JazzHouseKids has announced the performers for the July and August preview concerts, leading up to the Montclair Jazz Festival Grand Finale Jamboree on Saturday, September 10. Here are the three July/August events. All events are held in Lackawanna Plaza, between Bloomfield and Glenridge Avenues in Montclair.
- July 13, 6-9 p.m. Soundcheck Series. Saxophonist Birsa Chatterjee, followed by tenor saxophonist Craig Handy and his 2nd Line Smith. Chatterjee is a Jazz House alum.
- July 27, 6-9 p.m. Soundcheck Series. Trumpeter Wallace Roney, Jr., followed by organist Akiko Tsuruga (pictured above). Roney, Jr., the son of the late pianist Geri Allen and trumpeter Wallace Roney, is a Jazz House alum.
- August 13, Noon-10 p.m. Lackawanna Block Party. Some 130 student musicians will perform as part of the Jazz House Summer Workshop. They will be followed by tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, leading a quartet; drummer Winard Harper & Jeli Posse, a nine piece band featuring tap dance, vocals, and African percussion; and a street dance party featuring JH Artistic Director and bassist Christian McBride.
The Soundcheck Series features local restaurants and food trucks, a Jazz Beverage Garden featuring a Belgian blonde ale from a Montclair brewery, and a VIP seating area for Friends of the Montclair Jazz Festival.