With rare exceptions, jazz has been absent from the main stages and lounges of Atlantic City hotel/casinos since the mid-1990s. Artists with name value have aged, retired or passed on. Tastes and demographics have evolved, and the age and tastes of those in charge of booking the casinos have skewed younger as time goes on.
There are noteworthy exceptions. The annual jazz festival at the Hard Rock, though slanted to smooth jazz and rhythm and blues, does well, and the Council Oak restaurant at Hard Rock books some good jazz singers like Paula Johns once or twice a month. Also, pianist/vocalist Diana Krall will make a rare Atlantic City appearance Feb. 14 at the Ocean Casino Resort.
Thankfully, non-casino organizations have taken up the slack.
The South Jersey Jazz Society is doing a heck of a job keeping the music alive with area players and big names 52 weeks a year. Drummer Tom Angello’s All Star Jazz Series swings every Monday at Gregory’s in Somers Point, and regular jazz programs at the Ocean City Library continue to be one of the most popular events in the area.
A pleasant surprise was the society’s Jersey Fresh Jazz@thePoint jazz festival in October, which featured guitarists John Pizzarelli and Howard Paul, and area names like saxophonist Michael Pedicin Jr., and vocalist/composer Paul Jost. The majority of the festival events were sold out or close to it. There’s no doubt that the society will be announcing a few surprises for 2026.
One pleasant piece of news from the society is that trumpeter/educator and society board member Bob Ferguson will be honored with this year’s George Mesterhazy Jazz Master Award during an April 30 gala at the Linwood Country Club.
Also doing good work is the non-profit Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation presents a series of free jazz concerts every July through September on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, which is always musically impressive. The foundation combines big names like pianist/composer Arturo O’Farrill, with area favorites like vocalist/instrumentalist Gina Roche. There’s no doubt that this year’s lineup will be just as impressive as last year’s.
Also worth adding to your calendar are the annual Exit Zero festivals in Cape May, held in the spring and fall each year since 2021 at Cape May’s Convention Hall and area clubs and restaurants. Exit Zero relies mainly on out-of-town bookers for their performers who demonstrate real thought in the roster of musicians they select.
This year’s spring confab, set for May 15 through May 17, will feature, among others, “The Miles Davis Centennial Celebration with the Miles Electric Band,” saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and vocalist Carmen Lundy.
A couple of Absecon Island clubs and restaurants do their best to keep the music going.
For years Margate’s Bocca has presented live jazz each Wednesday night. Atlantic City’s Kelsey’s is a great spot for food, spirits and some good R&B, and jazz with players like drummer Tony Day and trumpeter Eddie Morgan. Atlantic City’s Byrd Cage will be taking its first plunge into jazz with a Dec. 28 Sunday jazz brunch led by bassist Andy Lalasis, and featuring pianist Dean Schneider, drummer Bob Shomo and guest vocalist Melanie Rice. And our good colleague, Andy Kahn, a pianist and vocalist with an encyclopedic knowledge of American Popular Song, continues his once-per-month, 5 to 7 p.m. Happy Hour residency at Provenza in Ventnor.
Stockton University has increasingly become active in presenting jazz events. This past year, Stockton hosted saxophonist Brent Birckhead, percussionist Tito Puente Jr., and the Ed Vezhino/Jim Ward big band, with special guest singer Eddie Bruce, profiled in last week’s Shore Local issue.
Encouraging news for jazz fans is the Feb. 14 appearance of pianist/singer Diana Krall at Ocean Casino Resort. Along with a few others in jazz history – such as Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Gene Krupa, Louis Armstrong, and George Benson – Krall manages to appeal to both jazz fans and non-jazz fans. She is an uncompromising artist who does not shy away from performing and recording material by pop artists like Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Bob Dylan. To date, Krall has sold over 15 million albums – pretty good for a jazz artist.
Krall will no doubt sell out in Atlantic City, and jazz fans can only hope the casino bookers will take note and bring us more artists like Krall in 2026.
