Jazz Jamm

Vinoy Resort, 501 5th Ave NE, St. Pete., FL. Tel. 727- 894-1000

Meet 2 hear the beat

written by guest SK

Rick Gee offered up a change of pace Friday night at his monthly Jazz Jamm at the Vinoy. The Celestial Orchestra is a 10 piece Latin jazz group with a beat and a message: 'tropical music with a message to honor our supreme being'.

The group's co-founders, Andrew Maldonado, Dr. Frankie Bermudez and Juan Santana gave a spirited performance, mostly Latin swing wtih a strong horn section and a wide variety of drums, maracas, grourds and other percussion instruments. Early in the set they changed the beat to a be-bop standard called Green Dolphin Street then returned to their Latin roots. The first few numbers seemed excessively loud limiting the subtlety of the thythm. But once they toned down the amps, the beat was contagious.

A highlight of the night came with the three solo riffs by the very young, very talented keyboardist from Columbia, David Cubilos, whose tight chords and changes delighted the audience.

Thanks once again to Rick Gee, who is working hard to bring good jazz, with a variety of sounds and moods to St. Petersburg. Bring it on, Rick, we're just getting warmed up.