Arturo Sandoval

Miami owes a great deal to Arturo Sandoval. Not only is he a great civic treasure as one of the world's premier jazz trumpeters, but also he is the man responsible for bringing jazz to South Florida. Prior to the 2006 opening of the Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club in the historic Deauville Beach Resort in Miami Beach, jazz had few homes here. Sandoval provided one, and his stage has been graced by many of the world's finest musicians in the genre. Sandoval himself made a point of playing regular gigs there, frequently lending his flawless technique and crystal-clear tone and ultra-high register to sets by luminaries such as light-jazz chanteuse Roberta Flack, accomplished drummer and bandleader Roy Haynes, and neo-bop sax man Joshua Redman.

Unfortunately for Miami, Sandoval's has closed up shop. The disappearance of such a vital part of Miami's vibrant live music scene will not go unnoticed, and is likely to plunge Miami back into a near-jazz-less Dark Age. Maybe Sandoval has something else up his sleeve. Otherwise, fans might have to make the trek west to Sanibel Island to see world-class jazz.