BEST BETS
• SOUNDS LIKE: Hailing from Costa Rica and Iran, Strunz & Farah's sound is evocative of those haunting, irresistible Almódovar film soundtracks, so just imagine what the guitar duo will sound like in an intimate jazz club. Sept. 28-29 at the Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club.• MODERN FUSION: Cuban-born composer and multi-instrumentalist Omar Sosa is rooted in jazz, with a thoroughly modern sensibility, and a deep, primal groove. Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, fusing Latin rhythms and improv, are also on the bill. Oct. 13 at the Carnival Center.-- ALICIA ZUCKERMAN
With the Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club and the Carnival Center both in their second year, jazz in South Florida is continuing to gain ground. Carnival kicks off its season with vocalist Freddy Cole (Oct. 5 and 6), in the Studio Theater configured as a jazz club. Often touted as Nat ''King'' Cole's brother, his sound is all his own. Freddy Cole has drawn comparisons to Frank Sinatra and even Billie Holiday. Next up: Broadway legend Patti LuPone (Oct. 7), singing tunes from Hair, West Side Story and Evita in the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, followed by composer-musician Omar Sosa sharing a bill with Afro-Caribbean group Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band (Oct. 13), and a tribute to the late Cuban jazz legend Bola de Nieve, with tenor Francisco Cespedes, drummer Ignacio Berroa and pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Oct. 20). Vocal quartet Manhattan Transfer heads south, offering jazz-pop renditions of Christmas classics (Dec. 20).
AT SANDOVAL'S
Over at Sandoval's club at the Deauville Beach Resort, highlights include the cross-cultural virtuosic guitar duo, Strunz & Farrah (Sept. 28 and 29); the Yellowjackets gigs (Oct. 6 and 7), sure to sell-out; the self-taught, virtuoso vibraphonist Gary Burton (with Makoto Ozone, Oct. 11 and 12); and crowd-pleasing, Grammy-winning vocalist Diane Schuur (Oct. 19 and 20). When Sandoval himself shows up, sometimes unannounced, to sit in with regularly scheduled artists, fans delight in his piercing high notes, spirited piano playing and larger-than-life persona.
New York transplant Sammy Figeroa, who says he came to Miami to retire, but -- thankfully -- couldn't stop playing, brings top-flight Latin jazz at an outdoor Jazz at the Museum of Contemporary Art performance (Oct. 26). Miami Light Project and FUNDarte present Latin power trio Overproof (Sept. 27) at Teatro Artime.
At the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, the Gold Coast Jazz Society presents the Kenny Drew Jr. Trio (Oct. 10); Freddy Cole's holiday show (Dec. 12); and big band with the Artie Shaw Orchestra (Jan. 9). Also at BCPA, another member of the Cole family -- Natalie (Oct. 17). Tony Bennett (Dec. 6) is as classic they come; also, jazz-Afropop-R&B luminary Hugh Masekela (and the Chissa All-Stars, Jan. 27); and vocalist Jane Monheit (March 27).
WORLD MUSIC
Rhythm Foundation brings a wealth of world music: Senegalese vocalist Youssou N'Dour and the Super Etoile Band (Nov. 16) at the Gusman Theater and Brazilian composer-singer-political activist Caetano Veloso (Nov. 24) at the Carnival Center. Tigertail Productions presents multimedia musician-poet Jan Sabon with Haitian jazz musicians joined by Curac¸ao-based musicians, Oswin ''Chin'' Behilia and ensemble at the Colony Theater on April 12.
