I wanted to share a wonderful story written by TBTimes book critic Colette Bancroft about my new book, “Cigar City: Tales From a 1980s Creative Ghetto.”     Told in fictional short stories, I try to recreate the magical era when the historic district was home to nothing but artists,[…]

Tonight at 7 at the Palladium, SPC honors a longstanding leader in the arts at the college. Dr. Jonathan Steele has also been a longtime friend of the Palladium since it became part of SPC over 11 years ago.   Tonight’s tribute concert by the SPC Co0mmunity Band and Wind[…]

We’re pleased to welcome back Bay Area Performing Arts and Casting to the Palladium this Saturday. After a remarkable production of School of Rock, BAPAC is back with Carrots, a show for the entire family, based on Beatrix Potter’s classic tale of Peter Rabbit.   The show is this Saturday[…]

  This is a note to all procrastinators out there – a group to which I belong – there are only 30 tickets left for the Selwyn Birchwood show in the Side Door this Friday night.   Don’t wait any longer. This show WILL be sold out by the time[…]

We wrapped up our Palladium Chamber Series last week, that doesn’t mean we’ve finished presenting great classical music this season. We are so proud to be partnering with The Chopin Project, which has brought top pianists to the Palladium’s Steinway over the past two seasons.   This Tuesday night (4-23[…]

You can get a preview of Thursday night’s From Rio With Love show tonight on WUSF’s All Night Jazz, with Mike Cornette. Nate Najar brought the band into the station to do some songs and talk about the show and the new album they are recording with Brazilian singer Daneila[…]

I caught up with Nate Najar and Daniela Soledade at Nate’s studio, just before recording starts on what will be Daniela’s first album.   They are recording the album this week and taking a break to play the Palladium on Thursday, April 18, with an all Brazilian show he’s calling[…]

Although they only did one album together, Sarah Vaughn and Billy Eckstine, are considered one of the best duos in jazz history.     Last April, Synia Carroll sold-out the Side Door with her Sarah tribute show. She returns Friday, this time with California-based vocalist Scotty Wright. Wright will be[…]

Rhonda Vincent returns to the Palladium tonight, with her full band, The Rage. She’s again bringing her talent, charisma and a combination of bluegrass and country that is strictly her own.   I was really impressed when she was here last time – it was all the way back in[…]

Our  Beacon Dance series, that debuts its 2019 incarnation tonight, drew lots of media attention from the weekly Creative Loafing and the daily digital magazine St. Pete Catalyst.   Creative Loafing made the show a pick of the week calling Beacon “a singularly collaborative and evocative interdisciplinary experience.”   And[…]

I caught up with Helen Hansen French and Lauren Ree Slone, the two dancers and choreographers behind our Beacon Dance project during rehearsals at the Palladium this week. The show goes up at 8 p.m. tonight.   Here’s a link for tickets.   I asked these two talented and visionary[…]

All of us at the Palladium are so proud to be the performance home of Beacon 2019.   Our artistic directors, Helen Hansen French and Lauren Ree Sloane, promise another an evening of dance, film and performance that will inspire and entertain you. It seems like were just only yesterday[…]

Spring is here and it’s time for another magical visit from The Florida Bjorkestra. Mark your calendar for this Sunday, March 31, at 6 p.m. when the 20-piece ensemble presents the music of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.   I’m not exaggerating when I tell you the Bjorkestra brings together[…]

After Nancy Wilson died last December several singers approached me about a tribute show. I knew Katt Hefner had been singing a lot of Wilson’s repertoire and had a show together even before Wilson passed.   At our John Lamb birthday concert in Janaury, we talked and now this Thursday,[…]

Straight outta NYC, Svetlana and the Delancey Five are the hottest swing jazz ensemble in the Big Apple. And Thursday they’ll be lighting up the Side Door, along with some of the bay area’s best lindy hoppers and swing dancers.   We’re bringing in a wooden dance floor so the[…]

The amazing ensemble known as the Florida Björkestra returns to their home turf at the Palladium on Sunday, March 31, this time with a show called: The Secret World: The Music of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.   After hits with shows featuring music by their namesake artist, along with[…]

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of our Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp means bringing in some veterans – like 90-years-young Bob Seeley – and a new player, Eden Brent.   We’re excited to have Eden on the bill, with four other great boogie woogie and blues artists. To get your tickets[…]

I’m not sure if James Suggs qualifies any longer as the new kid in town. Since arriving from Argentina four years ago, James has become a favorite on the local jazz scene, he’s gotten his masters in music from USF and he married Carolina Ticeira, his sweetheart from Argentina.  […]

This year is the 10th Anniversary of the Palladium’s Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp. This year we’re not only celebrating Bob Seeley’s 90th birthday, but we’re bringing back a player from our first year, Ricky Nye, out of Cincinnati.   Ricky puts on a similar concert in Cincy every year[…]

Thanks to St. Pete Catalyst, the ‘burg’s daily on-line newsletter, for featuring the Palladium Chamber Players just prior to Wednesday’s concert.   There is one more concert in our 2018-19 series, on April 17. For tickets and information you can follow this link.   And here’s a link to the[…]

  Jeff Multer is back leading the Palladium Chamber Players this Wednesday in the fourth of our five-concert season.   The 7:30 p.m. concert features two piano quartets, one by Mozart and one by Gabriel Fauré, along with Ernő Dohnányi’s Serenade for Violin, Viola and Cello, Op. 10. Along with[…]

WOW!!!!!!   (Okay, maybe more than one word. Cuban jazz pianist Chuchito Valdes tore up the Side Door Friday night. His playing was at various times percussive and exciting, and tender and gentle. I lost count of the standing ovations during the show. If you missed him, stay tuned. Chuchito[…]

The St. Petersburg Jazz Festival is returning to the Palladium next week. Five amazing shows on five consecutive nights starting Wednesday, Feb. 27. Four of the shows are in our intimate Side Door Cabaret. Saturday night’s show, featuring singer Alexis Cole and the 17-piece Helios Jazz Orchestra, is upstairs in[…]

Yes, Puddles is a very sad and very silent clown. But just seconds after Puddles took the Palladium stage last year everybody in the sold-out crowd was smiling (and laughing out loud!)   That’s because (one) Puddles is very funny. And (two) when this silent clown opens his black lip-sticked[…]

Chris MacDonald’s introduction to the King of Rock and Roll, came from watching old Elvis movies on TV with his Mom, who was a fan.   “Elvis was cool in those movies – he beat up the bad guys and had cute girls in bikinis chasing him – it looked[…]

We are welcoming back Amy Schwartz Moretti Wednesday night as she joins the Palladium Chamber Players for a special concert that celebrates Shakespeare.   The concert is part of a city-wide celebration of the Bard of Avon, that included St. Petersburg Opera’s production of Kiss Me Kate , an upcoming[…]

Wow. I was one of the lucky folks in the audience Tuesday night for the St. Pete Opera production of Kiss Me Kate.   It’s a “don’t miss” production, with a stellar cast, great Cole Porter songs, terrific dancing, and the powerhouse 20-piece St. Petersburg Opera Orchestra live on stage.[…]

Kiss Me Kate, which St. Petersburg Opera is producing at the Palladium over the next two weekends, was actually Cole Porter’s “comeback” musical.   After a string of hit shows throughout the ’30s and early 1940s, Porter wrote a couple of flops that produced no hit songs and the critics[…]

That red-letter day that honors love is coming up fast. To help you celebrate the Palladium’s offering a bouquet of shows that make great gifts. And if your current status is solo, getting out to a show is a great way to meet new people.   Here’s what we’re offering[…]

The Funniest Man Alive is coming back to the Side Door this Saturday night (1-19) at 8 p.m. and this time, I’ll be in the audience to laugh along with everyone else.   The last time G. David Howard played the Side Door I was on vacation and missed the[…]

We kicked-off our 2018-19 Palladium Chamber Players season in December with a stirring trio performance, but this Wednesday all four of our original players will be onstage performing some exceptional repertoire.   Danielle Farina, our violist, is here (literally, the quartet is rehearsing in the hall as I write this),[…]

Shelly Berg, who’s been called “the best jazz pianist you’ve never heard of,” is actually a familiar name to our audiences. He played the Palladium a few years ago and he’s well known around Florida as a jazz musician and educator.   But just in case you are wondering if[…]

St. Pete Catalyst, the our town’s online daily news site, published a profile of John Lamb today, just before Sunday’s big John Lamb birthday bash at the Palladium.   The 85-year-old jazz bassist is also being honored in February with a MUSE Award from the St. Pete Arts Alliance.  […]

We are starting off 2019 with some musical fireworks.   Things start lighting up on Saturday, Jan. 5 when Victor Wainwright and The Train make a whistle-stop in our main hall. Victor and the band just picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album, for his latest self-titled[…]

 Get your tickets and get on board! Fresh from their Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album, Victor Wainwright and The Train are coming to the Palladium on Saturday, Jan. 5.   Victor is bringing his full band and he’ll be joined by another boogie woogie piano monster – Bob[…]

The Palladium Chamber Players have been rehearsing this week directly above my office and I’ve been enjoying the Bach, Schubert and Tornia (I’m new to his music) they’ve been practicing. I keep my door open and slip upstairs whenever I have a break.   So I can tell you, our[…]

Our Palladium Chamber Players are back for 2018-19, and the season starts with a powerhouse concert Wednesday night (12-12) at 7:30 featuring music by Bach, Turina and Schubert.   This year’s season has set a new record for subscription sales. Individual tickets are also available for all concerts. Call our[…]

Our pals at Creative Loafing know their music and that’s clearly why they picked Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday as their featured show of the week.   And CL is not alone. Palladium audiences have loved this show for years. We expect more than 450 folks in Hough Hall this Thursday[…]

There are just a handful of tickets remaining for Friday night’s swinging Side Door show featuring Jason Marsalis & the 21st Century Trad Band. Folks are excited about the Palladium debut of this young New Orleans drummer and vibraphonist and his band. They are celebrating their new release on Basin[…]

This year’s edition of Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday features a line-up of local and international jazz stars and promises to be one of the best shows of the year at the Palladium.   Nate starts with some of our favorite local players, including birthday boy John Lamb, (We’ll be celebrating[…]

Just in time for our all-Chopin program performed by famed pianist Arthur Greene (Hough Hall, Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7:30) there’s a new biography of the Polish composer. A  review of the book made the front cover of the New York Times book review last week.   Chopin and his[…]

Our collaboration with The Chopin Project continues to bring award-winning pianists to the Palladium stage. I am particularly excited about the upcoming concert on Thursday, Dec. 6, featuring Arthur Greene.   Greene, who earned first prize in both William Kapell and Gina Bachauer International Piano Competitions, will be performing an[…]

Cyber Monday is here and there are more than just discounts on electronics and clothes this year. You’re favorite local venue is offering ONE-DAY-ONLY discounts on lots of our major shows coming up in 2018 and 2019.   Here’s a list with links to our box office. Use promo code:[…]

Living Blues Magazine is a top notch publication – now on issue number 257 – that is just about as close to the Bible of the blues as we’ve got.   And two of our favorite artists – Latimore and Damon Fowler – show up in this month’s issue and[…]

Come get your dancing shoes out for New York City’s hottest swing dance band!   Adrian Cunningham, the clarinet and sax master, leads New York’s hottest swing dance band, Professor Cunningham and His Old School. They are taking top honors at international swing festivals, and are the in-demand swing unit[…]

Orchestral and classical music is a big part of what we do at the Palladium. And I’m thrilled when we find partners who share that passion for this incredible musical legacy.   Starting with one concert last year, we have embraced The Chopin Project, a performance and educational effort of[…]

John Nemeth, one of the brightest stars in the blues firmament, is returning to the Palladium this Friday night with his full horn band.   You’ve got the chance to hear this exciting performer in the intimate Side Door Cabaret. And our own Backtrack Blues Band will open the show[…]

The Palladium is delivering some top drawer blues over the next few months and it all starts TONIGHT!   Tonight we’re welcoming the blues rocker Rusty Wright, a Billboard Top 10 artist, to the Side Door. Get ready for a night of Chicago-style blues, southern rock and more from this[…]

The wonderful Whitney James is in the Side Door tonight celebrating the cooler weather with a selection of tunes she’s calling “Fall In Love With Jazz.”   I was going to tell you about it, but I asked Whitney to write a few thoughts down and when I got her[…]

We’re so proud to be part of SPF18, the showcase of St. Pete’s finest performers.   Tonight we’re hosting the American Stage Improv Festival, which features a stellar lineup of artists including my heroes, Hawk and Wayne, performers from Florida Studio Theater, The Box, and headliners Improv Boston.  That show[…]