Arts Axis Florida is expanding its online jazz offerings. The online hub of all things arts, and part of WUSF Public Media, is unveiling an on-demand jazz music streaming service. The service will offer a wide range of recordings, podcasts and concert videos of jazz musicians from Tampa Bay and beyond. It will be available on mobile, desktop, tablet and more, for free, anytime, anywhere.
Arts Axis Florida
Arts Axis Florida launched in 2020. It is an online hub of music, art, performance and cultural venues from WUSF Public Media. Its popularity has taken off quickly, with tens of thousands of new users, and traffic to the site up more than 300 percent in recent weeks. Jazz music is a core component of the service.
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“The jazz universe has a near limitless list of live performances, studio sessions and interviews,” WUSF Public Media General Manager JoAnn Urofsky. “Our goal is to create many ways to enjoy jazz so our listeners can tap into that universe. Each week we are adding more and more music to the online library for everyone in Florida and beyond to enjoy.”
Recent additions include:
- Two 24-hour, 7-day a week streams of jazz music via a partnership with WUCF. Some recently played tunes include “Blackberry Winter by Keith Jarrett, “Yes or No” by Kali Rodrigues-Pea and “Rhumba Gitane” by Doug Munro & La Pompe Attack.
- Recordings of local Tampa Bay concerts, such as Bryan J. Hughes singing the music of Duke Ellington at the Palladium in St. Petersburg.
- NPR “Tiny Desk” concerts with YouTube videos of dozens of artists, such as Melanie Charles, Butcher Brown and Immanuel Wilkins.
Arts Axis Florida helped dozens of Florida museums, galleries, concert halls and others reach their supporters when Covid-19 kept venues closed. Since then, it has grown tremendously, with dozens of cultural institutions joining the website to add their creations. Now fans can access all the best of Florida’s creative culture whenever they want.
The Arts Axis Florida jazz hub includes national performances too. For instance, the NPR “Tiny Desk” concert series, where artists and bands drop by NPR studios to record in-person jam sessions.
Highlighting local artists
The site recently added recordings of even more performances at local Tampa Bay concert venues. This includes dozens of performances at the Palladium theater in St. Petersburg. Many dating back several years, such as the band “Peace of Woodstock,” and performers James Suggs, Whitney James, vocalist Stacey Kent and saxophonist Jim Tomlinson and more.
For those looking for jazz streaming at any time, WUSF has partnered with the public media radio station WUCF in Orlando. This allows for two 24-hour streaming jazz channels. The free service requires no login or password–just a click to begin the music streaming.
“Like jazz, the Arts Axis Florida platform aims to be creative, welcoming and always adapting,” Urofsky said. “Each month, we plan to add even more music, podcasts, videos and more, so get ready for some wonderful jazz coming your way.”
Arts Axis Florida is a special project of WUSF Public Media. This is the local NPR station for the greater Tampa Bay Region. The entire library is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is supported by the listeners and sponsors of WUSF Public Media and Community Foundation Tampa Bay.
