Home » Jazz Musicians » Al Hixon

Al Hixon

Hixon spends nine-plus months a year on Longboat Key, leaving in mid-May to summer in his native New England. The drummer is a retired urban planner whose Connecticut-based firm specialized in open space housing concepts and solving environmentally sensitive land planning problems.

Hixon has presided over the jams at a succession of local clubs and restaurants, settling in three years ago to the upstairs room at 15 South Ristorante Enoteca. Musicians of all skill levels gravitate to it and are warmly accepted. The music is accompanied by doses of Hixon’s corny jokes, at no charge.

Tags

Performance / Tour

Time flies when you're having fun

Time flies when you're having fun

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes

Drummer Al Hixon has been hosting weekly jam sessions in or near Sarasota for about 30 years that draw an interesting blend of consummate jazz pros, amateurs and devoted listeners. The latest incarceration takes place Monday nights from October through May at 15 South Ristorante Entoteca on St. Armand's Circle. The retired urban planner from southern New England also treats area jazz societies at least once a year to appearances by his Underheard Herd. That band includes a few mainstays- ...

Performance / Tour

Al Hixon knows talent when he hears it

Al Hixon knows talent when he hears it

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes

It's almost a rite of passage for newly arrived jazz musicians in Southwest Florida. Those who have resettled from northern climates or are wintering here quickly find their way to15 South Ristorante Entoteca, a restaurant on toney St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota. On Monday night's, of course. That's when drummer Al Hixon holds his weekly jam sessions upstairs in a crowded room. He's been holding his weekly jams for a total of 27 years in Sarasota since retiring as a ...

Performance / Tour

A spirited finale to jazz club's fifth season

A spirited finale to jazz club's fifth season

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes

The South County Jazz Club wrapped up its fifth season on Thursday, March 31, with a splendid concert by the latest edition of drummer Al Hixon's “Underheard Herd." That's a fitting name for his band, which generally includes a player or two who have been under-exposed in the area, or who are so good, you never tire of hearing them. The matinee event at the Venice Art Center teamed Hixon with ex-Ellington bassist John Lamb, pianist Dick Reynolds (longtime house ...

Photos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.