Great Jazz at the Jersey Shore

The sounds of hot music and cool vocals sizzle when The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts (formerly the Arts & Community Center) at Ocean County College hosts the popular MidWeek Jazz Series.

Jazz Lobsters Big Band: Wed, September 10, 8:00 p.m., Main Stage. In what is becoming an annual tradition, the Jazz Lobsters Big Band triumphantly returns for another evening of swinging music featuring some of New Jersey’s top jazz musicians. Known in this region as the best of the Big Bands, this powerhouse ensemble swings hard, featuring the timeless music of Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Quincy Jones, as well as hip new arrangements – everything from 40s swing to hot Latin and salsa to ballroom dance numbers. One of Ocean County’s favorites!
Barbara Rosene: Wed, October 1, 8:00 p.m., Main Stage. With an unequalled reputation for interpreting the great music of the 1920s and 1930s, Barbara Rosene is a passionate vocalist whose interpretations uncover the richness of jazz classics through the subtle, skilled delivery of one truly in love with the genre she sings. A longtime featured vocalist with the current edition of the Harry James Orchestra, Rosene will make her first trip to MidWeek Jazz to perform songs featured on her critically-acclaimed Nice & Naughty album. She’ll be supported by clarinetist Pete Martinez and pianist Conal Fowlkes.
The Peter & Will Anderson Trio: Wed, October 22, 8:00 p.m., Main Stage. Considered “virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone” (New York Times), these two brothers are extraordinary. The crowd-pleasing Peter & Will Anderson Trio wowed the crowd at MidWeek Jazz in 2013. This time, along with Alex Wintz on guitar, they’ll be playing music from their popular new CD, Reed Reflections. Toe-tapping, heart-lifting, delightful, dazzling, and infectious! One reviewer writes, “To hear the Andersons make music is an uncommon joy. Their facility with the saxophone and clarinet is unmatched, a mesmerizing display of discipline and passion.”
Ethan Uslan: Wed, November 12, 8:00 p.m., Main Stage. One of the hottest names on the ragtime/traditional jazz scene today, pianist Ethan Uslan, became an internet sensation, last year, with his ragtime version of Beethoven’s “Fur Elise.” He has recorded three CDs and is being featured in the upcoming ragtime documentary The Entertainers. Uslan will be making a rare trip to New Jersey to perform an evening of delightful ragtime and stride piano, in addition to the special attraction of performing live accompaniment to silent short films by Charlie Chaplan and Buster Keaton!
Gelber & Manning: Wed, December 17, 8:00 p.m., Main Stage. If you need some hearty laughs and swinging music to get you through the holiday season, MidWeek Jazz has you covered on this evening, featuring the dynamic vaudeville duo of Gelber & Manning. Jesse Gelber plays stride piano and Kate Manning is a Brooklyn-based singer and lyricist. The duo specializes in ragtime and early jazz styles, and can be seen in the hit web series “Gintown.” This show is a knockout … rapidly paced … and a joy. A pleasure to have them together!
The Midiri Brothers’ Annual Salute to Benny Goodman: Wed, January 14, 2015, 8:00 p.m., Main Stage. Each January, MidWeek Jazz finds new ways of celebrating Benny Goodman’s landmark 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. In this salute, The Midiri Brothers return to the OCC stage for their annual tribute. Brothers Joe and Paul have made music, jazz and classical, the focus of their lives with Joe on clarinet and saxophone and Paul on vibraphone, xylophone, marimba, drums, and trombone! Back by popular demand, this evening is guaranteed to be explosive and one you won’t want to miss!

Fantastic music is coming to Ocean County, make sure You and your Family experience these wonderful performers, right here locally at the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts !

For information or to purchase tickets, call the Grunin Center Box Office at Ocean County College, 732-255-0500. Purchase tickets online at www.tickets.ocean.edu