A VERY BUSY SUMMER
www.njjs.org
Tuesday, July 9 (Bickford) – Another chance to hear Emily Asher’s Garden Party, invited to both The Stomp and JazzFest multiple times. Hot jazz played by youthful players drawn from the bubbling NYC traditional jazz rediscovery. For this date Emily has recruited trumpeter Mike Davis, bassist Rob Adkins and banjo/guitar ace Nick Russo, all becoming familiar faces at this point. Her new discoveries are drummer Jay Lepley, with her at The Stomp, and clarinet/sax player Tom Abbott, a new face to NJ fans. Emily knows how to put players together who can really cook! They’ll be exploring the musical legacy left to us by Bix’s pal Hoagy Carmichael.
Wednesday, July 10 (OCC) – Al Harrison’s Dixieland Band returns, confirmed with young trumpeter Geoff Gallante as a guest again. Al switches effortlessly between cornet, trumpet and flugelhorn, surrounded by first class players. You’ll hear Bob Rawlins on clarinet and Pete Reichlin on trombone filling out the front line, a promising combination. The rhythm section has Dave Postmontier (here previously with the Midiri Brothers) at the grand piano, Jack Hegyl playing string bass and Lew Leabman at the drum set. One of the best draws of the season, so you’ll want to get the most favorable reserved seats.
Wednesday, July 24 (OCC) – The Peter and Will Anderson Quartet has not been here before, but certainly the Anderson Twins’ reed talents have delighted this audience when they visited with other bands. The pair thrilled with their self-produced Goodman, Dorsey and Shaw tributes The pair were here in January with Dan Levinson, playing Goodman clarinet parts in three part harmony. They are known for being both exceptional players and recruiters of outstanding supporting talent. For this visit they’ll have Dave Baron on string bass and Luc Decker playing drums. Reviewers love them because they “play with passion, unpredictability and a sense of discovery.”
Tuesday, July 30 (Bickford) – Five star players coming from five states, join together for a jam session you will never forget: Jeff Hughes (cornet — MA), Noel Kaletsky (reeds — CT), Joe Midiri (more reeds — NJ), Paul Midiri (drums, trombone — DE) and Herb Gardner (piano, trombone — NY). Given the high level of talent involved, this could be a real eye-opener. Those who travel in pursuit of jazz know Jeff and Noel as headliners in New England and across the nation on the festival circuit. This concert will show you why they are in such demand. The Midiri Brothers (thrilled at their June appearance with Neville Dickie) and Herb Gardner (a leader making annual appearances here for years) are already well known to NJ audiences, but this unusual combination will bring out the best from all of them.
Tuesday, August 6 (Bickford) – Dan Levinson brings his New Millenium All Stars here after they closed the show at the Pee Wee Russell Stomp to thunderous applause. With talent drawn from his stable of hot young players, Dan adds his encyclopedic knowledge of vintage jazz to selections that you may not have heard before. Dan has drafted Mike Davis (cornet – our Bix this year, but he’s proved he can play like a young Louis too!), Josh Holcomb (popular NYC trombonist – thrilled here recently with Gordon Webster), Dalton Ridenhour (young hot pianist for Bria Skonberg), plus veterans Mike Weatherly (bass) and Kevin Dorn (drums). All top musicians, playing with high energy.
Monday, August 12 (Bickford) – The Vaché Brothers Band pays tribute to trumpeter Pee Wee Erwin’s centennial. With Warren Vaché’s torrid horn, of course, along with Allan Vaché (clarinet), John Allred (trombone), Mark Shane (piano), Brian Nalepka (bass) and Kevin Dorn (drums). Familiar names all, working well together. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Wednesday, August 14 (Bickford) – Bassist Nicki Parrott, pianist Ted Rosenthal (replacing Rossano Sportiello) and tenorman Harry Allen combine their talents in trio format. These are three of the most popular figures in jazz today, not often brought together on the same stage. As the legendary Les Paul said of Nicki: “She has that special gift you cannot buy in a music store!”
Wednesday, August 14 (OCC) – The return of the Vaché Brothers Band, with this visit paying tribute to clarinetist Kenny Davern. Allan (clarinet) and Warren Vaché (cornet) backed by an outstanding rhythm section, including Vinnie Corrao (guitar), Brian Nalepka (bass) and Kevin Dorn (drums). They’ll delight as they did last year.
Tuesday, August 27 (Bickford) – Trumpeter Bria Skonberg is assembling a stellar group for this date, since she loves the acoustics here for both horn and voice. On board are Dalton Ridenhour (piano, held over from New Millennium), Sean Cronin (bass, from her Shanghai Jazz appearance) and a new name to Bickford regulars, Darrian Douglas (drums). She’s just added reed marvel Aurora Nealand to the roster, enticing her up from NOLA. It’s getting difficult to catch Bria between out-of-town tours, so take advantage of this opportunity.
Wednesday, August 28 (OCC) – The commanding Jazz Lobsters, 18 pieces strong, are back to rock the room with a broad array of music from their extensive book. It’s a powerhouse band that many feel is the best in the region. Their repertoire runs from swing favorites to complex arrangements of more recent material, thus they provide an ideal way to close the summer. They have broad appeal. Good sound in this room.
Wednesday, September 25 (OCC) – The Midiri Brothers, always great favorites here, will present a program they call “Reed Masters of the Swing Era,” saluting clarinet and saxophone players both world famous (Goodman, Shaw, Dorsey, Bechet…) and less known but formidably skilled (Herman, Fazola, Hodges…). Obviously this will showcase Joe Midiri’s clarinet and sax prowess, but Paul Midiri will be on hand in his usual multi-instrumental role. The sidemen will be recruited from their usual array of talent, so you know the presentation will be first class. A lot of research went into this program.
JAZZ FEAST IS BACK! FREE!
Sunday, September 15 (Princeton) – Palmer Square in Princeton is about halfway between Morristown and Toms River, so audiences from both series ought to be interested in an afternoon of mixed jazz, especially since the cost is zero. A bandstand is set up in a grassy clearing, there are seats available and space to bring your own beach chair. The Feast reference is to food stands set up by all the major restaurants in the area, cooking and serving their tasty offerings, some of it gourmet fare, for the jazz fans to buy and consume. Ed Polcer has taken over the programming tasks from Jack Stine, and made the following musical selections for the 2013 edition:
Princeton University Jazztet
Alan Dale’s New Legacy Jazz Band
Mark Shane Trio, with Frank Tate, Kevin Dorn and featuring vocalist Holli Ross)
Bucky Pizzarelli Quartet, with Ed Laub, Jerry Bruno, Bob DeCaro
Bria Skonberg Sextet, with Jim Fryer, Adrian Cunningham,Darrian Douglas, Sean Cronin, Dalton Ridenhour
Music runs from noon to 6 PM in one hour sets, expected to be in the order listed above. Arrive early to get the best seats. Goes on rain or shine, but patrons are likely to get wet if it pours. CDs by the performers are sold by NJJS. Dine afterwards at one of the restaurants you sampled during the afternoon. Palmer Square Management pays for the entertainment at this annual event, this being the 22nd year. NJJS has been the co-sponsor throughout that time.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
At the end of the summer, Bruce M. Gast will “retire” from running jazz concerts. All listings in Morristown and Toms River contained in this letter will be under his direction. In the fall, Ricky Riccardi will take over booking and running concerts for MidWeek Jazz at Ocean County College. Ray Richards will inherit the Bickford Jazz Showcase at the Morris Museum. All have similar jazz tastes, so the concert series should continue to run in a seamless manner. Please continue to support them with your patronage.
WHERE TO FIND JAZZ
The Bickford Theatre/Morris Museum: On Columbia Turnpike/Road (County Road 510) at the corner of Normandy Heights Road, east of downtown Morristown. Near Interstate 287 and the Route 24 expressway. This is a 300-seat hall with generous parking on site. Wheelchair access. Weeknight concerts are one long set (8 to 9:30 PM). Tickets are generally $15 in advance, but $18 at the door. Tickets may be purchased via credit card over the phone by calling the box office at (973) 971-3706. The box office can also provide information, directions or a simple “jazz map.”
New Jersey Jazz Society: Multi-band concerts and festivals are held at various locations several times each year. Information is available by calling (908) 273-7827. Tickets may be purchased at the gate (higher prices generally) or by mail with SASE. Checks payable to NJJS. Membership is inexpensive, and gets you significant event discounts plus the acclaimed Jersey Jazz monthly magazine. Membership information and ticket orders: www.njjs.org.
Ocean County College: Midweek Jazz concerts are held on Wednesday evenings (now back at their comfortable, newly refurbished Arts and Community Center). Concerts begin at 8 PM and run as one extended set until about 9:30 PM. Tickets are $15 for Seniors, $18 for others. RESERVED SEATS too! Call their Box Office at (732) 255-0500 for information, credit card purchases (no fee) or driving directions, which are also available from their web site: www.ocean.edu. The hall is at the end of College Drive, just off County Road 549, known locally as Hooper Avenue. There is a HUGE parking area just across from the building. Ramp entry, new elevator to the balcony.
The American Rag, a monthly publication with “news you can use” about traditional jazz and ragtime, should be on your subscription list. Learn about it at www.americanrag.com. Nationwide festival news.
TELL YOUR JAZZ-LOVING FRIENDS ABOUT THIS E-MAIL REMINDER SERVICE. Send us an e-mail at Jazzevents@aol.com if you wish to unsubscribe. Make it clear you are not signing up again! Please also let us know of changes of e-mail address. There is no forwarding service, so we lose you when you move.
Listings are available on the internet, too. Consult the NJJS website at www.njjs.org 24 hours a day.
Thank you for supporting live jazz!