Treat yourself to a special performance of Jazz at The Watchung Arts Center on Saturday, March 16, 2019, at 8 p.m. “Jazz Age and Beyond” pays tribute to the past jazz legends of the classic jazz era like Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Fletcher Henderson, Bix Beiderbecke and others. The artists will ‘channel’ the spirits while also performing newer versions of the classic works. The show features vocalist Vincent Pelote (master of ceremonies) as Big Joe Turner, Dave Clausnitzer as Charlie Shavers on trumpets, Marty Eigen as Frankie Trumbower and Darrell Courtley as Sidney Bechet on saxes and clarinets, Cornell McGee as Kid Ory on trombone, Flip Peters as Eddie Condon on guitar and banjo, Ron Naspo as Arvell Shaw on bass and tuba and Gordon Lane as Big Sid Catlett on drums.
Watchung Arts Center is located at 18 Stirling Road, Watchung, NJ. Tickets at $18 in advance, $22 at the door. You may purchase tickets online at watchungartscenter.eventbrite.com, check by postal mail or in person. Visit online at watchungarts.org.
About the Artists:
Vincent Pelote is the Senior Archivist at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University-Newark. He has compiled discographies on Billie Holiday, Lionel Hampton and on the Commodore Records label. Mr. Pelote is one of the contributors to the Oxford Companion to Jazz, having written a number of album program notes on Mary Lou Williams, Benny Carter, Curtis Fuller, Johnny Smith and others. Between 1979 to 2014, Vincent was one of the hosts of the radio program, “Jazz from the Archives,” on WBGO-FM, National Public Radio.
Dave Clausnitzer grew up in Cranford, NJ. He received a BA in Music Education from Rutgers University. He has played in small jazz combos, big bands, orchestras, and brass quintets. Some highlights include playing in the Yankee Stadium Dixie Land bands, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, backing up The Four Tops and The Temptations, playing trumpet in Madame Butterfly with the Hawaii Opera Orchestra, and working as a giant trumpet-playing chicken at an amusement park.
Marty Eigen founder of Amani and the leader of Beacon Hill Musicians. He usually plays tenor sax and flute, but has been known to play the baritone sax and clarinet on occasion. He has appeared many times at the Watchung Arts Center, Bickford Theatre, Shanghai Jazz, and Trumpets in New Jersey. He recently appeared at the world famous Birdland in NYC with Carrie Jackson and Rio Clemente.
Darrell Courtley, a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, is a long-time musician in the Northern New Jersey area. Mr. Courtley currently plays saxophone and clarinet in a number of New Jersey bands, including: Reeds, Rhythm and All That Brass (big-band swing) Gentle Jazz (Great American Songbook) Dixietime (traditional jazz) Folk Project Boogie Band (rock) Manhattan Woodwind Quartet (classical).
Cornell McGhee a native of Newark, has been on the metropolitan jazz scene for the past thirty years. He worked in Europe and studied with Grachan Moncur III, and Steve Turre. The trombonist’s early influences include Benny Green, Benny Powell, J. J. Johnson, Slide Hampton and Curtis Fuller.
Flip Peters a guitarist and singer since the early 1970s, has been a house musician at The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, The World Trade Center, The Plaza Hotel, The Waldorf Astoria and many other top venues in the New York area. He has entertained guests at events hosted by AT&T, Coca-Cola and other corporate clients as well as at events hosted and attended by celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., M. Night Shyamalan, Michael Bolton, Garth Brooks, Estee Lauder, Phil Donahue, Dr. Ruth, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Yogi Berra and many others.
Ron Naspo an accomplished performer and teacher of string bass, is active in both the symphonic and jazz fields. Ron has done seasons with the American Symphony under Stokowsky, New Jersey Symphony, New Jersy State Opera and the Florida Symphony. Among his mentors are Frederick Zimmermann, Gary Karr, Homer Mench and Alvin Brehm. Ron holds a M.A. degree in music education and is a former faculty member of Montclair State University and William Paterson University.
Gordon Lane graduated in Jazz Studies from Southern University & A. & M. College Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 2008, Gordon was invited to perform at the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Russia with saxophonist George Garanian. The sold out concert was a resounding success. Gordon has been a recurring member of world renowned guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan’s New York trio since 2003. Gordon’s first CD recording, as a co-leader, was completed in March, 2013 with the release of “Shades of Blue” by the Mood Indigo Trio.
The Watchung Arts Center, located at 18 Stirling Road in Watchung on the Watchung Circle, is a multi-disciplinary arts facility serving Watchung, the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area. To obtain more information about upcoming performances, classes and workshops, and monthly art exhibitions, please visit WatchungArts.org or call 908-753-0190. Tickets for our concerts can be purchased online at watchungartscenter.eventbrite.com. Tickets may also be purchased by mail, or in person during our office hours.
