Lionel Young MIDDLE- TOWN— The Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation’s three-day Jazz and Blues Festival will be divided among three towns on three dates this summer.
“We’re actually bringing the music to a couple of new communities,” foundation Manager Doris Lazur said.
In some ways, organizing and executing the three, one-day events will be easier than the previous threeday format, Lazur said, adding that the organizers are putting extra effort into informing the public of the events.
The three festivals will take place in Middletown on July 23, in Long Branch on Aug. 27, and in Asbury Park on Sept. 17.
The Middletown Jazz and Blues Festival will be held 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the MiddletownArts Center (MAC), 36 Church St., adjacent to the Middletown Train Station, which offers plenty of free parking. Jazz and blues lovers may also arrive via the NJ Transit North Jersey Coastline.
The Middletown event will feature headliner Ron Sunshine and Full Swing from Allentown, Pa. The Colts Neck Swing Band, Kimon & the Prophets, and other acts will also perform.
The Middletown festival will also feature The Kids’ Zone, a series of activities run by the MAC.
New to the festival, Lazur said, are beer gardens at the Middletown and Asbury Park locations.
The beer gardens will serve wine and beer produced by Lagunitas, a craft brewery based in Petaluma, Calif.
“We’ll have it on tap,” Lazur said.
In addition to the national acts on the main stage, the Middletown festival will feature two additional stages: an education stage and an open-mic stage.
Lazur said that the education stage would showcase students from the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation’s Youth Project and their bands.
Ron Sunshine “We have a youth project with several high school-aged kids, and they will be performing as well as some of their bands,” she said.
“It will be a stage where the music is mainly done by younger people.”
The open-mic stage will be a smaller, more intimate venue located in the beer garden area, Lazur said.
The Long Branch Jazz & Blues Festival will feature six bands, including the Lionel Young Band, winner of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn., and a fireworks display. The festival will run from noon to 9:30 p.m. at the Great Lawn (on the boardwalk) at Cooper Avenue. The Long Branch festival will also have children’s activities.
The Asbury Park Jazz and Blues Festival will take place on Mattison Avenue, between Bond and Emory, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with six bands performing on at least two stages and a beer garden, Lazur said. The site is also accessible via NJ Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line.
All festivals will feature food and craft vendors, Lazur said.
Lazur said that the food vendors would feature a wide selection, everything from funnel cakes and fried Oreo cookies to pizza, seafood, barbecue and ethnic foods, including Italian and Greek fare.
Craft vendors will offer such wares as jewelry, hats, purses, art and photography.
Lazur said that all three dates have slots available for additional vendors.
Anyone interested should contact Lazur at 732-933-1984 or email [email protected].
For more information about the jazz festivals, visit www.jerseyshorefestival.org.