Celebrating Latin Jazz All Weekend

October 5-8
St Pete and Tampa

SPC faculty David Manson is director of EMIT, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to the presentation of adventurous music since 1995.

EMIT partnered with St. Petersburg College, St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District Association and ArtsXchange, Arts Axis Florida and WUSF Public Media to present the 2023 EMIT Latin Jazz Fest.

Jose Valentino & Eternal Power
Thursday, October 5 at 7:30 pm
Music Center at St. Petersburg College

Multi-Latin GRAMMY® winner, 15-time Global Music® and Emmy® Award Winner, José Valentino & Eternal Power featuring Robert Acevedo Jr. celebrated the release of their 20th album Eternal Power with world-premiere performances showcasing futuristic Latin jazz artistry at the Music Center at the Gibbs campus.

Artists included José Valentino (flute & saxophone), Robert Acevedo Jr. (percussion), Elias Tona (bass), Jesse Pitts (drums) and Bruno Miranda (piano).

Other concerts on the EMIT Latin Jazz Fest included:

Gilberto Garcia & The Latin Knights
Friday, October 6 at 7:30 pm
ArtsXchange Stage in the Warehouse Arts District

Gilberto Garcia & The Latin Knights were founded in 1997 by percussionist Gilberto Nino Garcia. The Latin Jazz Knights Band have made a reputation for themselves as one of the leading Latin jazz bands in Tampa Bay.

Dimas Sanchez & the Afro Latin Jazz Project
Saturday, October 7 at 7:30 pm
ArtsXchange Stage in the Warehouse Arts District

Dimas Sánchez and The Afro Latin Jazz Project is influenced by the sounds of Afro Puerto Rican, Afro Cuban and African rhythms. As a guest we will have master percussionist and dancer Olabayo Ogunrrinola from Nigeria.

This evening of Afro Latin Jazz features Edepson Gonzalez (piano), Mauricio Rodríguez (bass), Jochy Rodríguez (trumpet), Jorge Malavé (saxophone), Jorge Ito Colón (percussion) and Dimas Sánchez (drums and percussion).