powell will play the second annual St. Petersburg College Jazz Festival, kicking off Thursday night (Feb. 4).
I interviewed fest direct David Manson for a story to be published in tomorrow’s edition of the St. Petersburg Times. Click here to read the story online, or see below for an extended version of the piece.
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David Manson (left) had a straightforward goal in mind when he put together the bill for the second annual St. 
Petersburg College Jazz Festival. The three-day event opens Thursday night at the 320-seat SPC Music Center on the school’s St. Petersburg/Gibbs campus.
“We wanted to do a true jazz festival in St. Petersburg,” said Manson, a trombonist, composer, and head of jazz studies at SPC. “And we wanted variety — an evening of big band, an evening of Latin jazz, and a third night that’s kind of on the edge.”
Thursday night’s “Big Band Big Bang!” program has SPC’s resident ensemble, the Manson-directed Helios Jazz Orchestra, joined by two singers – Sasha Tuck (right), who teaches in the college’s Music Industry Recording Arts (MIRA) program, and Dale Williams, who made his name singing in Detroit groups.
Friday night’s “Hot Latin Jazz!” show features Guisando Caliente (left), an all-star group of Florida players with acclaimed pianist Kenny Drew, Jr., percussionist Frankie Pineiro, saxophonist Jeff Rupert, drummer John Jenkins, and bassist Mauricio Rodriguez.
Edgy fare will close out the festival on Saturday, with a double-bill concert featuring the Powell Brothers Quintet, with saxophonist Jeremy (left) and trumpeter Jonathan (right) joined by guitarist 
LaRue Nickelson, bassist Alejandro Arenas, and drummer Ian Goodman, and an opening set by renowned bassist John Lindberg (below, left)
Lindberg, in town for a two-week residency at SPC, co-founded the String Trio of New York, and has played with such free-jazz luminaries as saxophonist Anthony Braxton and trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff. He has been heard on more than 90 recordings, and in 2009 released his “Year 50 Album” and, with his Blob group, a CD titled “You Can’t Get There From Here.”
Last weekend at the Dali Museum, the bassist gave an unamplified, mostly unaccompanied performance during which he demonstrated his ability to improvise on bassist Jimmy Garrison‘s 
“Ascendant” and play expansively on several of his own compositions, all abetted by his creative, percussive use of his bow. On a new tune, “Floating Figures, Shifting Slips,” he was joined by Manson, and SPC faculty member David Irwin, on clarinet and bass clarinet.
The Powells both have roots in the Tampa Bay area, and both have experience playing and recording in New York City. Jeremy still lives here, and plays with Infinite Groove Orchestra, Swamp Logic and other groups. Last month he released two CDs – Amizade, with guitarist Nickelson, and his own Fluorinescence. Jonathan has worked with saxophonist Sam Rivers, bassist Reggie Workman, and hip-hoppers Q-Tip and Snoop Dogg. Recently the recipient of the “Latin Jazz Corner” website’s award for the best Latin jazz trumpeter of 2009, Jonathan will soon release an album titled Transcend.
The group will play all original compositions, plus an arrangement of “Here’s to Life” with guest singer Whitney James.
“I’ve been wanting to put Jonathan and Jeremy together on a show,” Manson said. “Unlike a lot of young players, they’re not really emulating or copying someone — they have their own style.”
Festival site: http://www.spcollege.edu/spg/music/jazzfest2010.htm
Jazzlands 