By Don Valentine
After two+ years of the virus, we are all suffering cabin fever. The Gold Coast Jazz Society is returning shows this year to our rescue. After a lengthy hiatus due to the scourge of Covid, they are kick-starting the year and celebrating their 30th anniversary!
In a recent interview executive director, Pam Dearden shared these thoughts. “First Don, music feeds the soul and that’s something you just can’t replicate. Secondly, the Amaturo Theater, the venue we use, is part of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
In order to use that space, we have agreed to observe their COVID protocols, which includes anyone in the theater or on their campus to provide either a negative COVID test, to voluntarily provide a vaccine card AND to wear a mask. This applies to all of the artists, tech crew, backstage personnel and the audience. It’s really to protect the health of everyone – those onstage, backstage and in the audience – so wearing a mask for a relatively short amount of time isn’t so bad. Beats getting the virus and you get to hear some fabulous LIVE music!
The Gold Coast Jazz Society is celebrating 30 years of presenting jazz in our community. Our humble beginnings of presenting jazz started in the dining room of the Riverside Hotel. Then on to the 110 Tower Club and for the past 25 years in the beautiful Amaturo Theater We are indeed grateful to the community who has continued to support our efforts. In those 30 years, we have presented a great legacy of jazz artists. This has ranged from the uber-famous such as John Pizzarelli and Chico Hamilton to Grammy-nominated/awarded stellar musicians such as Shelly Berg and Ed Callé.
Mr. Callé happens to live in the south Florida area. We also present jazz education performances in schools, community engagement activities, and a jazz scholarship program. In spite of the challenges of the pandemic, we’re still here!
The Gold Coast Jazz Society is celebrating 30 years of presenting jazz in our community. From our humble beginnings of presenting jazz in the dining room of the Riverside Hotel, the 110 Tower Club, and for the past 25 years in the beautiful Amaturo Theater, we are indeed grateful to the community who has continued to support our efforts. In those 30 years, we have presented a great legacy of jazz artists ranging from the uber-famous such as John Pizzarelli and Chico Hamilton to Grammy nominated/awarded stellar musicians such as Shelly Berg and Ed Callé, who happen to live in the south Florida area. We also present jazz education performances in schools, community engagement activities, and a jazz scholarship program. In spite of the challenges of the pandemic, we’re still here!
For the remainder of this season, we’ll be presenting the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, Kenny Barron on January 25 (Tuesday). Mr. Barron has been on hundreds of recordings, and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the Bebop era. He is also a member of the American Jazz Hall of Fame and a six-time recipient of “Best Pianist” by the Jazz Journalists Association.
On Feb. 9 (Wed.) we’ll present the Grammy-nominated Brazilian Jazz Guitarist, Diego Figueiredo, with some very special guests. On March 9, one of our most popular artists, singer/pianist Tony DeSare will return.
On April 13 we’ll wrap up our 30th season with a rollicking show with the world-famous New Orleans jazz, funk and soul group, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who have been a jazz fixture in New Orleans for 40 years.”
To see the full schedule or learn more about the GCJS go to www.goldcoastjazzsociety.com