Jazz it Up in New Brunswick This Week

Four of the hottest names in contemporary jazz and R&B—Phil Perry, Bob Baldwin, Euge Groove & 2012 Grammy Award Winner, Robert Glasper– will headline the 9th Annual New Brunswick Jazz Festival, 4 days of events at venues across the city, Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 3- 6.

This year’s festival will be the biggest to date, featuring sound stages at more New Brunswick restaurants and an extensive lineup of jazz and R&B musicians, and vocalists performing from the late afternoons through late night.  New Brunswick, already a fine dining destination, will be a haven for jazz and food lovers as most of New Brunswick’s best restaurants will be participating in this year’s event including the newly opened World of Beer restaurant.

The festival kicks off Thursday night with an event hosted by the New Brunswick Jazz Project featuring The Mark Gross Band at Makeda Restaurant on George Street. The music begins at 9PM.  On Friday, the festival will celebrate Spanish Heritage Month with a Salute to Latin Jazz at two restaurants—The Latin Soul Trio will be at Destination Dogs and Frank and 3 To Clave will be at Mike’s Courtside with shows beginning at 5:00PM. This event will be hosted by the Latin Leadership Alliance of New Jersey; next up is the kick-off celebration and dance party hosted by NJ Chapter of Chicago Steppers at The Heldrich Hotel, on Livingston Ave., 8-12PM, featuring the electrifying Valerie Adams and The New Dimensions Band.  The festival continues Saturday at Delta’s restaurant on Dennis Street with a favorite of the New York City jazz circuit, Dakota MacLeod, 6:30-11:30 PM; performing great jazz standards will be vocalist, Carrie Jackson at Hotoke, 7PM-10PM; contemporary saxophonist, James White and his band will be at Makeda Restaurant, 8-11 PM.; smooth jazz trumpeter, Gordon James and band will perform at Christopher’s at The Heldrich Hotel, 8:30-11:30PM; followed by bluesy vocalist Madam Pat Tandy who will bring the house down at Panico’s on Church Street, 9PM-12AM,  and the night ends with New Jersey’s rising stars, The JT Project at Tula Restaurant, Easton Ave., 10P -1AM.

Perry, Baldwin, Groove, and Glasper will be featured at the main event at The Hyatt Regency, 2 Albany Street from 1PM-7PM, on Sunday, Oct. 6. Brooke “Viosocalist” Alford and The JT Project will also perform as part of the Jazz Legends of Tomorrow Showcase to open the show. 

The New Brunswick Jazz Festival was started nine years ago by New Brunswick area businessman, Allen McGriff at a local lodge and has added new venues and artists each year. “We now have a lineup that is on the level of any jazz festival in the country.  We have exceeded our attendance goals year after year. People are traveling from Georgia, South Carolina, New York, and other states and making the Festival a destination weekend” said McGriff.

McGriff says “ jazz lovers will appreciate the diversity of performances with everything from straight head to jazzy blues, R&B, and smooth jazz”.

Tickets are $85.00 for reserved seats and $65 for general admission to Sunday’s main event.  Friday-Saturday restaurant events are FREE!

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com or tickeweb.com or by call 866-468-7619.

-New Brunswick Jazz Festival