By Bruce Klauber
The Jersey Shore is not necessarily thought of as a hotbed for jazz, but a look at the record shows that during the summer season, our region rivals any big city with the number and quality of jazz performances.
Kelsey’s in Atlantic City presents drummer Tony Day and his Across the Globe Band every Sunday, and veteran trumpeter Eddie Morgan’s Trio each Friday.
Bocca in Margate continues its long-running Wednesday night jazz series featuring Bob Sterling’s exciting group. And Council Oak Steak and Seafood Restaurant, within the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, books top-tier jazz performers from time to time, including the singers Paula Johns and Paul Jost. And of course, there’s the season-long Chicken Bone Beach concert, recently chronicled in these pages.
This summer, the Exit Zero Jazz Festival organization, known for presenting multi-day jazz festivals in Cape May in the spring and fall, is joining the summer jazz fray. Exit Zero has put together an impressive lineup, with all shows taking place at Carney’s Other Room in Cape May. Most shows at Carney’s are at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets purchased reserve a table or bar seats where jazz fans can dine before and during the show. Note that all seats are reserved.
Sunday June 30, Harold Lopez Nussa Timba A La Americana:
Lopez is a Cuban jazz pianist now living in France who first made his mark in the jazz world in 2005 by winning the prestigious Montreux Jazz Piano Competition. Lopez’s recordings for the Blue Note label have been acclaimed for their unique, genre-bending style, which incorporate elements of classical and Latin American music along with inventive jazz improvisation.
Saturday, July 6, Orrin Evans Trio:
The Philadelphia pianist is one of the most popular jazz pianists on the scene today. Evans is also a producer and composer who has appeared in a number of unique combinations, including his Captain Black Big Band, the Eubanks Evans Experience with guitarist Kevin Eubanks, the Brazilian group Terreno Comum, and a collective trio called Tar Baby, featuring Evans, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Nasheet Waits. In addition to his superb playing, he’s got a bit of the showman in him. Evans never forgets the audience
Saturday July 13, Matt Cappy Quintet: Cappy is a trumpet player who has done steady session work with a number of pop icons, including Jill Scott, The Roots, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, and Patti LaBelle. He’s also very much involved in jazz education and has conducted master classes for the past 25 years.
Saturday, July 20, Edgardo Cintron’s Mambo Magic:
Latin percussionist Cintron has been on the scene for as long as I can remember. He’s a personable, high-energy bandleader and a superb percussionist who has worked all the major jazz festivals, and has performed with notables like Michael Pedicin Jr. and Pablo Batista. I’m proud to have helped present Cintron on record during his time with the DBK Jazz label. When Cintron plays, you can almost hear the entire history of Latin percussion as it applies to jazz.
Friday, July 26, Imani Records Presents Alison Crockett:
Vocalist Crockett, also known as “Diva Blue,” names influences as diverse as Sarah Vaughan and Donna Summer, but it’s clear from her recorded output that she’s difficult to pin down stylistically. She’s recorded jazz, funk, soul, bossa nova, and some electronica as well. And as her bio says, “She’s paid her dues in full.”
Saturday, Aug. 3, Betz-Gillece-Bianchi-Landham:
This is truly an all-star group, and all members have close connections to Philadelphia. Guitarist Brian Betz has six superb CDs under his belt. When he’s not touring and recording, he serves as the chairman of Rowan University’s jazz guitar department. Behn Gillece, named Down Beat magazine’s “Rising Star” on vibraphone in 2018, has taken the vibes style of Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson several steps beyond, particularly by way of his refreshing, original compositions.
He’s also an educator and, along with Betz, serves on Rowan’s faculty. Bianchi is a jazz organ virtuoso who has been featured in traditional settings with artists like Pat Martino and Dakota Staton, but is modern and progressive enough to have opened for Steely Dan on three East Coast tours. Byron Landham has got to be one of the busiest drummers anywhere. He’s worked with just about every major jazz artist out there, including Betty Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, and George Coleman. He’s a natural-born swinger who has recorded, as of this writing, about 50 CDs.
Saturday, Aug. 10, the Rebirth Brass Band:
Formed in 1983, the Rebirth Brass Band is well known in their native New Orleans. Like comparable groups such as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Canadian Brass, Rebirth specializes in the music of New Orleans’ traditional brass bands, but over the years, has added elements of funk and hip-hop to the mix. According to The New York Times, “Rebirth can be precise whenever it wants to, but it’s more like a party than a machine. It’s a working model of the New Orleans musical ethos: as long as everybody knows what they’re doing, anyone can cut loose.”
Saturday Aug. 17, Paul Jost Quintet: Volumes could be written about vocalist/composer/drummer Paul Jost, who cut his teeth as the house drummer in the original Golden Nugget’s Elaine’s Lounge back in the day. He could have rested on his considerable laurels and stayed in his niche as one of the finest and most musically sensitive drummers out there, but instead has chosen to evolve and break new ground as a vocal stylist and inventive composer. He’s performed at all the jazz festivals and most of the top jazz spots. His style is singular, he’s passionate about everything he does musically, and every recording Jost has made stands an individual and unique statement.
Tickets for all these events are available at: exitzerojazzfestival.com/summer-nights-concerts
High notes: The South Jersey Jazz Society is inviting area students to apply for its SJJS annual Jazz Scholarship Award, available to junior high and high school students, and those still attending college. It’s open to all students living in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Ocean countries. The award, named in honor of longtime arts supporter Bob Simon, is designed to allow the winner to work one-on-one with a professional jazz educator. Applications are due by July 1. To apply, visit southjerseyjazz.org/scholarship-2024.
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
