Tampa Bay's jazz scene comes together for the first-ever Al Downing Honors

Last year, the City of St. Petersburg made Al Downing Day a thing.

click to enlarge Al Downing - Photo vy Jared, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo vy Jared, CC BY-SA 3.0
Al Downing
Last year, the City of St. Petersburg made Al Downing Day a thing.

To continue celebrating the life and legacy of the late educator, musician and mentor who was also the city’s first Black Commissioner of the Housing Authority, his namesake foundation is hosting its first-ever awards ceremony of sorts.

A who’s who of the local jazz scene with be on hand as members of the Downing family—including Mrs. Deirdre Downing-Jackson—pay tribute to locals who’ve contributed to the fabric of Tampa Bay’s jazz landscape (including Frank Williams III, Michael Cornette. Naturally, the Al Downing All-Stars provide music for this matinee which also features vocalist Greg Porter, who is currently Director of Music at St. Pete’s Historic Bethel AME Church where Al Downing once served as church organist.

Tickets for Al Downing Honors on Sunday, July 21 at Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg are still available and start at $10.

Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.

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Ray Roa

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief in August 2019. Past work can be seen at Suburban Apologist, Tampa Bay Times, Consequence of Sound and The...
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