Jazz at Rutherfurd Hall is announcing its fifth season, bringing a variety of outstanding jazz musicians to the historic mansion in Allamuchy Township, NJ, for once-a-month concerts on Sunday afternoons September through April.
All concerts are 3 to 5 p.m. in Rutherfurd Hall, a National and New Jersey State Historic Landmark. Famed architect Whitney Warren, who also designed Grand Central Station in New York City as Warren and Wetmore Architects (1903-1911), designed the 18,000-square-foot Tudor “country home” in 1904. The renowned firm of Frederick Law Olmsted & Sons designed the landscape plan and the plantings for the site.
Now open as a cultural center and a museum owned and managed by the Allamuchy Township Board of Education, Rutherfurd Hall is an elegant and interesting venue to see and hear jazz. Plus, the ability to meet and converse with the performers makes attending these concerts special.
This year’s season opener is Sunday, September 18, featuring two of America’s great jazz pianists, Bill Mays and Ted Rosenthal. Both of these talented artists will be backed by a solid rhythm section with Steve Varner on bass and Steve Johns on drums.
Sunday, October 16 will feature one of the top tenor saxophonists in the country, Houston Person, backed by the Dave Leonhardt Trio, playing tunes from America’s great composers.
Sunday, November 27 will feature the amazing talent of Bill Charlap at the piano in a solo performance. Tony Bennett said Charlap is one of the best pianists he has ever heard. The program will feature songs from Broadway shows and wonderful composers from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.
Swinging in the New Year on Sunday, January 8, the talented songster and pianist Daryl Sherman will appear with a quartet featuring the special talent of Warren Vache on trumpet, James Chirillo on guitar and Boots Maleson on bass. This concert will feature great songs from composer and lyricist Cole Porter.
Sunday, February 26 brings a great new find, The Pete McGuinness Sextet, with a segment of the charts saluting the tunes for which Mel Torme was known. Group leader Pete McGuinness is on trombone and vocals. He is known as the voice like a horn and is an exceptional scat singer. The sextet will include Andy Eulau on bass, Scott Neumann on drums, Ted Kooshain on piano, Jon Gordon on saxophone, and Joseph Mobley on trumpet.
On Sunday, March 26, The Chico Mendoza Latin Jazz Sextet will swing into play providing a powerful program of Latin rhythm and featuring saxophone, trumpet and vibraphone in the ensemble. The audience will want to dance as the rhythm is so intense.
Sunday, April 23 is a command performance by the inimitable song stylist and pianist Tony DeSare. The show will feature songs that the great vocalist Frank Sinatra made famous, plus some of DeSare’s own songs with wonderfully clever lyrics. His solo performance is one not to be missed.
Tickets can be purchased at Rutherfurd Hall online at www.rutherfurdhall.org, or by calling Rutherfurd Hall at 908-852-1894 X138 or Coyne Enterprises at 908-637-6455. Tickets will be available locally in Hackettstown at Mama’s Café Baci and Panther Valley Pharmacy in Allamuchy.
• Tickets go on sale August 18, 2016
• Tickets for all events individually are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the concert.
• Pick all 7 events in the series in advance for $160 - available until October 14, 2016
• Pick your choice of 5 events in the series for $115 - available until October 14, 2016
• Pick your choice of 3 events in the series for $70 - available until October 14, 2016
Jazz at Rutherfurd is produced by Coyne Enterprises in cooperation with WRNJ Radio. Panther Valley Pharmacy and Heath Village Retirement Community will sponsor this season’s jazz series.
Rutherfurd Hall
Historic mansion visited by FDR open for tours every Wednesday at 11am, 12pm and 1pm. Concerts are free to the public with a recommended donation of $10, Tea & Talk lecture series, Film Night, summer camps and more.