Thomas Carabasi Quartet - MNJC

Tom Carabasi…a native of Philadelphia, is an active drummer, percussionist and bandleader on the Sarasota scene. Since moving to Florida in 1991 to teach photography and art at The Ringling College of Art and Design, Carabasi has performed and recorded with many of the areas top jazz artists including Manfredo Fest, Kenny Drew Jr., Nathen Page, John Lamb, Dick Reynolds, Jeff Berlin, Michael Royal, Richie Zellon, Kenny Soderblom, Patrick Bettison, Dianne Linscott, Richard Drexler and the Michael Ross Quartet.

During the last several years he has also done guest performances with the Florida Orchestra (with Manfredo Fest), the Clayton Brothers, David Amram, Ted Rosenthal, Stefon Harris, Bob Berg, Rick DeLarotta, David “Fathead” Newman and John LaPorta. His early professional career included work with Richie Cole and “Alto Madness” featuring Eddie Jefferson on vocals, as well as co-leading his own jazz-fusion ensemble “Montage”.

He performed and recorded in Philadelphia with many local groups including the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble and the Ian Dogole Global Fusion Music project. In 2001 he arranged and produced a CD entitled “Portraits in Black and White” with an assortment of Brazilian and jazz standards featuring Kenny Drew Jr. on piano. The recording was voted one of that year’s top new CD’s by WUSF jazz radio of Tampa. He formed his own band called The Samba Jazz Quartet and has been performing this beautiful mixture of jazz and Brazilian music regularly in the Sarasota and Tampa Bay area.

Host or Publisher Jazz Club of Sarasota