Uptown Entertainment Group will present the third annual Uptown Music Festival on May 6 at the University Area CDC Community Park. The event combines smooth jazz with diverse food offerings and a relaxed atmosphere. This family friendly festival highlights the rich diversity of musicians from this area. It also raises money for the social and economic programs supporting the University Area Community Development Corporation.
“What makes us unique is that there is a community purpose in this, versus just a musical event with a promoter coming to make money,” said festival organizer Carl Harness. “We have a purpose. This year, it is being promoted by a new entity, the Uptown Entertainment Group, LLC. All of us are volunteers. We are basically doing this for the love of the community, but also to bring quality music to the Tampa Bay area.”
Featured artists
All the artists are all international artists in their own right, Harness said. “The headliner is Pieces of a Dream. Curtis Harmon, the drummer, and James Lloyd, the keyboardist, have been doing this for close to 50 years.”
Pieces of a Dream has gone instrumental, done some little R&B, was featured back in the day on Soul Train, and is very well known in the jazz community.
The duo was discovered at their Philadelphia high school by Grover Washington. They have since become a staple in the contemporary jazz world.
There will also be a guitarist from New York, JJ Santaverino, who, throughout his career, has had numerous number-one Billboard hits. “He has a couple of singles running very high on Watercolors, the jazz internet station,” Harness said. “He has a longstanding solo career.” A graduate of Berkley School of Music, Santaverino has played with everybody who is anybody in the jazz world. Including performing as Maxy Priest’s guitar player for decades.
“The highlight of his career was that back in 2002 he performed at Paul McCartney’s wedding,” Harness said.
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A young minority saxophonist, originally from Indianapolis, will also perform. Bryan Thompson, who goes by B. Thompson, started playing sax when he was nine years old, becoming a child prodigy. He is an internet sensation and has had some media coverage totaling over 100 million views on social media.
Thompson’s new album, POV, is starting to win a lot of radio play nationally, Harness said. Just recently, he was chosen by Baby Face to join his touring band. Baby Face is the warmup for Anita Baker’s current tour.
“Our last act will be Kyle Schroeder. He is from the Tampa Bay area, is 25, and a graduate of the University of Miami Frost School of Music,” Harness said.
“He is new to contemporary jazz, but he is blowing up big time. His latest CD is topping the charts right now. He has an exciting band with some of his U of M contemporaries. The album is called Get with It.”
Other activities
Food trucks that will be on site the day of the festival. They will serve up Italian and Hawaiian dishes, wings, soul food, barbecue and more.
Local artists will also display and sell their art.
“We don’t have a goal on how much money we would like to raise, but since this is just our third year, we will probably set goals soon,” Harness said. “We are still building.”
Gates for the festival will open at 2 p.m. and the music starts at 4 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m. In between, there will be plenty to do. There will be a variety of food trucks serving diverse offerings, vendors, and a kids’ zone area where youngsters can color along with other small activities.
“We will also have an art gallery there where we have Junior Polo, who is a renowned artist in this area, heading up the art piece,” Harness said. “He is bringing in eight to 10 renowned minority artists with sculptures and paintings who will sell their work.”
University Area CDC
The University Area CDC will benefit from the festival. The organization is celebrating 24 years of service to the community, supporting thousands of Tampa residents in the area formerly known as Suitcase City and now called Uptown.
The CDC’s primary function is the redevelopment and sustainability of the at-risk areas surrounding the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus. To learn more, visit uptownmusicfestival.com
The UACDC park is at 14013 N. 22nd Street, Tampa. Tickets range from $150 for VIP seating with catered food and drink tickets to General Reserve Seating at $60 and General Admission at $25. General admission guests should bring their own chairs or blankets.
