Rose Bilal’s Palladium benefit brings out the best in Tampa Bay’s best jazz musicians

At first we thought the Rose Bilal benefit – For the Love of Rose – would fill the Side Door cabaret. But by Sunday, the show had moved upstairs and more than 375 people turned out.

 

And for everyone involved – it was a day to remember.

 

Rose – who is recovering from a stroke – sat right down front and was serenaded by more than 30 of Tampa Bay’s best jazz singers and musicians for almost three hours. At one point, I lost count of the number of standing ovations.

 

I arrived late and missed Kenny Drew Jr’s amazing appearance that was a highlight of an amazing first set – but there were still plenty of highlights for me:

 

1.  Belinda Womack doing a swinging version of  “The Way You Wear Your Hat,” with Stan Hunter, John Lamb, Vincent Sims, Ron Gregg, Dwayne White and Ernie Calhoun.

 

2. Shawn Brown proving again that he’s among the best performers anywhere – doing a powerhouse version of Leon Russell’s tune – “A Song For You.”

 

3. John Lamb and the always-amazing Sharon Scott doing “Yesterday.”

 

4. And an emotional version of “Here’s To Life” by Whitney James, with LaRue Nickelson, Mark Feinman, and Alejandro Arenas.

 

I’ll have more on this great concert coming up, but I wanted to share that and some pictures taken by my pal, Rob Rowen that are up on facebook. More shots and stories to come.

 

Thanks to Marian Seymour, who organized the show and started the ball rolling. By last Sunday she was joined by hundreds of folks who wanted to be part of this benefit for one of Tampa Bay’s most beloved singers and community activists.

 

If an outpouring of love can help a patient recover – then Rose got plenty of that medicine on Sunday.