The Jazz Arts Project’s three-pronged live jazz program kicks off on July 7 at 8 p.m. with vocalist Tatiana Eva-Marie at the Summer Jazz Café in the Two River Theater. The Thursday evening free jazz concerts at Riverside Park begin at 7 p.m. on July 13 with trumpeter Eddie Allen’s Afro-Cuban-Brazilian septet, Salongo. Drummer Vince Ector will launch the Sunday afternoon series of Westside concerts at 3 p.m. in Johnny Jazz Park on July 30.
Some highlights:
- There are two chances to see drummer Winard Harper. First, on Thursday, July 27, he will be part of alto saxophonist Julius Tolentino’s quintet at Riverside Gardens. Then, the next two nights, he will close the Summer Jazz Café series with his band, Jeli Posse.
- The Tolentino Quintet is an all-star group that includes trombonist Steve Davis, Rising Star pianist Ben Collins-Siegel, bassist Mike Karn, and Harper. Tolentino (photo above) and his band, The Next Wave, will also be part of the Westside Concerts’ finale at 1 p.m. on August 30 – a special event celebrating Count Basie.
- Other performers popular with NJ Jazz Society members at the Riverside Gardens concerts are trumpeter Warren Vache, with Grammy-nominated vocalist Carla Cook, on July 20; and pianist Leonieke Scheuble with her Generations Quintet, celebrating the music of hard bop giants such as Horace Silver and Bobby Timmons on August 17.
The Jazz Arts Project’s mission is to preserve, promote, and perpetuate the American musical art form known as jazz by producing concerts and creating educational programs. For more information and the complete summer schedules, log onto jazzartsproject.org or call (732) 784-3350. The programs are made possible in part by funds from Monmouth Arts, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners. Other major sponsors include OceanFirst Bank, and The National Endowment for the Arts.
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER DRUKKER