By Virginia DeBerry
The Somerville Jazz Festival and the New Brunswick Jazz Project, now in its fifth year of presenting weekly live jazz events, came together last year and created the first everCentral Jersey Jazz Festival. This year the Central Jersey Jazz Festival will include the participation of a third municipality—Flemington, NJ. The free three day mega-musical event will take place rain or shine and present world-renowned jazz musicians on Friday, September 12, 6PM to 10PM in Flemington, Saturday, September 13, 1 PM to 6 PM in New Brunswick and Sunday, September 14, 1 PM to 6 PM in Somerville.
The Bernie Worrell Orchestra will be the main attraction Friday evening in Flemington, with performances by Emily Asher’s Garden Party, Warren Vache & Harry Allen and The Winard Harper Sextet building the musical momentum from 6PM on. Visitors to the Central Jersey Jazz Festival – Flemington may begin seating at Main Street starting at 5:00 pm. The performances will begin at 6:00 pm.
On Saturday in New Brunswick, sax sensation and second generation jazz legacy Ravi Coltrane and his Quartet will headline the festival day. Performances by trumpet phenom Josh Evans, NJPAC Sarah Vaughan competition winner, Jazzmeia Horn and her band and the New Brunswick District Jazz Band (students from schools in the various Brunswicks) get the afternoon started. Visitors to the Central Jersey Jazz Festival – New Brunswick may begin seating at Monument Square starting at 12:00 p.m. The performances will begin at 1:00 p.m.
In Somerville on Sunday, the Festival culminates with another great jazz legacy, TS Monk and his sextet as the headline group. Piano wunderkind Emmet Cohen, rising star vocalist Brianna Thomas, veteran sax master Houston Person and the Jazz House Kids complete Sunday’s program offering.
Downtown Flemington, Downtown Somerville Alliance and the New Brunswick Jazz Project understand how important the arts are to keeping their respective cities’ downtowns active and vital.
“Joining forces seemed like exactly the right thing to do,” said Michael Tublin one of the New Brunswick Jazz Project founders. “Adding Flemington this year, will allow us to reach many more Central Jersey jazz lovers,” added Rick St. Pierre of the Downtown Somerville Alliance.
The Central Jersey Jazz Festival is a production of Downtown Flemington, the Downtown Somerville Alliance & The New Brunswick Jazz Project. For details and up to the minute Festival news, please visit http://centraljerseyjazzfestival.com and http://Facebook.com/Centraljerseyjazzfestival
For more information please contact:
New Brunswick Jazz Project: jazz@nbjp.org 732.640.0001
Somerville: dsa@findsomerville.com 908.541.1600
