New Jersey Performing Arts Center announced the second season of Jazz Jam Sessions, a five-part series of performances featuring some of New Jersey’s finest jazz musicians, under the direction of pianist and bandleader James Austin, Jr.
The sessions, which will begin on Aug. 9th and conclude on Nov. 13th, are a hit with new jazz listeners as well as cognoscenti, and enhance NJPAC’s role as the state’s principal, year-round presenter of jazz. NJPAC’s fourth annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival, an extraordinary gathering of the most distinguished names in jazz, takes place from Nov. 7-15th. A performance by Tony Bennett on Nov. 13th as part of that festival will be followed by a Jazz Jam Session in NJPAC’s NICO Kitchen + Bar.
At the sessions, Austin leads quartets composed of New Jersey musicians and two guest performers affiliated with Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens and the Brick City Jazz Orchestra, acclaimed jazz programs of NJPAC’s Department of Arts Education. The Jazz Jam Sessions offer valuable, live performance experience to these NJPAC jazz faculty members and alumni – as well as musicians who drop by to jam – and often help the artists fulfill performance curriculum requirements for jazz studies.
“One of the most exciting aspects of our participation last season during the TD James Moody Jazz Festival was a very strong representation of jazz students from local colleges and musicians from the community, who lined up with their instruments to jam with us,” said Austin. “We’re looking forward to having the same experience this year.”
The schedule for Jazz Jam Sessions with the James Austin, Jr. Quartet follows:
- Sunday, Aug. 9th, 12 noon
Summer Afternoon of Jazz music festival, rain or shine, Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus, NJ. General admission: $30. For tickets, call (201) 879-7732. Special guests: bassists Marcus Miller and Liany Mateo - Wednesday, Aug. 26th, 7-10 pm
Duke’s Southern Table, 11 Clinton St., Newark, NJ. Free admission. Special guests: singers Jackie Jones and Makyra Harden - Friday, Sept. 18th, 8pm
Suite 53, 53 Edison Place, Level 2, Newark, NJ. Cover charge: $10. Special guests TBA. - Thursday, Oct. 22th, 4:30-6pm
The Gateway Project, 2 Gateway Center, Newark, NJ. Free admission. Special guests TBA. - Friday, Nov. 13th, 10pm
NICO Kitchen + Bar at NJPAC, One Center Street, Newark, NJ. Free admission. Special guests TBA.
The Jazz Jam Sessions are produced under the advice and guidance of NJPAC’s Jazz Advisory Committee, one of seven citizens’ groups that comprise the NJPAC Advisory Council; the others are Faith-Based, Corporate, Elders, Latino, Celebrate Dance, and Pride (LGBQT). The volunteers of the Advisory Council provide insightful feedback on the cultural tastes of New Jersey’s diverse communities and inform programming choices for NJPAC and the year-old Department of Community Engagement.
“We are delighted to have the support of James Austin Jr. and the Jazz Advisory Committee. They are truly a rich resource for promoting jazz in our various communities,” said Donna Walker-Kuhne, NJPAC’s Vice President of Community Engagement. “We are dedicated to supporting Newark’s entertainment venues as much as possible. The Jazz Jam Sessions will provide an opportunity to hear great music in a unique and culturally rich environment.”
