Free Saturday afternoon concerts feature vocalists, pianists
The “MCL Concert Series” continues with a jazz theme throughout the summer months and into the fall.
July 14 at 3pm: Jazz vocalist Michèle Bautier will present “The Great American Songbook — Then & Now.” The performance will reflect a very liberal sampling of great composers including Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Bob Dorough, Sting, and Cyndi Lauper. With a style that defies categorization, Michèle Bautier brings to each song an intensely personal view… expressed with deep emotion, spontaneity, and passion…through an instrument of exceptional range and purity.
August 25 at 3pm: Jazz pianist Leonieke Scheuble and her trio will perform. Leonieke is a 16-year-old professional jazz pianist and jazz organist who has been leading her own trio for the past six years. She has won the International Women in Jazz “Youth in Action Award” (2013 & 2017); Governor’s Award for “Exceptional Promise in Music” (2017); Hot House Fans Decision Award for “Best Up and Coming Young Artist” (2015) and is a TEDx speaker. Leonieke has recorded two CD’s as a leader and one as a sideman. She was the subject of an hour-long interview “The Future of Jazz” over WBGO, and performs regularly at New York and New Jersey’s finest Jazz venues.
Oct. 6 at 3pm: The jazz series concludes with a performance by pianist Dan Kaufman and his trio.Dan Kaufman has emerged as a leading and promising voice in jazz piano. His playing is adventurous and dynamic while firmly rooted in the tradition. As a versatile and sensitive sideman, Kaufman has performed for audiences around the world, with many prominent figures in jazz such as Jimmy Heath, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride and Mark Turner. He is also an accomplished composer and arranger. Dan will present a program devoted to the unforgettable music of the great composer and Ellington collaborator, Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967).
Concerts will be held in the library’s Public Meeting Room. Admission is free. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information: 973-285-6934.
