Little Jake Mitchell is returning to the Side Door after two sold-out shows that had our audiences singing, swaying and clapping along. He’s bringing back the Soul Searchers, a big band that now includes guitar, bass, two drummers, grand piano, Hammond B3, a full horn section and some surprise guests.[…]

St. Petersburg Opera, which has its performance home at the Palladium, kicks off its 2019-20 season with one of the most popular operettas in history – The Merry Widow.   Kurt Loft, the music writer who provides notes for our Palladium Chamber Series and the Florida Orchestra, has done a[…]

To me, the best blues voice coming out of Tampa Bay belongs to Betty Fox. I’ve been a fan since I first caught a set at the Ringside Cafe maybe six or seven years ago. She’s sold-out the Side Door, she’s opened for major artists like Mavis Staples at the[…]

Friday night’s tag team piano show, featuring two blues and comic heavyweights – Barry Cuda and the Right Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, promises to shake the Palladium’s Side Door to its foundations. If there was any sanctity left in this old Christian Science Church if will flee in tears at[…]

For me and a lot of my pals, the best band to come out of our area in the ‘80s was The Silver King Band. A trio of talented characters – St. Petey Twig on barrelhouse piano, Flo Mingo on washboard, and Rock Bottom on harmonica. They were an R&B[…]

Two upcoming Palladium shows made the “Top Picks for the Weekend” list in the Tampa Bay Times Weekend section.   Crossing The Bay, the musical history of the early days of Tampa and St. Pete, from the same creative team that gave us Webb’s City: The Musical, is on our[…]

Following up last year’s successful revival of Webb’s City: The Musical, we’re bringing back another historic musical by the same creative team. Crossing The Bay, with book by Bill Leavengood and music and lyrics by Lee Ahlin, will take the stage this Friday through Sunday.   Crossing The Bay is[…]

Yesterday when I warned procrastinators to hurry and get tickets for Selwyn Birchwood’s Side Door show tonight a lot of you must have listened. We had 30 tickets left for Selwyn’s show on Thursday morning. By this morning they were all gone.   If you missed this one, stay tuned.[…]

This is a note to all procrastinators out there – a group to which I belong – there are less than 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[…]

There’s a lot of excitement around tonight’s show with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge at the Palladium. They are fronting The Midnight Hour ensemble.   Creative Pinellas writer Eric Snider did a preview of the show for CL’s Arts Coast Journal and you can read it below or follow[…]

Every time I try to take a vacation, the Palladium calendar is full of exciting shows I don’t want to miss.   So please, while PalladiumPaul is away, don’t be a stranger. Check out one or more of these shows and enjoy them for me!   Friday, Aug. 30, 8[…]

We’ve got some hip-hop giants coming to Hough Hall on September 11 at 8 p.m.   I’m a fan of the Luke Cage series – in particular the soundtrack and the live performances that mark every show – and this pair did the soundtracks for both seasons.   If you[…]

Here at the Palladium, where jazz is  part of our musical DNA, we’ve had a long and successful relationship with the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association. Sunday’s concert, featuring two of our favorite singers, Synia Carroll and Theo Valentin, is a perfect example.   Working with the Downing organization,[…]

Both Tampa Bay Times and Creative Loafing are recommending tonight’s program by Elizabeth A. Baker, Intersect, which premiers in the Side Door at 7:30.   Baker will be joined by local pianist John O’Leary, Tampa Bay native turned Oakland-based composer/improvisor Nathan Corder, Oakland-based saxophonist Tom Weeks, and Toronto-based saxophonist Robert[…]

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock festival we’re bringing back a band our audience raved about last year – Peace of Woodstock.   The band recreates the feeling of being at the festival, covering some of the best performances by multiple bands. Despite some threats to do[…]

What is iberian jazz?   Singer Ona Kirei, who is making her Palladium debut tonight, is happy to tell you. She does it beautifully on a video she’s posted to her Facebook page. I loved it. Check it out at this link or just visit Ona’s Facebook page.   Here’s[…]

Friday night in the Side Door one of my favorite shows is making a comeback. The great trio La Lucha returns with a night of ’80s hits revised and jazzified. Last time they did an “80s Jazz Party” singer was Whitney James. This time, they are bringing another Palladium favorite,[…]

Thanks to Creative Pinellas and my former St. Pete Times colleague Eric Snider for a great profile of our Saturday night soul man – Latimore.   Latimore and his band from Chicago are the headliners of a big Soul Celebration this Saturday at the Palladium. The St. Pete Florida Blues[…]

We’re excited to welcome Bob Burr and Steve Marshall for a night of magic and comedy this Friday in the Side Door. The comic/magicians have told me the show will be very family friendly. If it got a rating, it would be PG.     National headlining comic Marshall and[…]

Tickets are almost gone for Saturday night’s Bossa Nova Guitars show featuring Nate Najar and Phill Fest in the Side Door.   It’s a chance to hear two of the best acoustic guitarists in jazz on the same stage. Phill is the son of renowned Brazilian pianist Manfredo Fest.  […]

Our pal, Jerry Notaro, posted his review of our Joni Hearts Nick show by the Florida Bjorkestra to the Joni Mitchell website – Jonimitchell.com. Jerry knows music as well as anyone in bay area, and he was impressed with the Bjorkestra’s take on both Joni and Nick.   His review[…]

One of the joys of being part of the Palladium was getting to spend lots of time with two of our founders – Bill and Hazel Hough.   I am saddened to write that Hazel has left us. I can’t believe I won’t be seeing her in her favorite seat,[…]

Here’s another preview of Saturday’s Joni Hearts Nick (The music of Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake) show by The Florida Bjorkestra.     This one comes from the on-line magazine St. Pete Catalyst, which has become a go-to spot for local arts coverage. Tickets are going fast for this special evening[…]

Thanks to Creative Pinellas for featuring our upcoming Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake show by The Florida Bjorkestra in the current edition of its on-line magazine.   The show is Saturday night, Aug. 3, at 8 p.m. in the intimate Side Door Cabaret and features a 12-piece version of the[…]

The Palladium was the backdrop for a clean energy event focused on electric vehicles on Monday that included Mayor Rick Kriseman and Congressman Charlie Crist. Here’s a Tampa Bay Times story about the event. Note the great photo of our theater!!   To read the full story follow this link[…]

Two great comedy shows are about to hit our Side Door stage, ushering in the first of several big yuks in our Summer House series.   Both shows feature the return of a very VERY funny lady – Aniria Turney. This Saturday, 7/27, Ward Smith & Friends brings Aniria, the[…]

Summer is such a fun season at the Palladium. I get to bring lots of great bands into the Side Door – where the A/C is always set on “stun” – and our audiences get to discover new favorites they may not have heard before.   We’re calling the season[…]

I caught Ella Jet and Future Soul at the Gasparilla Arts Festival main stage this past March and knew I had to have them on our Summer House concert series.   Ella’s been a musical force since she was 12 years old, and I’m thrilled we are finally getting this[…]

When writer and director Bill Leavengood came to me with a new musical satire that needed a theater, I was happy to find some dates, especially when he assured me that Drilled: The Musical  was “topical, irreverent, crazy, silly, stupid, raunchy, surprising AND set in a dental office.”   He[…]

It’s never too early to get excited about our Palladium Chamber Players upcoming season. I was particularly energized last Sunday when I picked up the blue wrapper with the Sunday New York Times rolled up inside.   It’s always my favorite part of Sunday morning:  a home-made latte, an easy[…]

I’m very excited to have the great sax man Jeremy Carter back in the Side Door this Saturday night. Last summer, during our Summer of Soul season, Jeremy sold-out the place with his “Soul of Jazz” show. He’s back this summer with a tribute to John Coltrane.   Coltrane has[…]

 D.C. drummer and vibes master Chuck Redd is back at the Side Door this Friday night celebrating the release of his new record, Groove City. He’ll be joined by Tampa Bay’s favorite jazz trio, La Lucha for the show. It’s the first jazz show of our  Summer House series in[…]

I’m excited to announce that I’m spending the next week in the Berkshires.   PalladiumPaul (AKA Paul Wilborn, the Palladium’s Executive Director) has been selected to attend the distinguished National Dance Presenters’ Forum at Jacob’s Pillow. This four-day dance leadership development intensive is held at Jacob’s Pillow’s 220-acre site in[…]

This summer we’ve added a series of Thursday night showcases to the Palladium’s line up that feature artists and bands that don’t fit our regular jazz/blues/stand-up comedy formats.   And there’s nobody better to kick off this series than Sarasota’s enigmatic singer, songwriter and swingster Dean Johanesen. I’ve enjoyed Dean’s[…]

The Palladium’s Summer House opens on July 4 weekend and like all great resorts, you need to book early!   The Damon Fowler Trio returns on Friday, July 5 and there are less than 50 tickets remaining. Damon ranks with our best home-grown talents. He’s beloved locally but he’s also[…]

Our friends at St. Petersburg Opera wrap their current season at the Palladium with two weekends of Puccini’s classic Madama Butterfly.   Madama Butterfly has five performances, starting Friday, June 21 and closing Sunday, June 30. For tickets and more information you can follow this link.   Moscow native Zoya[…]

From July to early September we’re beating the heat with a series of shows in the Side Door and Hough Hall featuring some of our favorites artists. We’re calling our series  Summer House and we promise the music will be hot, the beer will be cold and the air conditioning[…]

I’m very excited to welcome Tampa City Ballet to the Palladium family. This professional, collaborative, contemporary dance company, is presenting a new show on an old topic. The show, titled 7th Ave & Ybor celebrates the history and spectacle of the early immigrant days of Tampa’s historic quarter.   The[…]

I caught the Sunday matinee performance of the two Puccini one-acts by St. Petersburg Opera. I loved them both, particularly the powerful opening opera Suor Angelica.   The staging, the live orchestra, and Susan Spatafora’s portrayal of the tormented nun, were all wonderful, and like most of the audience, I[…]

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[…]