Jazz event set next week

Published 11:10 pm Friday, February 22, 2013

Jazz in Suffolk is back again as the Suffolk Riverfront Jazz organization brings two award-winning artists to the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts.

The show on March 2, like prior events the organization has held at Constant’s Wharf, will benefit the Gladys Gatlin Foundation, which helps female military veterans adjust to civilian life and receive treatment for problems that can plague them, including post-traumatic stress disorder and sexual assault.

The March 2 show will feature Euge Groove and Peter White.

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“Peter White is a guitar virtuoso,” said Aubrey Wilson, director of the Gladys Gatlin Foundation, which is named after his mother. “He can get more out of one note than most guys get out of three. … and Euge Groove has got quite a few things going on for him.”

Euge Groove, born Steven Eugene Grove, had his first public musical performance at a second-grade piano recital and graduated from the University of Miami School of Music in 1984. He has won several Oasis Jazz Awards and had several No. 1 singles and albums.

Peter White, a native of England, has had an acoustic guitar career that spanned nearly four decades and also won numerous awards. The two artists have performed together in the past.

The Gladys Gatlin Foundation works all over the nation, but focuses special attention on Hampton Roads because of its large concentration of veterans.

“In a place like Hampton Roads, we have an abundance of veterans,” Wilson said. “In Hampton alone, there’s some 500 veterans waiting for housing vouchers. Imagine what it’s like in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.”

Wilson encouraged people to come and also praised the venue.

“There are no bad seats in this theater,” he added, saying the event already is on its way to a sellout. “Hopefully, we’ll get a group of diehard fans that will continue to support the Gladys Gatlin Foundation.”

VIP tickets for the event are $55.50 each and entitle the holder to seats closer to the stage. General admission seating tickets are $47.50 each.

For more information or to order tickets, visit www.suffolkriverfrontjazz.com.