Bass player Billy Norris left Tampa a couple years ago to entertain jazz audiences in New York City, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots in the Tampa Bay area. On Thursday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m., he returns to Tampa for the WMNF 88.5 Live Jazz Series with friends LaRue Nickelson (guitar), Alex LoRe (sax) and Michael W. Davis (drums). Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Seating is limited in the intimate live music studio and refreshments will be available.
Norris has been playing music since childhood, starting with the guitar, then evolving to play the bass, drums and sing. These days, he concentrates on perfecting his bass playing under the guidance of legendary Harvie S at the Manhattan School of Music, where he received a full-ride scholarship to attend after two impressive stints in the Grammy Jazz Ensemble in 2005 and 2006. Drummer Michael Davis also attends the Manhattan School of Music and is in the band Minor Blues alongside Norris. He hails from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Well-known Tampa Bay area guitarist LaRue Nickelson teaches guitar at University of South Florida and has several recordings to his credit, both as a leader and sideman. The LaRue Nickelson Trio has opened for many touring jazz artists and performs regularly in the region. As a member of Chuck Owen's Resurgence group, Nickelson was a performing artist at the 2000 International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in New Orleans. He also has performed at the Clearwater Jazz Festival, the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy and throughout South Africa as a member of the USF JAZZTET, the premier performing group of the USF Jazz Program.
Saxophonist Alex LoRe is a native of Tarpon Springs and resides in Jacksonville where he studies with legendary jazz master Bunky Green in the University of North Florida jazz studies program. LoRe has shared the stage with artists such as Benny Green, Russell Malone, Dianne Shuur and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones while playing lead alto saxophone chair in UNF’s award-winning Jazz Ensemble 1. He has performed at the Next Generation Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, The Ravinia Festival, the North Texas Jazz Festival, The Savannah Jazz Fesitval and the Mahaffey Theatre in St Petersburg.
