A Fabulous 5th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree, Sept 25 and 26, 2021 (RECAP)

December 15, 2021 Sonia Schnee

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Wednesday, December 15, 2021

The South Orange 24 Hours of Music Jamboree started in 2017 as a local live music event, where the musicians performed on multiple local stages, year after year for 3 years in our neighborhood parks, stores, and gazebos. However, in our new pandemic world in 2020, we all had to adjust in many unexpected ways. The COVID-19 pandemic drove many industries to instantly shut down. Borders, race politics, it did not matter.

We were faced with a new world and understanding that to resolve this problem we needed to know that “we were and still are all in this together“. Hence, the 24 Hours of Music Jamboree had no choice but to adapt and evolve with the times. In 2020, we adapted the event to be totally online. And we had a great time.

The great thing we learned is that live music is universal and musicians can play with each other from all over the world. We evolved this year's performance program to meet the lingering needs of a global pandemic, ongoing social distancing, and sporadic worldwide travel restrictions.

Making It All Happen

Additional adjustments were needed this season as we had scheduled a full-day tribute to one of our fallen musicians, bass player Darryl Clark. We kicked off the Darryl Clark Tribute in July, but we ran into some extremely uncooperative weather. Hence, we had to reschedule this event before the end of the Summer Saturdays season. Addressing the above issues of travel restriction, rescheduling, budget restrictions, lingering social distance issues, etc., we turned this year's 24 Hours of Music Jamboree into a hybrid affair of online and offline performances. While not continuous due to pandemic restrictions, we used a single venue flow for all performances, therefore turning the 24 Hours of Music Jamboree into 36 hours of music over the weekend.

Set 1: Saturday, 10 AM - 10 PM

Planning was done in time to enjoy 3 sets of live music performances. The weekend was divided up between 12 hours live on Saturday, 12 hours overnight, and an 11-hour in-person Tribute on Sunday. Now, let's take a walk through a wonderful day of live music, jazz, R&B, and a DJ Dance party.

Baker Street Duo with Alex Desrivieres and Senia Raines

The Baker Street Trio, featuring Ben Collins-Siegel on keys, Ben Schwartz on drums, Alex Desrivieres on Sax, and Sen Raines on Bass kicked off the 5th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree. The music at 10 AM was wonderful and a great way to start the day. You can read more about these youngsters here:

Matt Chertkoff Trio featuring Houston Person, Vince Ector, and Matthew Parish

This was an off-the-chain performance at the 5th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree. Thank you to the phenomenal Matt Chertkoff Trio performance with Houston Person on Sax, Vince Ector on Drums, and Matthew Parrish on Bass. The noon to 2 PM performance was a jazz performance that will be remembered for a long time. Read more about Matt Chertkoff Trio feat. Legendary Saxophonist Houston Person.

Leonieke Scheuble Quartet

Thank you to the fabulous Leonieke Scheuble Quartet for joining us in the 5th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree. The music performed by Nick Scheuble on Drums, Chuggy Carter on Percussion, and Leonieke Scheuble on Keys, with the legendary bassman Bill Crow, was swinging and just beautiful to listen to and the audience loved it all.

Learn more: Exciting Rising Pianist Leonieke Scheuble Leads Her "Jazz Across The Generations Trio" for Jazz Appreciation Month 2021.

Kumiko Tanaka

As you can see, the Kumiko Tanaka Trio’s performance was absolutely wonderful. Loving this performance and knowing that folks in Japan faced a lot of the same pandemic challenges we do in performing live music, I requested some background. I asked Kumiko about how they prepared, how they felt about their performance, and how it was received by their audience in Japan.

MPack Music

Thank you to MPack Band for kicking off the dancing Sounds In Spiotta Park for the 5th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree. The band consisted of Kev Moore (Natz) on Drums, Larry Greenberg on Keys, Kenny Robinson on Guitar, with Patricia Walton on Vocals, led by Clarence Conover on Guitar and Vocals. We switched over to R&B, and folks started moving to the beat with their feet as all entered into jamming and dancing part of the weekend. The audience loved it.

MPack is the musical brainchild of bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, and vocalist Clarence 'Groove Master' Conover. He’s the founder, leader, and vocalist of the Clarence Conover Project, the MPack Band, and the Founder and CEO of M-Pack Music Productions, whose motto is “Life Changing Sounds.” He released his first CD, My Time, in 2014.

New Jersey DJ Services LLC w DJ Jimmy

Thank you to New Jersey DJ Services LLC and their killer sound system for rocking Spiotta Park in the 5th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree. The music played by DJ James Buttros was swinging and got folks up on their feet dancing the rest of the night. It was a perfect way to end 13 hours of live music in South Orange Downtown Summer Saturdays.

Watch: https://www.facebook.com/gregory.burrus/videos/410486934031777/

“New Jersey DJ service is a DJ, entertainment, and party rental services. Party Rental includes bouncy houses, game trailers, etc.. We've been in business for over 25 years and our rates are best in the business.” https://www.facebook.com/newjerseydjservices

Set 2: Saturday, 11 PM to Sunday, 12 PM

Set 2 was reflective of last year, 2020, which was all online. Pre-recorded performances were played throughout the night.

Set 3: Sunday, 10 AM - 10 PM — Darryl Clark Tribute

As mentioned above, thanks to the Town of South Orange and South Orange Downtown, we were able to use the final weekend of the Summer Saturdays Live Music Season. The third part of this hybrid weekend was an in-person 3rd set of all-day music on Sunday 9/26. Here's a short snippet:

You can review and listen to the full Sunday tribute here:

Darryl Clark Tribute in the 5th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree

It’s been a lot of fun every year since the beginning. Hopefully, we see you next year. For now, enjoy some of the good times above and below that went from in-person to totally online, and now back to hybrid events.

Enjoy Past 24 Hours of Music Jamboree Experiences:

Hopefully, you enjoyed this video walk-through. Talk soon.

About the Author

Gregory Burrus books bands and produces, promotes, captures, and records live music events along with various community and private activities.

My mission is to help my customers, which are community groups, live music bands, and local nonprofits, reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day-to-day process of life.

Learn more at https://24hoursofmusicjamboree.com and https://gregoryburrusproductions.com

Bernie Williams-Gil Parris Quartet with Baker Street Trio Knock it Out of The Park at the Woodland in Maplewood

November 1, 2021 Sonia Schnee

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Monday, November 1, 2021

Maplewood, NJ - The Woodland

A very special event took place in a historic, very beautiful and very spacious 1930 Georgian Revival-style mansion with an adjoining auditorium known now as The Woodland. It was completed in 1930 as an elegant home for the Maplewood Woman’s Club and has served as a hub for Maplewood Township's cultural and civic life for over eight decades.

The Great Hall at The Woodland

The Woodland was designated a local historic landmark in 2014 and this architectural jewel houses two unique spaces — The Parlor and The Great Hall. These venues are used frequently for public events. Tonight, the Woodland was beautifully decked out for this very important live music performance.

The Bernie Williams-Gil Parris Quartet Come To Town

On October 22, a unique and powerful set of live music performances added to The Woodland’s wonderful historical legacy. Four-time World Series Champion and five-time All Star New York Yankee Baseball legend Bernie Williams was coming to Maplewood-South Orange, NJ.

The excitement was in the air as Bernie Williams, the former Yankee Baseball player, now a guitar virtuoso/Latin Grammy Nominee, was coming to perform in the Great Hall at the Woodland. Teamed up with long-time friend and fellow musician, guitarist, Grammy Nominee and bandleader Gil Parris, the expectations were high and you could feel the music in the air.

Smooth Jazz Productions

Rich Engel is a New Jersey resident who has for decades been involved with Smooth Jazz in NY and “Smooth Cruises.'' For us local folks, Rich was the Owner of Live At Nite Sound, Producer of Smooth Cruise N.Y.C., created the Angela Bofill Experience stage show, and produced this event. He produced and released Angela Bofill "Live From Manila" CD on the independent Black Angel label. Also, he produced the German release Saundra Records "Bigfoot " featuring our local musicians Bassist John Lee and Drummer Jerry Brown along with Danny Toan. The night’s programming became my favorite theme of jazz across the generations with a fabulous opening act by local up and coming jazz group The Baker Street Trio.

Opening Act - The Baker Street Trio

This was a genius move, as the Baker Street Trio consists of 3 young teenagers ages 14, 15 and 16. They began playing together through Montclair's Jazz House Kids.

“The trio was formed in the Fall of 2020 out of these young musicians' love for jazz and the need to be able to play together -- safely, outdoors. They played a standing gig through the Fall and Winter of 2020 on a street corner on Baker Street in Maplewood Village, and in doing so during these tough times entertained and brought the joy of jazz to countless appreciative audiences.” - Lisa Mainardi

Quick Background - The Baker Street Trio

The Baker Street Trio with Bassist Ben Ruebens filling in at Jazz On Sloan, South Orange, NJ

I encountered the group during various events this year like the Maplewood Porchfest, the 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree, and the Baker Street Trio has also performed for me in South Orange. See Baker Street Trio Debuts in Summer Saturdays at Jazz On Sloan St.

My comments upon hearing them: “Baker Street Trio—3 teenagers (14, 15, and 17) will be making a serious mark on Jazz for a long time. These young cats were killing it... After listening to them perform a number of tunes — if you closed your eyes, you would've thought they had way more experience than their actual ages combined. These young folks were swinging hard. I highly recommend all jazz fans should check them out whenever, wherever you can."

Hence, I for one was very happy to see these young dedicated jazz musicians opening for the Bernie Williams-Gil Parris Quartet.

The Baker Street Trio with Ace Williams

Introduced by the guest MC, Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee, The Baker Street Trio, Ben Collins-Siegal, Ben Schwartz and Ryoma Takenaga, came out strong and performed a thunderous tune “The End of a Love Affair” by Edward Redding. It was fast moving and grabbed the audience by the ears as it was a perfect engaging opening song that said there is nothing timid or young about us, we are here to play!

For a jazz lover, their next two tunes were a tribute to multiple Grammy winner Roy Hargrove and it was a perfect tribute. Roy was born Oct 16, 1969 and passed Nov 18, 2018 and will be loved and remembered by the Jazz community forever. Joining in this tribute was the very talented teenage trumpeter Ace Williams, son of a Maplewood resident, the award winning performer/composer Jazz tenor Saxophonist Willie Williams. They performed Roy’s tunes “Top of My Head” and “Strasbourg/St. Denis.” The tunes were played to perfection and the audience expressed their approval with long, loud cheering and clapping.

Bernie Williams-Gil Parris Quartet

Next up were the event headlinders, the Bernie Williams-Gil Parris Quartet, a true super group with the legendary “World’s Most Dangerous Bassist” Will Lee and the multitalented drummer and vocalist Josh Dion.

Bernie Williams - Guitar

Bernie Williams is a classically trained guitarist who plays and composes music with influences that include jazz, classical, pop, Brazilian, and Latin sounds. Bernie stated that he “became this musician in great part due training and mentorship of Gil Parris who let [him] sit in on jams all over town for the past 17 years.”

Gil Parris - Lead Guitar

Gil is an American Grammy-nominated rock, blues, jazz and pop guitarist. After briefly attending the Berklee School of Music because, as his Mother said in this New York Times article, “Mrs. Parris conceded she was '‘a little worried'‘ when her son returned home with photocopies of lecture notes and said he would ‘sit in his room’ and teach himself the school's jazz guitar curriculum.''

Parris then left to tour Europe as part of a musical troupe performing Jesus Christ Superstar before becoming a recording artist. Parris has released six solo albums and played collaboratively with over 20 other groups/artists. He has recorded and toured both as a solo artist and as a sideman with major artists including Dr. John, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Diane Schuur, David Mann, Billy Vera, Bobby Caldwell, Toni Braxton, Sonny Fortune and Kenny Barron, to name a few.

Will Lee - Bass

I was going to say “who’s Will Lee”, then my research showed that I heard Lee many times before. Trumpeter Randy Brecker called Lee out of a class one day and invited him to audition for Dreams. In New York, Lee's career as a session musician flourished, and he toured with many artists. In 1982, Lee became one of the original members of The World's Most Dangerous Band, the house band on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman. He holds the distinction of playing with Paul Shaffer, on both Late Night and The Late Show, longer than any other member of the CBS Orchestra. Highlights also include getting a lifetime achievement award from Bass Player magazine, playing with many luminaries such as all The Beatles -- George Harrison at Royal Albert Hall, Paul McCartney at The Concert For NYC, D’Angelo, Chaka Khan, Phoebe Snow, James Brown and more.

Josh Dion - Drums and Vocals

Josh Dion was born at the tail end of the disco funk era, when popular radio bore the sounds of Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and “four on the floor” drum beats! Raised in Storrs, CT, Josh started playing his father's drums before he even started kindergarten. Dion is a singing drummer who made his first impression in New York in February 2004 at Blue Note. Josh was noticed by jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb, who offered him an opportunity to be seen and heard by a whole new level of the music audience. From that platform, he has gone on to work with some of the major brand names of the music world: Candy Dulfer, Spyro Gyra, Will Lee, Pat Martino, Jeff Kashiwa, Jason Miles, Anthony Jackson, Edgar Winter, Randy Brecker, Bob James, Eric Marienthal, Til Bronner, Jim Beard, saxophonist Kim Waters and on and on.

This night, as was noted by a few attendees, was not just a smooth jazz concert, as the band played a mix of blues, funk, jazz, rock and even some New Orleans type jazz. They performed a mix of classic songs with creative arrangements that brought back many memories. One of my favorites was Rick James’s “Give It To Me Baby” that was innovative but right on point. They also performed some original material that was very entertaining and were instant hits with the very attentive and involved crowd.

The night in review was outstanding, Bernie was smooth and mellow, Gil Parris unbelievable on guitar, Will Lee was an absolute beast on bass and Josh Dion singing and drumming was simply off the chain. The singing and drumming was amazing. It was a fabulous performance. At the end of the night, the audience wanted more and they were called back for an encore tune that did not disappoint, and we clapped and enjoyed tremendously. Truly, it was a wonderful performance and a night to remember.

Mayor Frank McGehee

Closing the night, Mayor Frank McGehee thanked folks for coming out and reminded them they were just steps away from the most diverse choices in eating right here in Maplewood, so please enjoy the town on your way home.

Gregory Burrus with The Baker Street Trio and Ace Williams

Gregory Burrus is a local live music producer, promoter, event planner and community partner that curates, manages and promotes live music programs around Essex County.

Maplewood Porchfest 2021 A Huge Roaring Live Music Success in Hilton, Maplewood, NJ

September 18, 2021 Sonia Schnee

Maplewood Porchfest Meant To Be Jazz Band.jpg

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Saturday, September 18, 2021

I should say that as a live music lover, ambassador, event planner, community partner and board member of Maplewood Community Music (MCM), the Maplewood Porchfest event is clearly becoming one of my favorite live music events of the year.

This year's Sep 5th, 2021 volunteer-driven Maplewood Porchfest was a huge success as the schedule showed 55 bands across 37 porches, producing 61 hours of live music all around the Hilton neighborhood of Maplewood from 1-5 PM. Technically, it's 62 hours because it all starts with one of my favorite events of the day, the Honk Parade. The good part of this year’s Labor Day weekend event once again was that there was a high level of live music performances from beginning to end across all musical genres.

Each year since its inception in 2017, I look forward to figuring out how I am going to see the bands I want to spend time with and, at the same time, put enough other bands on the same walking route to catch as many live music performances in the same day as possible. It’s a real challenge.

What Happens at the Maplewood Porchfest?

Maplewood Porchfest Honk Parade

This opening event, true to its history, was a New Orleans-style Second Line Band led by the brainchild of Porchfest local pianist/vocalist Bill Tally, Saxophonist Ben Williams, along with Umbrella Dancer/Porchfest Planner Susan Williams, amongst others. They led a happy-go-lucky group of folks in this kick off event down Lexington Avenue from Dehart all the way to the former home of James W. Buchanan.

Jim is a retired music educator and full-time musician, a former Cultural Affairs Director for the Maplewood Recreation Department, and a co-founder of Maplewood Community Music. He lived here with another very much loved community supporter, his wife Carol Buchanan (RIP), who was a force of her own, as she was very active in the community. I personally love the fact that the Maplewood Porchfest Honk parade honors its founders and is just a lot of fun.

Time to Check Out the Live Music Bands

As mentioned, the Maplewood Porchfest contains a wide array of live music entertainment across all musical genres throughout the afternoon. So you can see Bluegrass, Jazz, Country, Rock, Americana and more. My decision this year with a limited amount of time was to check out a few Jazz Bands with stops along the way.

Baker Street Trio in Maplewood Porchfest

My first stop on my route was the Baker Street Trio. My social media post said it all. Baker Street Trio—3 teenagers (15, 16, and 17) will be making a serious mark on Jazz for a longtime. These young cats were killing it in Maplewood Porchfest. After performing a number of tunes that if you closed your eyes, you would've thought they had way more experience than their actual ages combined. A testament to how good they were, they had Ed Palermo, the alto sax player and arranger, sitting in with them. Ed Palermo has had a big band for twenty-five years, which is an impressive feat in itself, and has had his band performing the music of Frank Zappa for over a decade. With Ed the level rose up again and these young folk were swinging hard. A big shout out to Jazz House Kids and Ed Palermo for joining and supporting them—very cool move. I highly recommend all jazz fans should check them out whenever, wherever you can.

Meant To Be Jazz Quartet in Maplewood Porchfest

Next up on my tour was the Meant To Be Jazz Quartet. Note, you can get around Maplewood Porchfest a few ways and most folks walk or ride a bike. As you can see, you can hear the music everywhere in a Porchfest. Listen in and get a feel as you walk along, as the music is in the air everywhere you go.

On this walk we encountered the Meant To Be Jazz Quartet featuring Glenn Merritt on keys, Pete Omelio on Drums, Alan Hayes on Bass and John Higgins on Trumpet. Having played together for over 20 years, they have developed a synergy that is evident amongst how they play and perform with each other. This group is a regular set of performers at the Shanghai Jazz Club and the performance was just as stellar as if they were there onsite at a regular performance. The jazz was flowing oh so smooth from this Lexington Ave porch. It was a beautiful day, beautiful music, and the large crowd that gathered enjoyed it tremendously.

What makes Porchfest so cool is you never know where the next porch is going to be. Well, another group was starting as this one ended, directly across the street led by Fishmarket Stew performing Phish covers led by local resident David Shields. He was performing on the porch of another well known Maplewood townsperson.

Gregory Burrus with another huge supporter of the event, former Mayor Vic DeLuca and Maplewood Township Committee Member. — *Gregory Burrus with another huge supporter of the event, former Mayor Vic DeLuca and Maplewood Township Committee Membe*r.

Former Mayor for 20 years and a resident of the Hilton neighborhood, Vic DeLuca hosts events on his porch of course and did so again this year. Vic was quoted earlier saying that the event is “one of the top events in town. Porchfest brings people to the Hilton neighborhood to enjoy a special day of music and community […] It highlights the diversity of our town and the tremendous talent we have living here.”

However, I had to move on as I received a call saying, guess who's playing at such and such a place. As a live music jazz fan on a jazz tour, hearing that a world class drummer is playing around the corner in Maplewood Porchfest is amazing and, well, you just got to go.

Willie Williams Jazz Quintet in Maplewood Porchfest

Arriving on site, I encountered a hardcore group of seasoned jazz professionals that came to play big time. The Willie Williams Quintet led by Willie Williams was swinging hard in this year's Maplewood Porchfest, that's like wow. Having had a Willie Williams performance up at my favorite jazz club, Clements Place Jazz, this I knew would be a special treat. Willie Williams has played with a stellar cast of musicians his whole career and in beautiful venues like the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., Afro American Museum, Philadelphia, PA, the All Star Reception at Vice President Al Gore's Mansion, and our own South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) in the Giants of Jazz tribute to Jazz Giant James Moody.

Unfortunately, my video was not clear but the music video to the event is awesome and as good if not better than any show in a big club in any big city. The Willie Williams Quartet featuring Alvester C. Garnett on Drums, Kenny Davis on Bass, Miles Lennox on keys, his son rising star Ace Williams on Trumpet, and Willie Williams on Sax were just killing it all afternoon.

Speaking of Ace Williams on trumpet, a special treat was the group I first mentioned: the Baker Street Trio joined in with Ace Williams on Trumpet and they had a ball.

About Maplewood Porchfest

Porchfest Planning Committee

Big huge kudos to the Maplewood Porchfest Committee — Matt, Bill, Tracy, Susan, Jay, and Bill — which did a phenomenal job this year.

Maplewood Community Music is the official presenter of Maplewood Porchfest. Maplewood Porchfest was the brainchild of local pianist/vocalist Bill Tally, who went to Jamaica Plain Porchfest in Boston every year. He brought the idea to friends in his hometown, and put together a committee of musicians from Maplewood Community Music to run the event. The committee chose the Hilton neighborhood for its perfect layout, easy walkability, and its porches (of course). You can read all about it here at https://maplewoodporchfest.com

About Maplewood Community Music

Maplewood Community Music (MCM), a non-profit based in Maplewood, NJ, was founded in 2003 by Jim Buchanan and Susan Williams. Susan had played in the Rutgers Band and after a number of years without playing, she approached Jim Buchanan about starting a band. At the time, Jim was the Cultural Affairs Supervisor for Maplewood.

The dedicated group of volunteer musicians and conductors continue to work towards MCM's major goals of giving hobbyist musicians the opportunity to play and perform and bringing music to Maplewood, South Orange, and other nearby communities. In addition, MCM is proud to support community events and community/youth music enrichment programs. Since its formation in 2003, the organization has grown to well over 50 musicians and has numerous active ensembles. MCM hosts between 4-6 events each season and our ensembles perform at even more local events each year.

About the Author, Gregory Burrus

I didn't get to see all the bands I know, but thanks to all bands for making a great day even better. If you didn't get in this year, you can always join up for next year, just let me know. Please note, the views and opinions expressed in this article are from Gregory Burrus, the writer, blogger, live music lover and community partner. https://gregoryburrusproductions.com/author/gregoryburrusproductions/

Hope to see you all again in September 2022.

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