Dick Hyman to be honored at 37th Sarasota Jazz Festival
The Sarasota-Bradenton area is home to a lot of internationally known artists, but few are as celebrated as the great jazz pianist and composer Dick Hyman.
Hyman, who’s been in the spotlight going back to his days with Benny Goodman, his appearances on “Sing Along With Mitch” in the 1960s to his long collaboration with Woody Allen, turns 90 this month, and in April he’ll officially become a 2017 NEA Jazz Masters Fellow, the highest award in jazz.
On Tuesday, just a day before his birthday, he’ll be honored at a concert titled “Musical Biography of the Legendary Dick Hyman.” It’s part of the 37th annual Sarasota Jazz Festival, which gets under way on Sunday and runs through March 11.
Bob Seymour, the longtime host of WUSF-FM’s jazz program, is the “tour guide” for the musical journey, which chronicles his days as the first pianist at Birdland and takes the audience up through movies where he served as music director, composer, arranger and performer, including “Moonstruck” and 10 films by Allen.
Here’s the entire festival schedule:
Noon-4 p.m. Sunday: Free outdoor concert with three bands. Phillippi Estate Park, 5500 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231
7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday: Evening concert: “Musical Biography of the Legendary Dick Hyman.” Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota. Jazz Club members $35; guests $45; students free.
6-10 p.m. Wednesday: 19th annual Jazz Trolley & Pub Crawl, downtown Sarasota. Advance $20 from Jazz Club office; $25 at the trolley; entry to individual clubs (without wristband), $5 at the door.
6-10 p.m. March 9: New York Jazz Evening with Hyman and Ken Peplowski. Michael’s On East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota. $125.
2-4 p.m. March 10: Alfred Green talks about and signs his book, “Rhythm Is My Beat,” about his father, Freddie Green, who played guitar with the Count Basie Band. Free. Gelbart Auditorium at Selby Library, 331 First St., Sarasota. jazzclubsarasota.org.
7:30-9:30 p.m. March 11 Evening Concert: “A Salute to Jazz History” featuring Hyman with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band and John Sheridan. Riverview PAC. Jazz Club members $35; Guests $45; Students free (at the door). jazzclubsarasota.org.
Details: March 5-11, locations around Sarasota, Various ticket prices. 941-366-1552, jazzclubsarasota.org.
Marty Clear: 941-708-7919, @martinclear
This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Dick Hyman to be honored at 37th Sarasota Jazz Festival."