Jazz band Four80East will play the Funky Biscuit on April 21.
By Steve Pike
Jazz and baseball typically aren’t thought of in the same sentence — except that one could argue each is an acquired taste — but here’s an analogy: In his classic book Shoeless Joe, author W.P. Kinsella penned the famous line “If you build it, he will come.”
A disgraced baseball legend and an Iowa cornfield were the farthest things from Jacqui Wyatt’s mind when she conceived of the Royal Palm Place Jazz Series in Boca Raton, but nevertheless, the analogy holds true.
“When I first came up with the idea in early spring of 2010, there weren’t many places for people to go to hear jazz,” Wyatt said. “Look at the demographic of South Florida and Boca Raton in particular. It’s not a hip-hop demographic, not a rap demographic and certainly not a South Beach club demographic. I thought it would be good to have a classy place where people could go and listen to good jazz music in a nice atmosphere.”
As director of operations and marketing for Boca Raton-based Investments Limited, Wyatt knew of the perfect atmosphere: the company’s Royal Palm Place dining and shopping complex in downtown Boca Raton.
“I thought, at least, if we bring it and see who comes. If nobody comes, then we tried,” she said. “If they do come, then let’s try and build on it as much as we can.”
Wyatt’s instincts were correct. That is, she has built the Royal Palm Place Jazz Series and people certainly have come. The festival is in its second season, having already had two concerts this season, with the next on April 21 featuring the electro-jazz band Four80East. All of the concerts are held at the Funky Biscuit in Royal Palm Place, a popular venue for a variety of acts from jazz to country to rock to big bands.
The previous jazz series concert — Matt Marshak and Marcus Anderson this past January — attracted 120 people. That number might sound small, Wyatt said, don’t let it fool you.
“It’s an intimate venue,” said Wyatt, a lifelong jazz fan. “When we started the series, the first two concerts (November and December 2010) were outside on the piazza. The weather wasn’t very cooperative. It was cold and windy. So we decided to move it indoors.
“Jazz by nature is genre of music that really lends itself to a more intimate atmosphere. If you think back to the old clubs, people like being up close to the stage. I’ve seen Dave Koz and his Christmas concert at the Broward Center. It was great, but it was on a big stage. At the Funky Biscuit the performers come down off the stage and interact with the audience. It’s just a much more welcoming atmosphere.”
Welcoming for each side. The audience likes the coziness of the Funky Biscuit, Wyatt said, and the musicians like the opportunity to perform at one of the few venues for jazz in South Florida.
“The musicians themselves are so intense about their love of the music,” Wyatt said. “I had a limited budget and some of these performers command huge amounts of money. Once they understood what we were trying to accomplish, they really stepped up to the plate. It’s just sort of snowballed from there.” Ú
Comments