Lenard Rutledge and Jim Gasior Quartet
This event has passed.
Gather oceanside for an open air concert featuring Lenard Rutledge alongside the Jim Gasior Quartet, on Sunday, April 21 at the Ocean Drive Promenade Music Series, a free weekly concert series presented by the Ocean Drive Association. Pack a picnic blanket or lawn chair to stake out your seat on the lawn. Showtime is at 5:00 p.m.
This performance is presented as part of the The Betsy’s 12th annual Overture to Overtown Jazz Festival. As a tribute to Overtown's history and legacy, The Betsy has been holding its annual Overture to Overtown Festival for nearly a decade featuring live jazz, poetry readings and talks. The festival celebrates the historic connections, between South Florida jazz and the National historic jazz circuit, that brought stars like Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday, Duke Ellington and many others to perform in Overtown (aka Harlem of the South).
Acclaimed jazz vocalist, Lenard Rutledge began his musical career as a percussionist and in 1997 transitioned into vocals. Rutledge’s elegant voice is inspired by his church choir roots and is often compared to the legendary Lou Rawls.
South Florida pianist, jazz educator and arranger Jim Gasior has performed with a roster of prominent artists that include Smokey Robinson, Jose Feliciano, Little Richard, Freddie Hubbard, Benny Golson, Terrel Stafford and Arturo Sandoval, to name a few.