CRANBURY: Jazz musicians in for swinging time

By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
   CRANBURY — It’s been a springtime tradition for years, drawing hundreds from the jazz community to Cranbury’s corner for a night of Big Band music and dancing.
   The annual Cranbury-Princeton High School Jazz Dance will swing off today (Friday) between 7 and 10 p.m. in the Cranbury School Auditorium, 23 N. Main St.
   ”There will be big band music and more complicated jazz stuff as the night goes on,” said Joe Bongiovi, director of the PHS bands.
   The joint fundraiser will feature Princeton High School’s Studio Band, which placed first in Division III of the state finals last week, and the Jazz Ensemble, which placed seventh in the same competition.
   The Studio Band also was acknowledged as having the best Trumpet Section and for the 32nd year in a row the best sight-reading.
   ”It’s a work ethic we’ve been fortunate enough to pass on year to year,” Mr. Bongiovi said. “We prepare a lot and we rehearse a lot. So we’re keeping up with the legacy.”
   The two PHS bands will play not only some big band favorites, but also the compositions that won them such high marks at states, Mr. Bongiovi said.
   Local students performing at the event include the Cranbury Jazz Orchestra, a large group of sixth-, seventh- and eighth -graders, as well as the Cranbury Jazz Combo, a smaller group of seventh- and eighth-graders.
   These students plan to wow the audience with their own rendition of the “Sanford and Son” theme song, gospel arrangements of “Amazing Grace” and Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage,” said Eric Haltmeier, instrumental music teacher for the Cranbury School district.
   ”I’m excited for the kids to have the opportunity to play,” he said. “It should be a fun evening.”
   Some of Cranbury’s kids also will share notes with the Princeton students as they sit down to sight-read and play a piece together.
   ”It’s a chance for them to get to hear the tremendously high quality of Princeton’s ensemble, which they’ll get a chance to perform with later on,” Mr. Haltmeier said.
   The experience is beneficial to both parties, Mr. Bongiovi said.
   ”Our high school kids are good mentors to them, getting them to keep up,” he said.
   The cost to attend the event is $6 for adults and $4 for seniors and children, with tickets sold at the door or by band members, Mr. Bongiovi said.
   Proceeds at the door will go to the PHS bands, while proceeds from a refreshment table will go to Cranbury’s band program.