Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 1-13-17 Edition

Features
Ybor City Jazz Club Owner Is Expanding Its Horizon
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
On any given weekend night, the crowd is just about standing room only on the first floor of the Ybor City Jazz House as a band jams on the stage.
One floor above, revelers can be found dressed in their party best wrapped around the bar or on the dance floor swaying to DJ Sandman’s latest old school R&B mashup.
It’s not just the music that pulls people in into this three-story nightclub. Com- edy and spoken-word shows also are popular attractions.
Tucked inside a historic building along Ybor’s famed 7th Avenue, Jazz House this year will celebrate three years of owning the live R&B/jazz music scene.
Each anniversary that the club reaches is another that owner Eric Fleming said naysayers told him wouldn’t happen.
Fleming said he got little support and lots of specula- tion when he first opened his
establishment. “Everybody told me it
wouldn’t work,” he said. “Now they tell me it can.”
The Jazz House is doing so well, Fleming and his marketing manager, Crystal Hill-Murray are moving into larger territory with the launch of the Tampa Bay SoulFest.
The concert takes place this Sunday with R&B croon- ers Brian McKnight, Johnny Gill, and Al B. Sure on the bill.
Fleming said he pur- posely jumped out with “sea- soned veterans” for his first major event because he wants to appeal to Tampa’s R&B fans, who are over- looked, thanks to the popu- larity of the area’s hip-hop and pop music stations.
“It’s a big void and I’m trying to add to it through the avenues that I can,” he said. “I figure if I’m going to get some talent, I’m going to do it right.”
SoulFest fits in well with the cluster of area events that take place in January, so it likely will be an annual event,
Hill-Murray said. The goal is to influence
musical tastes so that more R&B acts visit Tampa and having that lead to a FM R&B radio station, she said.
“We’re trying to change what we listen to,” she said. “We’re trying to plant the seed and build on that hope everybody will catch on.”
It’s a challenge that Fleming said he can handle thanks to the “beautiful is- sues” he faced with the open- ing of the Jazz House.
A former cigar store owner, Fleming said he did- n’t have a clear vision for the nightclub, but was certain he could do it in part because of his lifelong passion for the music.
“I had enough to know it would work,” he said. “All I did was take what I saw and what I liked.”
Over the years, staff has changed and talent has come and gone. But Jazz House continues going strong be- cause it follows one simple rule, Fleming said.
“It’s consistent at doing one thing and doing that well,” he said.
If You Go
Tampa Bay SoulFest fea- turing Brian McKnight, Johnny Gill, and Al B. Sure, 7 p. m. at USF Sun Dome Arena, 4202 E Fowler Ave. Tickets start at $45. For more information or to pur- chase tickets, visit www.Sun- DomeArena.com.
Traffic Advisory For MLK Parade
The 28th Annual Dr. Mar- tin Luther King Parade will take place in East Tampa fromnoon–3p.m.onMon- day, January 16, 2017. The MLK Parade steps off at noon at the intersection of 21st Av- enue and 15th Street. It will proceed north on 15th St. until it reaches Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and will turn east; the parade will travel east on Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. until 22nd Street, where it will turn north. The parade will con- tinue north on 22nd St. until it reaches its end at the inter- section of 22nd St. and East Osborne Ave. (corner, Mid- dleton High School), at ap- proximately 3 p. m.
The City of Tampa is alert- ing the public of road closures and towing zones in support of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade.
21st Ave. will be closed from 12th St. to 18th St. Avenue Republica De Cuba will be closed in both directions from Columbus Dr. to 21st Ave. 15th St will be closed in both direc- tions from 17th Ave. to MLK Blvd. MLK Blvd. will be closed in both directions from
15th St. to 22nd St. 22nd St. will be closed in both directions from MLK Blvd. to Hillsbor- ough Ave.
These road closures will start at 5 a. m., on Monday, January 16, 2017 and end at approximately 4 p. m. the same day. Please use alter- nate routes to avoid traffic congestion.
NO PARKING signs will be installed and will be in ef- fect from Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 8 p. m. through Mon- day, January 16, 2017 at 5 p. m. The impacted area is: 21st Avenue from 12th Street to 18th Street; on 14th Street/Re- publica de Cuba from 21st Avenue to Columbus Drive; on 15th Street from 21st Av- enue to 17th St. and on 15th St. from 21st St. to E. Lake Ave.
Any vehicles parked on the street in the af- fected no parking areas will be cited and towed at the owner’s expense.
The MLK Parade is pro- duced by the MLK Founda- tion and sponsored by the City of Tampa. For further event details please visit www.mlkjrparade.com.
The Sentinel Office Will Be Closed Monday, January 16th. In Observance Of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
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