Sophie Milman in the SP Times!

Sophie Milman, the rising jazz talent appearing this Thursday at the Palladium, is profiled by Philip Booth in this week’s edition of the St. Petersburg Times. Born in Russia, raised in Israel and now living in Toronto, Milman has made a name for herself in jazz circles for taking pop songs and reworking them as jazz standards.

Read Booth’s story by following this link: http://www.tampabay.com/features/music/jazz-singer-sophie-milman-sets-sights-on-new-standards/1080374

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How Blue Can We Get?

The Palladium is recognized as Tampa Bay’s best venue for live jazz. But in the past year, we’ve become home to some of the best blues shows as well. 

Damon Fowler, Roy Book Binder, Dr. John, The Sauce Boss, and boogie-woogie piano legend Bob Seeley are among the great blues acts we’ve hosted this season. And Friday we’ve got another big blues talent taking the stage.

Sean Chambers, a local player with a national reputation, will bring his hot guitar and his trio to our Side Door Cabaret. Sean in touring in support of his new CD, Ten ‘Til Midnight, on the Blue Heat Records label.  The new disc showcases the powerful style which earned him critical plaudits from a host of magazines, including Europe’s Guitarist Magazine, which listed Sean as ‘one of the Top 50 Blues Guitarists of the last century.’

I don’t have to tell you that most local blues clubs leave a lot to be desired in comfort, sound and sight lines. You get all three in our Side Door Cabaret, plus a dance floor!

Sean Chambers appears in the intimate Side Door Cabaret on Friday, March 19, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 advance and $15 at the door. They are available online at www.mypalladium.org or by calling the Palladium box office at 727 822-3590.

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Come try the Palladium Theater’s new front doors!

Thanks to St. Petersburg College, the restoration of the historic Palladium Theater is continuing.  While a lot of improvements – like our new air conditioning and wiring – aren’t easy to see, our latest renovation project will be visible to everyone.

This week workers are replacing all of our front doors.  The original doors were beyond repair and the locks kept falling out – not a great thing when trying to secure a historic building.

The old doors were faded and beat-up from years of use. One of my predecessors, Paul Stavros, kept threatening to come by with a paint brush and repaint them. I told him to wait, that improvements were coming.

The new doors are recreations of the original but made of much better wood. These doors are made of Sapelli (also spelled Sapele) wood, an African tree with a grain that is very similar to mahogany.   A quick Google search turns up lots of raves about the wood for its beauty and strength. It is often used to make guitars and even some pianos – so it is perfect for a music venue like ours. 

The doors have impact resistant windows. All the original hardware is being polished and refitted to the new doors.

The doors will be in place for our two Side Door shows this weekend – The Kym Purling Jazz Trio on Friday and our Nova Scotia Fiddling Celebration on Saturday.

Come by this weekend and try the new doors for yourself – and stay for a great show!

The Kym Purling Trio appears in the Side Door Cabaret on Friday, March 12 at 8 p.m. And the Nova Scotia Fiddling Celebration – featuring Andrea Beaton and Troy and Sabra MacGillivray is Saturday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. For more information and tickets go to www.mypalladium.org or call the box office at 727 822-3590.

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