21st Annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival

21st Annual

JAZZ FESTIVAL

Presented by Visit Panama City Beach APRIL 24-28 PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA

By Melanie Maxwell

By the time 7,500 jazz fans slather on sunscreen and shimmy into their seats at the Seabreeze Jazz Festival in Panama City Beach, Florida, this month, there will be practically no signs of the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael last fall. This slice of Northwest Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coastline still boasts sugar-white sand beaches and seas that sparkle with swaying gemlike ribbons of emerald green, azure, sapphire, turquoise and teal. Nearly 30 acts are scheduled to perform over five-days––on land, at sea and upstairs at a rooftop bar––April 24-28. And, the show will go on!

Photos, top to bottom: Richard Elliot performing during the 2018 Seabreeze Jazz Festival Eric Darius flying across the stage during the 2018 Seabreeze Jazz Festival Pier Park on Pier Park Dr. at Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach, Florida Aaron Bessant Park during the 2018 Seabreeze Jazz Festival

Photo: Jim Clark

The lineup includes Jonathan Butler, Kirk Whalum, West Coast Jam (Richard Elliot, Peter White, DW3 and the West Coast Horns), Eric Darius, Jeffrey Osborne, Jazz in Pink (all-female group featuring Gail Jhonson, Mariea Antoinette, Chelsey Green and more), Sax to the Max (Michael Lington, Paul Taylor and Vincent Ingala) and The Jacksons’ 50th Anniversary Celebration, among others. The festival kicks off on Wednesday with a dinner sailing at sunset featuring Brian Culbertson, followed by a lunch cruise with violinist Ken Ford on Thursday. GRAMMY-winning guitarist Norman Brown is throwing a CD-release party and luncheon on Friday at Pompano Joe’s Seafood House in the Pier Park shopping mall, where other festival performers will host nightly after-parties and jam sessions Thursday through Saturday. And, closing out the festival on Sunday, the Seabreeze All-Star After-party Jam featuring guitarist-vocalist Nick Colionne will be held at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, also at Pier Park, and adjacent to Aaron Bessant Park, the main festival grounds. The venue, which opened in 2013, offers the conveniences jazz fans (and artists) dream of most: a state-of-the-art amphitheater, 10 acres of manicured lawn, plenty of running-water restrooms (there is rarely a long line!), free general admission parking at Pier Park, a loading dock, a green room and dressing rooms for the performers. Plus, there is ample space for a vendor village, food court and a variety of food and beverage trucks that will be staged throughout the grounds, offering adventurous dining options along with typical festival fare. Ever wondered what alligator-on-a-stick or fried frog legs taste like? You can find out at Seabreeze. If your palate yearns more for Southern cooking, there will be booths serving up gumbo, jambalaya, po’ boy sandwiches, shrimp-and-grits, collard

greens, cornbread, black-eyed peas and sweet potato pie. And, if you’re craving some down-home chitterlings, neck bones, fried okra or gizzards, there are vendors for those, too. Want to try some Caribbean island delights such as conch salad, conch fritters or oxtail Photo: Jim Clark and rice? They have that, as well as empanadas, pizza, fried chicken and fish, gourmet burgers, pulled pork, turkey legs, fish and shrimp tacos, and sushi, plus Cajun, Jamaican and Greek cuisine. There will also be cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, ice cream, smoothies, lemonade, beer and wine booths, and two Daiquiri Wagons. “For 2019, we do have some new vendors such as Pop Fusion, which sells adult popsicles ... frozen wine-infused fruit pops,” said Mark Carter, the festival’s producer and owner of The SeabreezeWSBZ-FM-106.3 based in Destin, Florida. “Also new this year, we have Pickers Crafted Cocktails, from Nashville, Tennessee. Their fruit-based vodka cocktails are a brand-new product being unveiled at the show this year. They are sold in a can and will be available for purchase at the Seabreeze bars.” It’s great that there are so many options because outside food and drinks are not allowed inside the venue. Festivalgoers are permitted to bring in an empty water bottle, which they can fill up at an onsite water station. Seabreeze has streamlined the purchasing process with a cashless system of currency through wristbands, with an RFID chip inside encoded with each customer’s ticket order and linked to funds electronically loaded with a credit card or cash. The wristbands serve as a ticket to the event, and they are the only method of payment accepted for all onsite purchases, including a subscription to Smooth Jazz News! (See festival website for details and policies.) The Seabreeze mobile app, which can be downloaded for free at the App Store or Google Play, is a great tool to manage your money. “It features the ability to add funds to your wristband from your phone, see the festival schedule, a festival map, listings of all the food and merchandise vendors complete with menu items and prices, current news about the event, live streaming of Seabreeze Radio and more,” said Carter, who produces this festival with his wife of 39 years, Renee’.

GRAMMY-winning guitarist Norman Brown is throwing a CD-release party and luncheon on Friday at Pompano Joe’s Seafood House in the Pier Park shopping mall, where other festival performers will host nightly after-parties and jam sessions Thursday through Saturday.

Norman Brown continued on page 12

continued from page 11

Other conveniences of this festival, which always sells out, include its close proximity to the airport (only 10 miles away) and the affordability and luxury of beachfront accommodations, many of which are across the street or down the road from the venue. “Condo rental rates range from $99 to $239 a night, depending on if they are a one-, two-or three-bedroom unit, and if they’re Gulf-front or not,” said Carter. Thankfully, local condo complexes withstood the hurricane. “Panama City Beach fared well in the storm with little to no damage to the east,” said Carter. “In Panama City, Marcus Anderson, Maysa cleanup still continues, and damage is and Peter White visible across much of North Florida into South Georgia in the form of downed trees in the woods as well as some structural damage in some areas.” Although Panama City, which is over the bridge and 10 miles away, sustained substantial damage from last year’s hurricane (2.5 million cubic yards of Photo: Lori Stoll debris has already been removed, with more to go), Panama City Beach survived mostly unscathed by comparison. Area residents and businesses of this tourist-driven economy are grateful to welcome visitors, especially jazz fans—who rent condos and hotel rooms, shop at their stores, eat at their restaurants, partake in local activities such as golf, fishing, parasailing and sightseeing while soaking up the Southern hospitality, culture and, of course, world-class entertainment at the 21st Annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival—all of which contribute to the rebuilding efforts.

WHEN

April 24-28

Panama City Beach, Florida

WHERE

Panama City Beach, Florida Festival: Aaron Bessant Park Amphitheater, 500 W. Park Dr. After-Parties at Pier Park: Pompano Joe’s Seafood House, 16202 Front Beach Road Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, 16230 Front Beach Road

GETTING THERE

Flights are available to the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in Panama City Beach, and Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The venue is approximately 10 miles from ECP and 55 miles from VPS.

STAYING THERE

ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals, the official accommodations sponsor, is offering festivalgoers a 10 percent discount (mention promo code “Seabreeze2019”) on condo and beach home rentals for the Seabreeze Jazz Festival (subject to availability). For reservations and information, visit www.seabreezejazz festival.com/stay.html or call 877-640-0052.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION

Wristbands, with embedded RFID technology, are issued in lieu of paper tickets, and are also the digital currency for all festival purchases inside the venue. For complete Seabreeze Jazz Festival details and more information about the cashless system, visit www.seabreezejazzfestival.com or call 850-267-3279. To order tickets by phone, call 855-233-6714. Tickets are also available locally at Florida House Her and Home in the Pier Park shopping and entertainment mall located at 200 Bluefish Dr. in Panama City Beach (call 850-234-5544), with discounted tickets to military members at a variety of locations, which are posted on the festival website. LINEUP

Wednesday, April 24 *Seabreeze Dinner Cruise featuring Brian Culbertson, boards at 6:30 p.m., sails at 7 p.m. (sold-out)

Thursday, April 25 *Seabreeze Jazzy Lunch Cruise featuring Ken Ford, boards at 10:30 a.m., sails at 11 a.m. (sold-out) *Dining cruises, aboard the Solaris entertainment yacht, sail around St. Andrews Bay. Boarding at the Lighthouse Marina, 5325 N. Lagoon Dr., Panama City Beach, Florida. On festival grounds (gates open at 2 p.m.) Kayla Waters (“Seabreeze Rising Star”)..............................3 p.m. U-Nam featuring special guests Tim Owens and Magdalena Chovancova................................................4:30 p.m. Eric Darius .....................................................................6:30 p.m. The Jacksons’ (50th Anniversary Celebration)...............8:30 p.m.

Pompano Joe’s Seafood House at Pier Park

All-Star After-Party Jam featuring Ken Ford (sold-out) 10:30 p.m.