Thania Sanz is a sultry singer from Venezuela who is relatively new to Miami. Her repertoire covers South American sounds, world music, jazz and a touch of Brazilian. When you get to know Thania, you realize that she is not only a talented singer, but also an accredited writer, arranger, producer and teacher. I recently heard her on radio station WLRN’s Friday afternoon jazz show and loved what I heard. To top it off, this lady has a classy style.

Sanz was actually born in the U.S. and raised in Venezuela. In 1982, she came back to the States where she received a full scholarship for Academic Excellence and Musical Achievement from Berkley...

Did you happen to catch the Al Stewart free concert on Friday night (November 4) at the Seminole Casino? This Brit brought his Folk Rock act to his fans that pack his shows and continue to gobble up his CDs as soon as they become available.

Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 60s and 70s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.

He is best known for his hit 1976 single “Year of the Cat,” the title song from the platinum album that bears the same...

Jazz Roots—Jazz Meets Gershwin, a concert hosted by Michael Feinstein, will take place November 4 at 8 p.m. at the Knight Concert Hall of the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. Trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard will make his debut in his new role as artistic director of the Jazz Roots Series and will lead the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in that evening’s performance.

Besides Terrance Blanchard and the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, the full scheduled lineup will feature composer/arranger Dave Grusin, violinist Mark O’Connor and Miami’s ever-popular pianist Shelly Berg, who...

A free concert at University of Miami‘s Gusman Hall with bassist Dave Holland! Holland, English jazz double bassist, was born in Staffordshire, England, yet has lived the in the United States the last 40 years. He plays avant-garde jazz, but he is not just a musician, he is a world-class composer, and bandleader. He also has his own independent record label. Holland was invited to the University of Miami to prepare a class of student musicians for their September 29 concert. Miami’s own Chuck Bergeron, who teaches jazz bass at the U of M’s Frost School of Music, was instrumental in luring the maestro here. Holland teaches at workshops and master classes at universities around the world. University of Miami...

The Fontainebleau Hotel is again the hub of a trendsetting, high-energy nightlife scene. It now has two unique sophisticated clubs and three stylish bars. They are the iconic Bleau Bar and Liv Night Clubs, and La Cote, Glow Bar and the Arcadia poolside lounges.

The Bleau Bar Nightclub was officially launched last Labor Day and featured Latin Grammy Awards nominee Pitbull. His latest CD, I Know You Want Me, peaked at #2 on Hot 100. Pitbull partnered with Miami impresario Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to form a new record label, Bad Boy Latino.

In this hotel’s glorious past, their stages...

I’ve been wanting to check out The Stage, a relatively new jazz venue located at 170 NE. 38th Street in Miami. When I learned Negroni was scheduled, I made a beeline to the club and stumbled upon what turned out to be a developing new configuration of the Negroni’s Trio.

In the parking lot, I saw musician Ed Calle unloading his saxophone. I asked him if he was planning to jam with Negroni this evening. He replied that he was there to play with the trio. He told me that Jose Negroni was trying out something different. “It is premature to explain,” he said, “but check us out on September 29 at the Congregational Church in Coral...

“My music is for believers with a groove - and for everyone else,” said Matisyahu. He has indeed become mainstream. This Hasidic rocker, best known for blending Jewish religious themes with Reggae, rock and hip-hop beat-boxing sounds, has a Top 40 hit and worldwide following. He performed for his followers at a Fillmore Live Miami Beach concert on October 25.

Matisyahu is not alone in using music to further his message. The Gregorian monks in medieval Europe chanted their prayers because they believed music is a gift from G-d. Gil Scott Heron, the father of hip-hop, had a similar approach, setting his protest poetry (The Revolution...

If you listened in the ‘90s to Afropop on radio station WLRN, you heard a variety of African music that is as diverse as the countries of Africa themselves. Two African musicians recently performed in Miami, one from South Africa and one from Nigeria. The message of each artist is as different as are their countries of origin.

One of these musicians was singer, Lorraine Klaasen. She is a cultural envoy for South Africa and composes and sings her own material. The South African Tourism Bureau sponsored her at their trade show on August 9 at the Epic Hotel (270 Biscayne Blvd. in downtown Miami). There she performed one of her CDs - “Hello, Africa...

I just got back from the Montreal Jazz Festival. It was their 32nd fest. It was my 11th. I spent ten dizzying days gorging myself on jazz. With so much going on, I decided to cover bands that had a performance connection to both Montreal and Miami.

In order to accommodate the festival, a section of downtown Montreal was roped off. Eight stages were erected, where musicians from around the world performed free concerts. From noon to 11 P.M., the performers occupied at least half the stages. Huge enthusiastic crowds were in attendance.

Ben l’Oncle Soul, a...

Oriente guitarist Eddy Balzola is deep. If you see any of his performances, his mix of musical genres surprises and delights. Besides being lead singer and composer for Oriente, he also sketches and writes poetry. A couple of months ago I heard Oriente play at Anacapri @ The Top in the Gables. I asked Eddy, “Did I hear some country western chords in your last set?” He giggled and said that he heard from people that used to hang out at Birdland in New York that Charlie Parker would play a country music CD during his break. When they asked why country music? Parker replied, “they tell the best stories.”

Eddy always had an artistic yearning. As a child, he...