Jersey Jazz Magazine’s June “Rising Star”, vocalist Lucy Wijnands, will appear with trumpeter Jon Faddis on Thursday night, August 5, as part of the Jazz Arts Project’s “Jazz in the Park” series. The series, which was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, returned to Riverside Gardens Park in Red Bank, NJ, on July 22, with a concert by New Orleans trombonist Jeffery Miller.
Wijnands, who won the fourth annual Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal competition sponsored by the Blues Alley Jazz Society, graduated last year from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase. She has previously performed with Faddis, a Conservatory of Music faculty member, whom she considers one of her mentors. Wijnands has appeared in concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room, and she completed a five-month residency with the Birdland Big Band, conducted by David DeJesus.
Faddis, a leading trumpeter and educator, was mentored by the late Dizzy Gillespie, who once said of him: “He’s the best ever, including me!” Faddis currently leads the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra of New York and has served as a guest conductor and featured guest with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
Other Jazz in the Park concerts are:
- August 12: Vincent Herring Quartet
- August 19: Bernard Purdie and Friends
- August 26: Radam Schwartz Organ & Big Band
All concerts are free and begin at 7 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the concerts will be canceled. There are no rain dates. The Jazz Arts Project produces several musical events each year — from intimate jazz café nights to large scale events at venues such as Red Bank’s Count Basie Theater. The non-profit organization also holds educational workshops, training programs, specialized music camps, and other special programs for youth.