Without a Trace: Seminole sax player headed to law school

Saturday’s show at the Palladium Side Door Cabaret will mark the last local appearance from jazz musician Trace Zacur for … well, for a while. He’s not entirely sure.

One thing, however, is certain: Come the second week in August, Zacur is off to Boston to attend New England Law. It’s at least a three-year process.

Not that he’s hanging up his saxophone. Zacur, who has a degree in performance from the Berklee College of Music (class of 2020), is a musician down to his bones.

It’s just that he likes a good challenge. “I’ve been playing music for 15 years now, but before that my ambition was always to become a lawyer,” the 27-year-old explained. “My father was a lawyer and that was something I always aspired to be. So this is the next step.”

Berklee had an entertainment law class in collaboration with Harvard Law, which he took. “And I took a few political science and philosophy classes and they were great, but I said ‘I have to keep this on the back burner because I’m just having way too much fun playing.’” After Berklee, he returned to Seminole, his hometown, and quickly became an important member of the bay area jazz community.

Truth is, he believes the analytical part of his brain can function as both attorney and musician.

“As a jazz musician,” he explained, “you have to be quick on your feet. You have to have judgement. You have to have a knowledge of history. And I don’t think that’s all too far removed from being a lawyer.”

Several years ago. Zacur took the New England entrance exam, but couldn’t find a way to tear himself away from music. He’s a busy bandleader, and sideman, has released an EP (No Genre, No Rules), and sits on the board of the Al Downing Foundation (and co-chairs the education committee).

He teaches aspiring sax players with the Clearwater Jazz Holiday organization, as well as the jazz program at Ruth Eckerd Hall. “I’m going to miss teaching the kids,” he said. “I had quite a few rising seniors, and misty-eyed farewells to them as they’re looking at their next year.”

Looking at his own next year, and the years beyond, Zacur is focusing. “At first I wanted to be an entertainment lawyer, and help out in the realm of copyright and whatnot. Helping out musicians.

“I’d still like to do that, of course, but now I would love to, eventually, become some kind of a politician who’s lobbying for funding arts programs, and helping to protect jazz museums and other things of this sort.” He’s an advocate for arts education and hopes to render aid in that troubled field.

For the 8 p.m. Saturday concert – dubbed “The Final Brief: A Jazz Farewell” – Zacur’s band will include Gumbi Ortiz (percussion), Jean Bolduc (drums), Kenny Walker (bass), Maurice Allen (keyboards) and Theo Valentin (vocals). Zacur plays tenor and alto sax.

“I’m an emotional guy,” Zacur confessed, “so at least once a week I’ve had some bittersweet emotions about this. I reflect deeply about it.

“I think about the first time I played at the Palladium, when I was a highschooler, and I just had a dream about playing there again. I thought it was a really great place, legit, where real musicians play; ‘I hope one day I can bring my own band here.’ All the lessons I’ve learned, and all the places music has taken me, I took that for granted.

“So it’s very bittersweet knowing I won’t be in the same environment.”

Find tickets for the Saturday event at this link.