February to June 2025 Schedule Includes Cassandra Wilson, Sheila Jordan, Arturo O'Farrill, Rhoda Scott and More
First Saturday of every month—February 1, March 1, April 5, May 3 and June 7, 2025. All shows begin at 6:00 p.m.
Bethany Baptist Church
275 W. Market Street
Newark, NJ 07103
Harvie S – bass
Roni Ben-Hur – guitar
Billy Drummond—drums
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, February’s Jazz Vespers featured artist is Sheila Jordan. At age 93, the jazz vocalist is renowned as a pioneer of bebop and scat singing. “Whether singing well-known standards or original material, she makes it all sound like no one else,” The National Endowment for the Arts says about the NEA Jazz Master. Double bassist Harvie S will join her with his “tasty, melodic playing” (Arts Fuse), alongside “limber and inventive guitarist” (The Village Voice) Roni Ben-Hur and drummer Billy Drummond, who “command[s] the attention of a room without saying a word” (JazzTimes).
Leo Johnson – saxophone
Brandon McCune – piano
Earl Grice – drums
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, March’s Bethany Vesper Concert Series features The Great City of Newark Jazz & Blues All Stars. Vocalist Antoinette Montague is joined by Leo Johnson(saxophone), Brandon McCune (piano) and Earl Grice (drums). These artists are noted for their superb dedication to Newark’s jazz scene, including performance, education and advocacy. They’ll bring it on home to Bethany with soul-stirring jazz, blues and swinging songs of Zion to lift and encourage.
First Saturday of every month—February 1, March 1, April 5, May 3 and June 7, 2025. All shows begin at 6:00 p.m.
Bethany Baptist Church
275 W. Market Street
Newark, NJ 07103
Tickets + Information
FREE. For more info, please visit NJPAC.org or call 1.888.GO.NJPAC.Saturday, February 1 | Sheila Jordan with Roni Ben-Hur and Harvie S
Sheila Jordan – vocalsHarvie S – bass
Roni Ben-Hur – guitar
Billy Drummond—drums
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, February’s Jazz Vespers featured artist is Sheila Jordan. At age 93, the jazz vocalist is renowned as a pioneer of bebop and scat singing. “Whether singing well-known standards or original material, she makes it all sound like no one else,” The National Endowment for the Arts says about the NEA Jazz Master. Double bassist Harvie S will join her with his “tasty, melodic playing” (Arts Fuse), alongside “limber and inventive guitarist” (The Village Voice) Roni Ben-Hur and drummer Billy Drummond, who “command[s] the attention of a room without saying a word” (JazzTimes).
Saturday, March 1 | The Great City of Newark Jazz & Blues All Stars
Antoinette Montague – vocalsLeo Johnson – saxophone
Brandon McCune – piano
Earl Grice – drums
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, March’s Bethany Vesper Concert Series features The Great City of Newark Jazz & Blues All Stars. Vocalist Antoinette Montague is joined by Leo Johnson(saxophone), Brandon McCune (piano) and Earl Grice (drums). These artists are noted for their superb dedication to Newark’s jazz scene, including performance, education and advocacy. They’ll bring it on home to Bethany with soul-stirring jazz, blues and swinging songs of Zion to lift and encourage.
Saturday, April 5 | Rhoda Scott
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, April’s Bethany Vesper Concert Series combines jazz music and worship with organist Rhoda Scott, “undoubtedly one of the most dazzling legends of jazz” (Paris-Move). The daughter of an AME minister from Weymouth Township, New Jersey, she learned to play the organ at church. After moving to France early in her career, she launched to superstardom — becoming known as “l’Organiste aux Pieds Nus” (“The Barefoot Lady”) because of her unique habit of removing her shoes to play. Newark will be wowed by her high-voltage mix of hard bop and soul jazz.Saturday, May 3 | Arturo O’Farrill
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, May’s Bethany Vesper Concert Series featurespianist Arturo O’Farrill, a familiar face to NJPAC jazz audiences. Born in Mexico and raised in New York, the six-time GRAMMY winner is a prolific musician, composer and passionate promoter of Latin music and its cultural heritage. He plays with bands and orchestras all over the world, including his own Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and the Arturo O’Farrill Sextet. DownBeat calls him “one of our greatest living pianists.”Saturday, June 7 | Cassandra Wilson
Co-presented by Bethany Baptist Church and NJPAC, June’s Bethany Vesper Concert Series features jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson. The New Yorker hails her as “one of the most inventive and captivating singers of her generation,” with a “smokehouse contralto” equally adept with jazz, blues, country, folk and pop. The GRAMMY winner and NEA Jazz Master is no stranger to Bethany Baptist and NJPAC. Her 2020 concert was part of an MLK Jr. celebration and the 80th birthday concert honoring Dorthaan Kirk.About NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States. It is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey — where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. As New Jersey’s anchor cultural institution, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State’s and the world’s best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 11 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit njpac.org for more information.For more information contact AMT Public Relations.
