This year’s Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Festival will be offered in three installments in three towns on different dates, with the series opener coming toMiddletown on the grounds of the Middletown Arts Center on July 23.
Sponsored by the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation, the festival continues to be free and open to the public.
The Middletown Jazz and Blues Festival will take place 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the grounds of the Middletown Arts Center, located at 36 Church St., adjacent to the Middletown Train Station, with plenty of free parking
The performance schedule for the main stage is: noon-1 p.m., Colts Neck Swing Band; 1:20-2:20 p.m., The Cobra Brothers; 2:35-3:35 p.m., Nine Below Zero; 3:50-4:50 p.m., Mike Barris & Friends with Jennifer Jordan, Tom Bender and Doug Clark; 5:10-6:10 p.m., Kimon & The Prophets; and 6:30-8 p.m., headliner Ron Sunshine & His Orchestra.
The BackBeat Stage presents “Music From the Heart” by JSJBF’s Youth Project and some promising young area bands: 12:30-1:15 p.m., JSJBF’s Youth Project; 1:30-2:15 p.m, Showcase; 2:30-3:15 p.m., Arthur Place, reggae-funk-rock; 3:30-4:15 p.m., Around the Circuit, rock-blues; 4:30- 5:15 p.m. EleFunk, jazz-funk; and 5:30- 6:15 p.m., Youth Project.