BEACONS

CLEARWATER — Ruth Eckerd Hall has partnered with the Florida Smooth Jazz Foundation to present the fourth annual Clearwater Smooth Jazz Jam, with performances on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31. Concerts will begin both nights at 7 p.m. at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater.

Single tickets for each show start at $81.75. Visit www.rutheckerdhall.com or call 727-791-7400.

This year’s lineup will feature David Benoit, Norman Brown, and Boney James on Saturday; and Mindi Abair, RnR featuring Rick Braun & Richard Elliot, and Brian Culbertson on Sunday.

Saturday lineup

David Benoit is a founding father of contemporary jazz, rooted in the tradition of Bill Evans and Dave Brubeck. Always one to break boundaries, Benoit has never been one to stay with one formula or style. He has consistently pushed the envelope, always drawing from his influences, which include jazz, film, comics, Broadway, symphonies and more. His collaborations with such diverse artists as The Rippingtons, Faith Hill, David Sanborn, Marc Antoine and CeCe Winans have brought accolades from press and fans alike. His orchestra work with the Pacific Vision Youth Symphony (the orchestra he founded in 2001), the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Philippine Philharmonic are legendary.

Recent album releases include “A Midnight Rendezvous” (2022), “Timeless” (2024) and “Steinway After Dark” (2025).

Smooth jazz guitarist Norman Brown was born in Louisiana and raised in Kansas City. He became interested in guitar at a young age when introduced to his older brother’s six-string. Upon the discovery of Wes Montgomery, he was hooked on exploring the world of contemporary jazz. He first hit the scene in 1992 with Just Between Us, garnering praise and comparisons to legends like George Benson and Wes Montgomery himself.

Brown picked up a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for 2003’s “Just Chillin.”

Grammy nominee and multi-platinum saxophonist Boney James released “Detour,” his 18th studio album, on Concord Records in 2022. It’s been a quarter century since the four-time Grammy nominee and multi-platinum selling sax-man released “Trust,” his debut recording.

One of the most successful instrumental artists of our time, James has accumulated four Recording Industry Association of America Gold records with career sales topping 3 million units. He continues to defy genres as a two-time NAACP Award nominee, a Soul Train Award winner and was named one of the Top 3 Billboard Contemporary Jazz Artists of the Decade.

“What drives me is my love of making music and my desire for people to hear what I’ve made,” James said in a press release from Concord Records. “I still love the communal aspect of playing live. There’s nothing else like it.”

Sunday lineup

Two-time Grammy nominee Mindi Abair is a saxophonist, vocalist, and author of “How To Play Madison Square Garden.” During her remarkable 27-year recording career, the saxophonist/vocalist has recorded with some of the biggest names in music, and built a substantial following among jazz and blues audiences with her soaring melodies and powerhouse style. In 2018, Abair and The Boneshakers won eight Independent Blues Awards including Artist of the Year, and an Independent Music Award for Best Blues Song Fan Award for “Pretty Good for a Girl” featuring Joe Bonamassa.

Rick Braun has enjoyed a career longevity that is rare in this business. He has crafted his own distinctive sound and become a staple on contemporary jazz radio. He has produced No. 1 hits for David Benoit, Marc Antoine and former Rod Stewart band sidekick, Jeff Golub. Braun achieved collaborative success on massive hits with Boney James, as a member of RnR with saxophonist Richard Elliot, and with BWB, a powerhouse trio completed by Grammy winners Kirk Whalum and Norman Brown.

Richard Elliot polished his chops serving as a sideman for giants, including The Yellowjackets, Natalie Cole, and Motown hit-makers Smokey Robinson and The Temptations. But many first heard the saxophone virtuosity of Elliot in the 1980s, as a touring musician with the bay area soul-funk outfit, Tower of Power. Elliot has released more than 20 albums. His list of No. 1 albums includes “On the Town,” “Soul Embrace,” “After Dark” and “Jumpin’ Off.” Elliot holds a consistent presence at the top of the Billboard charts.

Brian Culbertson is touring in support of his latest release, 2025’s “Day Trip.”

Over the course of crafting a 29-album catalog and architecting 40 Billboard No. 1 singles as a keyboardist, songwriter and producer, Culbertson has charted his own unique course in music. Label him jazz and he makes a funk record. Call him an R&B artist and he drops an acoustic jazz trio collection. Brand him pop and he creates a 32-minute new age opus. And you’d be hard pressed to name another instrumentalist of his ilk who can mount an elaborately designed concert production that will keep him on the road for three consecutive months.

Culbertson burst onto the scene in 1994 with a chart-topping album that he recorded in his college apartment featuring keyboard-led contemporary jazz tracks. “Long Night Out” landed him a lengthy record deal and signaled that a star was born. Flash forward to present day, Culbertson has been going back and listening more and more to music that inspired him as a young musician such as David Sanborn, The Brecker Bros, Chick Corea, Al Jarreau, Pat Metheny, and others in the jazz fusion world.

“It instantly brought me back to the days of ‘no rules’ and the pure joy of music, something that I think a lot of albums today are lacking,” Culbertson said. “With that said, I set out to write and produce a new album that would try to capture a little bit of that late ’70s and early ’80s spirit of music exploration, along with using only live musicians and real instruments. Similar in style to ‘Another Long Night Out,’ ‘Day Trip’ is the daytime version.”

Possessing style, panache, and a savvy business mind capable of moving the needle in music and beyond, Culbertson founded and curates the annual Napa Valley, New Orleans, and Chicago Jazz Getaways, which have attracted guests from all over the globe to experience his premier events.

Whether you’re listening to music from “Day Trip” on record or live in concert, you’re hearing an eclectic, entertaining and engaging set from an artist at the peak of his power.