View as web page.“Thin Man” Watts Fest
to Highlight Latin Jazz
Saturday, April 25, 2026 | Noon - 6p
Second Stage Theater,
600 N. Woodland Blvd.
DeLand, FL 32720
The
2026 “Thin Man” Watts Jazz Fest returns to Downtown DeLand on April 24–25, 2026, continuing its role as a cultural and community-centered event honoring the life and legacy of Florida saxophonist
Noble “Thin Man” Watts. Established in 2011, the festival serves as a primary fundraiser for the African American Museum of the Arts (AAMA), supporting its ongoing mission to preserve and present African American art and history in the region.
The festival begins Friday evening, April 24, with a kickoff jazz performance at
Abbey Bar in Downtown DeLand (
MAP) from 8:00 to 11:00 PM. Saturday’s main event takes place at Stetson University’s Second Stage Theater, where four featured musical acts will perform throughout the day. Poetry presentations by Exodus United, a Central Florida nonprofit serving at-risk youth through arts and education, will be interwoven between performances.
Ticket holders receive admission to all four Saturday performances. The lineup opens at
12:00 PM with the Sal Martinez Trio, featuring pianist Sal Martinez performing jazz standards ranging from bebop to jazz fusion. At
1:30 PM, The Eighth Note Collective, led by trombonist Derrick Harris, brings a blend of traditional jazz, soul, funk, R&B, and Latin influences. At
3:00 PM, Ella and the Bossa Beat—featuring pianist and vocalist Ella Blu alongside Grammy-nominated drummer and producer Magrus Borges—present a mix of contemporary jazz, soul, and Brazilian bossa nova. The festival concludes with a
4:30 PM performance by Puerto Rican percussionist Dimas Sanchez and his Afro Latin Jazz Project, highlighting Afro-Caribbean rhythms and Latin jazz traditions.
Additional festival elements include on-site food vendors offering a range of options, including soul food and vegan selections from Golden Meals, along with refreshments from the African American Museum of the Arts. Festival merchandise will also be available, including T-shirts and posters.
Noble “Thin Man” Watts was a commanding tenor saxophonist whose career bridged the formative years of rhythm and blues and the evolving soul-blues circuit that followed. Born in DeLand, Florida in 1926, Watts developed his sound during the post-war era, performing with early R&B pioneers and contributing to the touring band of Chuck Willis. His playing combined a strong, honking sax tone with melodic phrasing that made him both a bandleader and a sought-after sideman. Over the decades, he worked with a wide range of artists (Bo Diddley, Lionel Hampton, Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams, Dinah Washington, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, and others) and maintained a reputation for energetic live performances rooted in the classic jump blues tradition.
Watts’ Florida roots remained central throughout his life and career. He was born in Jacksonville and later spent many years based in Tampa, where he became a familiar and respected figure in the state’s blues community. Regular appearances at clubs, festivals, and regional events helped connect generations of musicians and audiences across Florida. His continued presence on the circuit well into his later years reflected both his dedication to live performance and his role in sustaining the state’s jazz and blues heritage.
All proceeds from the 2026 festival support the
African American Museum of the Arts in DeLand, which recently completed a 3,500-square-foot expansion of its facility at 325 S. Clara Avenue. The event is made possible through the support of community sponsors and partners, including Judy Thompson, HapCo Music Youth Arts, Kemp Realty Group, Boulevard Tire Center, AdventHealth DeLand, Ken Goldberg Construction Co. LLC, Mainstreet Community Bank, Self-Help Credit Union, Run 4 a Cause, and others, along with in-kind support from Stetson University and local organizations.
The
“Thin Man” Watts Jazz Fest continues to connect audiences with live jazz while honoring a Florida artist whose career and influence remain an important part of the state’s musical history and future.
Distributed by:
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