Five guitarists are heading to the same small stage in St. Petersburg's Warehouse Arts District this Saturday, each getting a 20-minute solo set before joining forces for a finale that brings all five players together at once. The concert, called Guitars Galore, kicks off at 4:30 p.m. at Seven C Music, located at 535 22nd Street South, with tickets starting at $25.
The show is presented by the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, a nonprofit that traces its roots back to 1973, when Black jazz musicians in segregated St. Petersburg found space to jam in the handful of local restaurants that allowed it, according to St. Pete Catalyst. As Creative Loafing Tampa reports, the lineup features Carl Amundson, Bart Hanchey, Charlie Robinson, Jose Velandia, and Vincent Sims, with the five guitarists backed by a three-piece rhythm section throughout the evening.
That rhythm section is made up of Richard “Stretch” Bruyn on piano, Kenny Walker on bass, and Ron Gregg on drums, according to WUSF. The station describes the event as a showcase spanning jazz, blues, Latin, rock, and funk styles, giving each guitarist room to bring a distinct sound before the whole group converges for the closing set.
A Namesake Rooted in Tuskegee and Segregation-Era Jazz
The association is named for Alvin J. Downing, a World War II Tuskegee Airman who served as adjutant and leader of the 613th Army Air Forces band before returning to St. Petersburg, according to The Weekly Challenger. Downing went on to become the first African American member of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority in 1966 and the first Black musician to perform with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, and he later taught music for decades at Gibbs High School and St. Petersburg Junior College.
Downing founded the organization alongside his wife, Bernice “Bunny” Downing, and its legacy was formally recognized this year when St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch issued a proclamation declaring Feb. 12, 2026 as “Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association Day,” per the Catalyst's reporting. Since its founding, the nonprofit has awarded more than $80,000 in scholarships to young jazz musicians across Tampa Bay through an annual competition for local high school seniors heading to college, the outlet notes.
The organization has also continued drawing municipal support in recent months. Earlier in 2026, the City of St. Petersburg awarded the association a $1,500 MLK Communities in Action Mini-Grant to fund its “Sounds of Hope” project, which offers free public jazz performances and historical presentations tied to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy.
A Tribute to the Man Who Brought Bossa Nova to America
One of the night's featured players, Carl Amundson, a Tampa Bay guitarist with more than 40 years on the local scene who released the album *Guitarists!* with the Modern Guitar Quintet in 2004, will dedicate his set to Charlie Byrd's bossa nova compositions, per CarlAmundson.com. Amundson was mentored early on by Al Downing himself and by local jazz figure Frank B. Mullen Jr.
Byrd, the guitarist who helped popularize bossa nova in North America through his 1962 album *Jazz Samba* — recorded with saxophonist Stan Getz and still the only jazz record to reach No. 1 on the Billboard pop album chart, according to CapitalBop — would have turned 101 in September 2026. The timing gives Amundson's tribute set an added resonance for longtime fans of the genre.
From Chitlin' Circuit Stages to a Berklee-Trained Bandmate
The lineup's elder statesman, 82-year-old Charlie Robinson, spent his early career touring the historic Chitlin' Circuit, playing venues including the Apollo Theater in New York and studying under jazz icons Charlie Haden and Don Cherry, according to The Artisan Magazine. He later earned a degree from the University of Central Florida and became a fixture at Tampa Bay jazz jams.
Rounding out the bill is Vincent Sims, a Berklee College of Music alumnus and core guitarist for the Al Downing AllStars who has shared stages with national blues and jazz names including Koko Taylor and Lucky Peterson, per Creative Pinellas. Sims is a regular performer at the association's tribute events and community honors.
Inside the Venue: A Guitar Shop Turned Concert Hall
Saturday's concert takes place inside Seven C Music, a guitar specialty store, luthier shop, and concert space that relocated to the Warehouse Arts District in 2021. The venue was co-founded by Taylor Guitars veteran Joel Hosler and his father, master luthier David Hosler, and it combines full-service stringed-instrument repair with a coffee bar and live performance space, according to the Catalyst's earlier reporting.
Tickets to Guitars Galore start at $25, and those with questions can reach the venue directly at (727) 290-6741.
