Terry “Doc”Handy

Terry “Doc” Handy – Born and raised in Jacksonville, FL – Doc credits his older brother’s love for the piano for driving him to become a musician. Doc has played percussion for over 30 years over a diverse array of genres including Rhythm & Blues, Jazz, and Latin Jazz. Doc has performed globally in Europe, Korea, and Panama. Doc has also been selected as the opening performance for many greats including James Brown, Aaran Neville, Macy Gray, Kool and the Gang, Kirk Whalum, Brian Culbertson, and EL Gran Combo. Doc is most inspired by percussionists Ralph McDonald, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Bill Summers.

Doc aka “Mr. Jazz Festival” lights it up everywhere he performs. Doc’s uniqueness as a conga drum musician is his captivating ability to fuse Afro-Cuban percussion with Jazz to create an infectious swing that leaves his audiences in a spell bound groove. His stage presence is cooler than a polar bear’s toe nail, yet his laid back style mesmerizingly intensifies as the core accompanying sound in his eclectic jazz band arrangements.

Doc is a refined student of music and regards his beloved Jazz as a sophisticated and intellectual genre that makes one think. Doc effortlessly, yet surgically infuses the cultural power of the African conga drum beats to drive an ancestral emotion of unity and healing that tells a story. A harmonious story that has had a 4 year old boy fall in love with Jazz after hearing Doc’s CD played in their parent’s car. A harmonious story that inspired a woman to kiss his hand after a concert. A harmonious experience of spellbound musical genius is exactly what “The Doctor” orders for all attending the Terry “Doc” Handy extravaganza…coming to a festival near you