Get Ready to Jam with Us During our 2020 Downtown After Sundown Live Music Season

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Sunday, February 2, 2020

A huge highlight of the 2019 South Orange Downtown After Sundown live music season was the addition of many more live music jam sessions. These sessions enabled more musicians and patrons to participate in our events. Here we look back at the bands that performed at some very successful performances during the 2019 season. Flashing back:

R and B Jamming with the MPACK Band

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The first jam In May 2019 we had the Clarence Conover R&B band jamming  and conducting an Open Mic. It was swinging as MPack brought an explosive energy to the stage and they rocked the park all night long!

Gene Ghee and Friends Jazz Jam

On a rainy day in May ourDowntown After Sundown Jazz On Sloan program presented a Gene Ghee Jazz Jam.  Gene Ghee plays  saxophone, flute, clarinet and  is a long-time performer and educator. He graduated from NYU with a music education undergrad degree from the Manhattan School of Music with an MA for music performance and from Columbia University Teachers College with a Master of Education degree.

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Gene Ghee is a highly in-demand saxophonist and has performed with loads of professionals such as Monguito Santamaria, Art Blakey Jr., Brother Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Teddy Pendergrass, Anita Baker, B.T.Express, Arthur Prysock, Little Anthony and The Imperials. Add to that Etta Jones, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Benny Powell, Eddie Palmieri, Machito, and Barry Harris bplus the list goes on.  He's a performer on recordings of Stevie Wonder (Do I Do), played tenor saxophone and contracted the horn section for the session which included Frank Wess, Virgil Jones, Ron Tooley, Britt Woodman, Clifton Anderson, Victor Paz and others. Other cool recordings / performances with the likes of Evelyn “Champagne” King, The Village People, Candi Staton and T.S.Monk plus many many more national and international performers. A high caliber jazz musician like Gene Ghee is definitely on the list for a return performance in 2020.

Andy Lackow Outdoor Blues Jam

One of our very popular weekends was when Blues Man Andy Lackow ran our First 2019 Outdoor Blues Jam at Spiotta Park. It was truly a blast!!! 

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Andy Lackow & Mess Around band is based in Northern New Jersey. While predominantly a blues band they play an eclectic mix that also includes blues-rock, roots-rock, soul, funk, New Orleans R&B and a little country as well.

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Andy Lackow & Mess Around features Andy Lackow on guitar & vocals, Curtis Fowlkes on bass and Jim Hart on drums as a trio and as a quartet.  This was a great day, the weather was beautiful and lots of jammers came out and jammed with Andy to the delight of all the Downtown After Sundown attendees.

Al Gold‎ Blues Jam in Spiotta Park

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Unfortunately rain canceled our Blues Jam in June that was to be conducted by  Al Gold.

Pianist James Austin, Jr. leads the NJPAC Jazz Jam for Jazz On Sloan Program 

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This NJPAC Free Live Concert was held in the Heart of South Orange Village when New Jersey Performing Arts Center – NJPAC in partnership with “South Orange Village Center Alliance” presented a night of Jazz jamming led by Bandleader and pianist James Austin, Jr.

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James Austin Jr has led the Rutgers, NJPAC Clements Place Jazz Jam in Newark for at least 5 years.  For at least 4 years at the wildly popular Clements Place Jazz sessions, Austin leads a number of jazz quartets composed of New Jersey musicians, performers affiliated with Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens and also the James Moody Jazz Orchestra which is  the acclaimed jazz program of NJPAC’s Department of Arts Education.

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We were happy to have this ongoing very popular series hosted by New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Department of Community Engagement. This series of performances featured some of New Jersey’s finest jazz musicians.. The sessions are a major hit with most jazz listeners as well as musicians and definitely enhances NJPAC’s role as the state’s principal, year-round presenter of jazz.  We are very happy to have them extend their reach into the South Orange, NJ community.

Carrie Jackson Jazz Jam

Jazz On Sloan Presented one awesome season ending Carrie Jackson Jazz Jam in Sept to close the 2019 Downtown After Sundown season.

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Carrie Jackson Jazz Jam and Open Mic at the South Orange Gazebo. Carrie is considered one of the most consistently interesting singers in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area and is one of the top Jazz artists around today performing classical performances of Jazz favorites, soulful sultry Pop, Blues and poignant mellow Gospel. She combines Jazz originals, standards, Pop/Blues tunes and open improvisation in an adventurous, genre-bending style that’s inspirational and original. With a focus on keeping the music alive we are working towards bringing Carrie back in 2020.

A big thank you to all of our 2019 Jam Leaders above and their bands. A big thank you goes out to our wonderful first time supporters like New Jersey Performing Arts Community Engagement - NJPAC, New Jersey Jazz Society- NJJS.org and Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies.

Finally, as you can imagine the goal of this upcoming 2020 live music season season is to bring back as many jam sessions as possible because Downtown After Sundown is is looking forward to jamming once again in 2020 all Around South Orange, NJ.

Gregory Burrus, Live Music Ambassador

Gregory Burrus with South Orange Trustee Bob Zuckerman and former Executive Director of SOVCA.

Gregory Burrus with South Orange Trustee Bob Zuckerman and former Executive Director of SOVCA.

Downtown After Sundown is a program sponsored by the South Orange Village Center Alliance and the Town of South Orange. https://www.sovillagecenter.org/pub/event/story/2382/

Gregory Burrus curates and manages the South Orange Village Center Alliance's Downtown After Sundown Live Music Concerts. This SOMA resident arrived in South Orange, 23-year ago and just loves South Orange, NJ. Gregory enjoys all music genres but his first love jazz began as a boy when his mother and father played jazz on the good old record player at home and took him to clubs all over Manhattan. Greg was an executive in the telecommunications industry and has consulted on telecom, technology and operational business processes systems all over the world. Now he is putting his expertise, gain from his former business environment to work producing music, art and community events across South Orange, Maplewood, Newark and other towns around Northern New Jersey and New York.

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What’s Happening in the 3rd Annual "24 Hours Of Music Jamboree" This Weekend July 20 and 21 (South Orange, NJ)

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Tuesday, July 16, 2019

The 24 Hours of Music Jamboree in its 3rd year is a volunteer nonstop music event, much-loved by the local music community, those who come from afar to perform and our many visitors.   Normally held in May, this year it will be conducted on July 20 and the 21st. From the first event at noon July 20th to the last event starting at noon July 21st, the live music runs for 24 consecutive hours nonstop, covers multiple musical genres and highlights a good cause. In addition to regular scheduled events, there is live music all over South Orange, NJ.

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Sounds in Spiotta Park

In South Orange, Spiotta Park, New Jersey DJ Services will be warming us up at 11:15 am and then all day between the performances so you can expect New Jersey DJ Services  to be rocking the park all day long. Very happy that Soul Xpressiion School of Dance will be joining us for the first time and they will be live in Spiotta Park leading a Zumba session designed to make you work out and feel good.

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As the afternoon progresses come enjoy Dan Ogden music, the very popular Howling Poets, connect with some Latin Music from Carlos Frias and another new group called Psychedelic Fusion from the band YIRD. In the early afternoon Black Wax will have you toe tapping, head bopping to some great R&B music and in the evening you can dance the night away to popular cover songs by the exciting NXStage band. To close the night in the park, you can rock it out hard with the fabulous tribute band Deadful Greats. So come enjoy everything in Spiotta Park from POP, World music, Rock, Latin, R&B and more.

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We give a big thanks to Persaud Entertainment LLC and CEO Valerie Persaud in helping make the events happen in the park this year. Their band always attracts the largest Downtown After Sundown audience when Ricky Persaud Jr hits our stage which btw will be August 17th, 2019.


South Orange Gazebo

Meanwhile at the Jazz On Sloan at the South Orange Gazebo venue which has produced some wonderful live music performances from some truly great and well known musicians the mission continues with almost 24 Hours of Jazz and R&B from local musicians around the area. This year thanks to Wayne Winborne who is Executive Director of the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies(IJS) the IJS is  extending their community engagement mission of building and sharing jazz with us right here in South Orange NJ.

 

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They are supporting all the Jazz events throughout the 24 Hours Of Music jamboree. DC Jazz Fusion bandleader and bassist Darryl Clark will bring on stage some really cool friends. Joining Darryl Clark will be the former songwriter for Luther Vandross’s, world renowned pianist Nat Adderley Jr along with another heavy hitter jazz professional from the Count Basie band, saxophonist Marshall MacDonald.

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The South Orange Gazebo will continue swinging hard all day into the evening with Richard Reiter’s Drum Circle and Jazz Band and a make you always want to dance MPAC R&B Music band. You also get to spend some time with our gifted versatile vocalist, actor, producer and director Lynette Sheard.

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There’s also some really new very cool up and coming jazz musicians, like Seniar Raines, Mike Petillo, the Ben Frank Trio, Tim Rodner and yes drummer Bruce Tyler.  

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The evening highlight of the jazz day will be a Jazz Jam to end all Jams when we hit it off with Percussionist Norman Mann’s Birthday Celebration Jazz Jam. The musicians will be swinging, the vocalist will be singing and the gazebo will be jumping. All musicians and vocalist are welcome to come join in and jam with us at this truly unique one of a kind Norman Mann birthday celebration. It’s going to be hot!!!!! Overnight, keeping the music live all night will be newcomer Ilan Esienzweig, pianist Brianne Ford Live with local vocalist Kari Capone joining us in the 5 AM hour. Then our newcomer from Flip Da Skrip Tasha R Williams goes solo at 6 AM followed by 24 Hour of Music veterans Patricia Walton from MPAC and then it’s the Steve Jones Music hour. This will be followed by Jazz at from the Hassenfeld group.


Back in the Park

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And also over in Spiotta Park there will be a real world 4 hour Blues Extravaganza in Spiotta Park kicked off by singer Liza Katzoff, followed by soulful Tara Layne and then Blues Jam Master Andy Lackow closes us out.


Around South Orange

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In addition to the music at Spiotta Park and the South Orange Gazebo music will be all around South Orange, NJ on July 20th and 21st.  A number of local stores and restaurants are supporting the 24 Hours of Music Jamboree. Out on the avenue music lovers can enjoy the music on the way into and out of town when they encounter “The Little Shop of Hip Hop, BGR Burger, Café Word Bookstore, Elitist Coffee Shop, Jackie and Sons and more.

Events on the avenue are being supported by Lifestyle Advocate CC Minton.

Events on the avenue are being supported by Lifestyle Advocate CC Minton.

Other around town regular live music locations are The Fox and Falcon hosting its popular Karaoke Night. Papillion 25 entertaining its customers with returning favorite MPACK music band while the South Orange Performing Arts Center has the wildly popular Ragtime, The Musical on its main stage. On Sunday morning attendees can attend an early morning Café Word Inspirational music session.


Support South Orange Rescue Squad

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This year the nonstop music jamboree is hoping to bring town wide awareness to the current needs of the South Orange Rescue Squad. As most folks do not know that the South Orange Rescue Squad is a completely volunteer organization. These folks are a full time support organization,  providing selfless service and are always there when we need them, so let’s be there for them when they need us. The public is invited to contribute to the South Orange Rescue Squad by making a donation at https://www.southorangerescuesquad.org or in person during the 24 Hours of Music Jamboree.


2018 Thank You All and here’s to 2019 and having another blast of a good time.

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