Jazzmen heat up Davis Art Center downtown

COURTESY PHOTO Wycliffe Gordon Jazz Quartet The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center hosts "Jazz in Fort Myers: A Salute to McCollum Hall," featuring "100 Years of Jazz," a photography exhibit of Jazz legends, through Feb. 27. The opening and closing night galas will raise funds for the Williams Academy Black History Museum. The event also features a concert by the Wycliffe Gordon Jazz Quartet in honor of the late Bruce Gora, for one night only, Friday, Feb. 20. The cost is $30 and seating is limited.

"Jazz in Fort Myers: A Salute to McCollum Hall" at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center showcases the finest jazz legends through their pictures, music, and legacy.

McCollum Hall, on the corner of Cranford Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers, served as a stage for Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, B.B. King and many others. Built in 1938 by Clifford McCollum, the building was a USO for African American troops stationed at Page and Buckingham Fields during World War II. In a time of segregation, music conquered the racial divide as whites and blacks gathered together for performances.

For tickets to the 2009 Florida Arts Festival events and for more information on upcoming events and supporting local arts, visit the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center's Web site, www. SBDAC.com, or call 333-1933.