Jazzy Nights Kicks Off 2022 Live Music Season

April 22, 2022 Sonia Schnee

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Friday, April 22, 2022

Tapping into the region’s top live music talent, Jazzy Nights hosts live music performances from big-name local artists drawn from all over Northern New Jersey and nearby New York City, Produced by Live Music Ambassador Gregory Burrus of Gregory Burrus Productions.

Jazzy Nights is not just about jazz but all genres of jazzy live music. It's jazz, it's R&B, and it's jazzy. The Jazzy Nights Live mission is focused on keeping the community of summertime live music lovers enjoying live music throughout the Fall, Winter and Spring, whenever possible.

Following is a post about how Jazzy Nights made it to this season. Back in the day, just a few years ago, the South Orange live music season would run June ‘til September and stop. However, so many local folks and attendees from around the various towns wanted more and more. So, we extended the end of the 2019 season by going indoors and kicked off Jazzy Nights Live at The Fox & Falcon restaurant to keep the wonderful vibe going that was established all summer long. Following is a year-by-year recap of previous years up until this year.

2019 November Jazzy Nights at The Fox & Falcon

*2019/11/14 Inaugural Season Kickoff in the Essex Room with DC Fusion Band.*

The 2019 Jazzy Nights Live Music season was led by our buddy and bassman Darryl Clark. We ran monthly live music sessions from November to April with the wonderful DC Fusion instrumental band led by Darryl Clark on Bass, Howard Hall on piano, and Bill Bang (Mauricio de Souza this night) on drums. We augmented each event with special guest singers (Shadiyah and Joy Topping-Mann this night), folks came out strong, and we packed the Essex Room of The Fox & Falcon. We were moving along nicely each month right up ‘til April 2021 and then the COVID Pandemic shut the world down, including our Jazzy Nights.

In tribute to our buddies.

Sadly, this season was also marked by the passing of many musicians including two of our friends from our Live music community. Community champion and jazz lover Lee Boswell May aka Boz passed before the South Orange Summer Season started. After the 2020 Summer season in November, our beloved Jazzy Nights Bandleader and Bassman Darryl Clark passed on. May they both RIP in musical heaven.

Jazzy Nights (Afternoons) 2021 South Orange NJ

*2021 March Season Opener — Outdoor COVID Sessions.*

Enter 2021, and because we were all still under a Pandemic watch from 2020 we started the Summer Season early on a beautiful sunny day in 2021 on March 21st. With a live music community starving for entertainment, we came back out in March of 2021, and due to COVID Pandemic Social Distancing guidelines, the world had moved outside and so did Jazzy Nights as “Jazzy Afternoons.”

Jazzy Nights Presents MPack Band at The Fox & Falcon

Thanks to The Fox & Falcon restaurant owner, Jazzy Nights Live became Jazzy Afternoons Live in the Sloan Street Parking Lot on March 21. We moved from Thursday nights to Sunday Afternoons.

As you can see, lots and lots of people came out with family and friends to enjoy the live music of the MPack Band and the community.

We continued our performances throughout April, which is Jazz Appreciation Month. We planned for live music every weekend. Weather canceled one weekend, but we did produce some very well-attended and swinging live music weekend performances.

You can read all about it: Jazzy Afternoons South Orange Presents "Jazz Across The Generations" to Honor Jazz Appreciation Month 2021

Mike Lee Trio with Billy Drummond and Mike Kane in Jazz Appreciation Month 2021.

Radam Schwartz Trio with Gene Ghee Sax in Jazz Appreciation Month 2021.

The season continued throughout the Summer, we extended it and worked to extend the live music through October.

October Live Music Fest 2021

Also in 2021, after the Summer Live Music Season we produced the October Live Music Fest.

Take a listen to this event. Performances were 2 times a day every Saturday and Sunday throughout the month.

You can read all about it here: South Orange, NJ October Live Music Fest Takes Over the Sounds In Spiotta Park and Jazz On Sloan Street.

We created live music sessions all year from March thru October, so 2021 was a good year.

Jazzy Nights 2022 at South Valley BBQ & Lounge

Enter 2022, and this year we are back and in a new location and already have produced two extremely successful Jazzy Nights events.

*2022 Feb. 18 Jazz Season Opener in the Blue Room.*

South Valley BBQ and Lounge Presents John Lee and Friends

We are starting off the 2022 Jazzy Nights Live Music Scene in a really nice new location, and we started earlier this year with our first event on Feb. 18th in the new South Valley Lounge. In their newly remodeled Blue Room, we kicked off the season with world-renowned bassist John Lee and his awesome friends.

Read all about it: John Lee and Friends Keeping Jazz Alive Since Dizzy Gillespie and More at South Valley BBQ and Lounge

*2022 Apr 9th R&B Season Opener in the Blue Room.*

Jazzy Nights Presents MPack Music Live at South Valley BBQ and Lounge

We started off the Jazzy Nights R&B Live Music Scene in the new South Valley Lounge on April 9th in the newly remodeled Blue Room. We kicked off the season with the extremely popular R&B Band MPack.

Our first Jazzy Nights R&B performance was literally off the chain!!! Folks came to dine and dance and had fun all night long.

Jazzy Nights — Next Steps

For 2021, all of these veteran professionals came to perform and they delivered big time. So, a great start over 3 years through a pandemic, and we are continuing on throughout 2022.

At Gregory Burrus Productions, we always have something going on to get you, your family and your friends involved, so take a look at our events calendar and come join in the live music party.

Check Out Our Upcoming Events Calendar! We'll See You Soon.

https://gregoryburrusproductions.com/events/

About the Writer Gregory Burrus

Gregory Burrus is a local live music ambassador, event planner, live music ambassador and community partner that curates, manages and promotes live music events in the local Northern NJ and New York Area.

Gregory Burrus sits on a number of local boards and committees and is currently serving as a Board Member of Maplewood Community Music and is a Board Member of Harlem World Magazine Advisory Board.

Year-round Gregory Burrus also curates, books and produces: the Jazz973 live music jazz series at Clements Place Jazz for the Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies, the Jazzy Nights Live Music performances, and Cranford NJ Summer Sounds.

In addition to producing events, Gregory Burrus Productions also showcases, photographs, videotapes events annually such as the annual NYC John Jay College Friends of Myrna Bain Scholarship Fundraiser, the Orange NJ Farmers Market, numerous local bands at various local venues. Gregory Burrus has a passion for making live music happen anywhere and everywhere he can whether locally around town or around the world while living life every day to the fullest. Learn more at: Gregory Burrus - Gregory Burrus Live Music Ambassador

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

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

November 10, 2021 Sonia Schnee

*Darryl Clark Tribute in Spiotta Park, South Orange, NJ in the 5th Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree*

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Wednesday, November 10, 2021

On September 26th, the Live Music Community came together with friends, family and fellow musicians to celebrate the life of local West Orange resident Bass Man Darryl Clark. Folks came from as far as Massachusetts, New York and more to express their sentiments. Folks who could not make this event in person, joined in and viewed the livestream from New York, Florida, California and more.

We had tried this in July, but the 2nd time was a charm as on a perfect weather day the community came together for the 5th Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree Sunday that celebrated the life of bass player, father and community member Darryl Clark. Darryl became a fixture on the live music scene as he performed in numerous live music events in and around South Orange NJ. Always friendly, always helpful, Darryl jammed with us, produced some truly swinging performances and enjoyed playing bass all over the area.

It was a beautiful day, the weather was great as we recreated a number of environments Darryl performed in.

The South Orange Farmers market where Darryl jammed numerous times.
His band DC Fusion with former band members Howard Hall and Alex DeLazzari.
The Nat Adderley Jr. Trio as Nat was one of his biggest supporters and played with Darryl Clark many times in Spiotta Park.

We also live streamed events overnight with submitted performances by his college buddy saxophonist Marshall McDonald and vocalist Lynette Sheard, amongst others, who performed with him in the past.

Below is a taste of each of the live music tribute events that reflected Darryl’s musical life in and around South Orange with friends and family.

Full events will be found at https://vimeo.com/gregoryburrus.

South Orange Farmers Market Jam led by Peter Lin

A taste of the Peter Lin Trio Tribute to Darryl Clark in the 5th Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree in Spiotta Park, South Orange NJ.

A huge thank you to Peter Lin Trio with Gordon Kuba on Drums, Billy Smolen on Bass and led by Peter Lin on Trombone for leading off Day 2 of the 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree. It was a perfect and fitting tribute of live music for our buddy Bass man Darryl Clark as we recaptured the South Orange Farmers Market Jazz Jams.

Jazzy Nights DC Fusion Band led by Howard Hall

Here we have a little bit of Darryl’s original band, DC Fusion, in Tribute to Darryl Clark in 5th Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree in Spiotta Park, South Orange NJ.

Thank you to DC Fusion Jazz, led by the Howard Hall Quartet, in celebration of the DC Fusion Band, Darryl Clark Rides Again on Day 2 of the 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree.

DC Fusion rode one more time in honor of Darryl Clark with Coo Moe Jhee on Bass, band member Alex De Lazzari on Sax, filling in Errold Lanier Jr. on Drums, and led by Howard Hall on Keys. Thank you all for replaying the tunes he loved and for recreating the Jazzy Nights scene. Especially nice was calling up the folks he loved to play with as they came through. Just fabulous live music all around, all day on a beautiful sunny day.

Family and Friends Tributes led by Gregory Burrus

Folks came from as far as Massachusetts to express their sentiments.

*Folks who could not make this event in person joined in and watched the livestream from New York, Florida, California and more.*

The tributes were amazing.

Fellow Musicians Led by Neighbor Nat Adderley Jr.

A taste of the Nat Adderley Jr. Tribute to Darryl Clark at the 5th Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree with Chris Berger & Jerome Jennings.

A big thank you goes out to the Nat Adderley, Jr. Trio for headlining the day and closing out our 5th Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree. From the 1st tune to the end, your trio with Bassist Chris Berger and Drummer Jerome Jennings was slamming.

A Great Tribute and Great Day of Live Music

The live music was smoking hot, made everyone feel welcome, and I know it made Darryl Clark proud as the music flowed hard, fast and friendly. Thank you for having fun with all of Darryl‘s Friends and Family and audience members who clearly enjoyed themselves while paying tribute to Darryl.

Darryl William Clark (1962 – 2020)

We commemorate our buddy Darryl Clark who now resides in musical heaven.

“A year ago today my world stopped and it felt like I’d never breathe again. But you, our amazing sons, the love that surrounds us and God, have been the source of my strength. You were and still are a blessing to me, and for that, I am thankful. I miss you everyday. Rest in peace my bass man, my captain, my love.” —Michele Clark

Thank you Good Buddy Darryl for being you. — Greg

2 Day Live Music Tribute to Darryl Clark (July 17 and 18, South Orange, NJ)

July 16, 2021 Sonia Schnee

Darryl Clark at Spiotta Park, South Orange, NJ

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Friday, July 16, 2021

Live Music Tribute, July 17 and 18

This weekend, we pay tribute to a wonderful colleague who was a pillar of the community, Darryl Clark. He played bass, which is how we know him, but he was a family man involved in many other endeavors. Because of the Pandemic many celebrations were delayed, and this weekend we finally get to celebrate the life of our friend who finally succumbed to a 10-year illness,

About Bassman Darryl Clark

Darryl Clark developed his love of music as a youth in East Elmhurst (Queens), NY, where he was classically trained on guitar in elementary school. By high school, he discovered the fusion sounds of Stanley Clarke, falling in love with Stanley's School Days album and was officially bitten by "the bass bug," adopting a deep respect and affection for the styles of Larry Graham, Louis Johnson and Jaco Pastorius, to name a few.

The '70's were a time of neighborhood bands and East Elmhurst had quite a few of them including neighbor and professional bassist Kim Clarke. Kim inspired Darryl to hone his chops by attending Jazzmobile in Harlem. While at Jazzmobile, Darryl studied under the direction of legendary bassist Earl May.

Darryl had spent a musical lifetime living, learning and accomplished in the spectrum of styles; traditional jazz, fusion, funk, gospel, rock and alternative make up an inclusive repertoire playing with jazz artists including Nat Adderley Jr., Tina Fabrique, Peter Lin, Marshall McDonald and Slide Hampton.

Other projects include the Essex County Youth Detention Center Prison Ministry, Lafayette College Jazz Ensemble, St Matthew Ame Gospel Chorus, The Owens Brothers Band and The Perfect Alibi Quartet.

About The Live Music

In addition to some stellar bands, we will have a few Special Guests, one being our host on Sunday, Lynette Sheard of Lynette Sheard Entertainment. We want to give a shout out to a very special college friend of Darryl Clark, Saxophonist Marshall McDonald who is returning to Japan, but we thank him for being with us.

Day 1: 7/17 Schedule

12-2pm MPACK MUSIC and Jam
3-5pm Flip Da Skrip Band
6:30-9:30pm Radam Schwartz Organ Trio

Day 2: 7/18 Schedule

12:30-2:30pm Peter Lin Trio and Jazz Jam
2:30pm Special Guest Host Lynette Sheard will take us through the day
3-5pm Darryl Clark DC Fusion Band
6:30pm - 9:30pm Nat Adderley Jr. Trio w/ Special Guest

Day 1: 7/17 Lineup

MPACK MUSIC LIVE

Spiotta Park - Let’s Dance and Jam - We kick off the day with a truly swinging R&B jam led by MPack Music. Dynamic, versatile, multifaceted, multitalented, cross-genre band whose playlist spans old school Funk, Jazz, R&B, Fusion, Motown, Neo-Soul and more. Yup the music will be hot and the jam will be awesome. Bring your instrument and or your voice at 12 Noon and join in. We are jamming.

Flip Da Skrip Band

Spiotta Park - Calling all Flippers - we are all in for a special treat as one of our favorite funk, pop bands Flip Da Skrip Band returns to the stage and will be the Sounds In Spiotta Park. Head Flipper has been telling the world:

"Certain Places We've Played Just Mean A Lil' Sumthin' Sumthin' More!!! Places Like Cecil's, Gotham Hall, Gaustavinos, Seton Village, & The Spot Come 2 Mind. However Spiotta Park Has Alwayz Been A Great Place 2 Hang Out, Chillax, & Lissen 2 Whatever Sounds Are Going On Out There That Day. Hear Why Each Flippa Xplains Why They Love Performing In This Waaayyy Kewl Space!!!"

Bottomline, come have some fun.

Radam Schwartz Organ Trio

Sloan Street Parking - Are you ready for some serious Organ Music? One of the pacesetters of the jazz organ, Radam Schwartz teams up with drummer David F. Gibson and saxophonist Anthony Ware and they intend to bring the house dam. The jazz will jumping Radam had hosted a Jam Session from 1986 to 20016, beginning at the famous Peppermint Lounge in Orange, New Jersey, and in 1997 when the Mint closed its doors, moving to the Crossroads in Garwood, where he played every Tuesday for 19 years, making this the longest running session in New Jersey history. Radam knows how to jam so bring your instrument and or your voice and sign in to have some big fun on Saturday night.

Day 2: 7/17 Lineup

7 18 2021 Darryl Clark Tribute Day 1 Final Updated.jpg

Peter Lin Trio and Jam

Darryl Clark wirth Peter Lin, Slide Hampton and Mimiko Watanabe

Spiotta Park - Nothing like a really fabulous jazz jam led by the stellar Trombone player Peter Lin. Darryl played with the cats all the time so bring your stuff and join in. Come listen and or Jam with us and the true Jam Master.

DC Fusion Band Rides Again

Special Guest Host Lynette Sheard with Members of DC Fusion Band

Spiotta Park - In honor of Darryl Clark’s band rides again with his original band members and they will be playing the hits and bringing back some of the great times of the DC Fusion Band.

Nat Adderley, Jr. Trio

Spiotta Park - Nat Adderley Jr, long time friend of Darryl Clark will join us. Are you Ready for the smooth Jazz and R&B sounds of Nat Adderley, Jr. trio featuring always in demand bassist Chris Berger and a stellar drummer who loves to groove Jerome Jennings and with Special Guest joining in. Yup, it's a smoking hot Sunday and you can join in if you think you're ready, just let me know. Are you ready?

This tribute is free so please tell your friends and your friends, friends to grab a chair and join us. Just listen to the music in the Summer Air. We hope you can come on Sunday, July 17 and 18, 2021 enjoy some great music and the memory of Darryl Clark. The music will be jumping all day.

Event Production

Summer Saturdays produced/hosted by South Orange Village Center, South Orange Village and Gregory Burrus Productions

Gregory Burrus is a local live music ambassador, event planner, live music ambassador and community partner that curates, manages and promotes live music events in the local SOMA (South Orange, Maplewood) community, Northern NJ and New York Area.

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

July 16, 2019 Sonia Schnee

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.

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.

Soul Xpressiion School of Dance leads Zumba session in Spiotta Park.jpg

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Retrospective Downtown After Sundown - 24 Hours of Music -Etc 2018 from Gregory Burrus on Vimeo.

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

Blues Extravaganza in Spiotta Park South Orange NJ.jpg

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

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.

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

South Orange Volunteer Rescue Squad trucks.jpg

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.

Thanks to South Orange Village Center Alliance, South Orange Village, the musicians, supporters and volunteers that help make it happen.

Gregory Burrus Around Town
24 Hours of Music
South Orange Village Center Alliance
Live Music Ambassador

Keywords: Gregory Burrus Around Town, 24 Hours of Music , South Orange Village Center , Alliance, Live Music Ambassador, South Orange Rescue Squad., CC Minton., Lynette Sheard., Darryl Clark, Nat Adderley Jr , Marshall MacDonald., Jazz On Sloan at the South Orange Gazebo , Wayne Winborne Executive Director, Lifestyle empowerment, jazz, blues