Jazz in the City 2006

New Brunswick, NJ -- For the second year in a row, the State Theatre will present a free, after-hours jazz festival in New Brunswick in September. According to Wesley O. Brustad, the theater's president and CEO, the second annual Jazz in the City series is intended as a back-to-school/after-work celebration of life and art in the city. Admission is free.

“This is our way of reminding the community that everyone is welcome at the State Theatre," Brustad added.

Performances, Wednesdays September 6, 13, and 20 from 5pm - 7pm, will feature The Cindy Blackman Quartet (drummer Cindy Blackman of Lenny Kravitz fame); the Valery Ponomarev Quartet with guest saxophonist Don Braden; and Bob DeVos' OrganNow.

Livingston Avenue between New and George Street will be closed to traffic during the jazz performances. Tasty snacks, meals, and beverages will be provided by New Brunswick restaurants La Fontana and Port City Java and there will be a cash bar open in the theater lobby. Patrons are invited to bring folding chairs. There will also be a limited number of chairs and tables on site.

Brustad emphasized that all performances will take place--rain or shine. “If it rains," Brustad explained, “we simply move everyone, including the audience, inside on stage. We did it last year and people had a great time."

Jazz in the City is has been made possible by the generous support of New Millennium Bank, returning as a corporate partner sponsor for the second year. “The bank enjoyed its collaboration with the State Theatre last summer and is looking forward to our continued partnership, said Chris van der Stad, New Millennium Bank President. “New Millennium Bank is a community bank that seeks to serve the communities of Somerset and New Brunswick and to deliver personal service to it loyal customers. We hope that our customers as well as city employees and residents will join us for Jazz in the City."

Additional Jazz in the City sponsors include the New Jersey Jazz Society, The Courier News, The Home News Tribune, 10 Cane Rum, Belvedere Vodka, Santa Ema Wines, TGIC Wine Importers, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. New Brunswick City Market is a Jazz in the City community partner.

The schedule for Jazz in the City is as follows:
Wednesday, September 6, 5pm - 7pm:
The Cindy Blackman Quartet Cindy Blackman has been seen and heard by millions of people all over the world performing with her own group and during her 11 year stint with retro funk rocker Lenny Kravitz, from 1993 - 2004. In 1998, she released her first drumming instructional video, Multiplicity, through Warner Brothers publications. Blackman has been touted as one of the top drummers in the world. She is a solid, dependable drummer who can easily move from straight-ahead jazz to rock to funk and back again. Her quartet includes sax, guitar, bass, and drums.

Wednesday, September 13, 5pm - 7pm
Valery Ponomarev Quartet
Trumpeter Valery Ponomarev worked with Art Blakey for many years and offers a straight-ahead jazz ensemble featuring bass, drums, trumpet, and sax. New Jersey saxophonist, composer, and educator Don Braden guests on saxophone. Ponomarev's quintet, Universal Language, is just off its first weeklong engagement Manhattan's Sweet Basil.

Wednesday, September 20, 5pm - 7pm
Bob DeVos' OrganNow
Bob DeVos is hailed as “the thinking man's guitar hero" and “a brilliant, knowing bebop player." As a teen, he toured nationwide with a famous rock group, while returning again and again the soul jazz clubs of Newark, New Jersey. He is a member and featured performer with the New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra under the leadership of Bill Warfield. His CDs as a leader for Savant / HighNote and Blues Leaf Records have earned high praise and many stars in DownBeat and throughout the jazz media.

A musically mature and versatile guitarist, composer, and arranger, Bob is a modern player with strong traditional roots. He is equally at home with straight-ahead jazz, rhythm & blues, funk, jazz fusion, and more. DeVos is joined by Steve Johns on drums and Dan Kostelnick on a Hammond B-3 organ.

For tickets to other State Theatre events (or a brochure), call the State Theatre box office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The State Theatre box office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm and at least one hour prior to curtain on performance dates (summer hours may vary. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 536.

The State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment, celebrates its 85th anniversary this year. The Theatre enriches lives, contributes to a vital urban environment, and builds future audiences through its onstage excellence and extensive educational outreach. The State Theatre's programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Continental Airlines is the official airline of the State Theatre. The State Theatre's 2004 restoration was made possible with generous financial assistance from Middlesex County and its Board of Chosen Freeholders and administrative support from the New Brunswick Cultural Center and New Brunswick Development Corporation.