JazzFest at College of St. Elizabeth Saturday

The New Jersey Jazz Society's JazzFest, condensed to one day for 2011, will be held at the College of Saint Elizabeth campus this year. Information is available at www.njjs.org, or by calling (800) 303-NJJS. 

This is the press release that was issued by the New Jersey Jazz Society:

Each year since 1976, the New Jersey Jazz Society has presented Jazzfest, one of the best mainstream jazz festivals in the entire metropolitan area.  This year is no exception as this popular jazz festival presents nine hours of great music in the air conditioned comfort of two concert halls plus outdoor entertainment, a food court and vendors selling everything from hard-to-find CDs to crafts and interesting merchandise.

Jazzfest will take place on the campus of the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, New Jersey on Saturday, June 11th from Noon to 9:00 p.m.

The afternoon lineup includes:·

• The Winard Harper Sextet with special guest Phillip Harper and a rare reunion of the renowned Harper Brothers.
• The always entertaining Jay Leonhart joined by Harry Allen on saxophone and Joe Cohn on guitar.
• The swinging sounds of the Jazz Lobsters Big Band featuring Carrie Jackson on vocals and Larry McKenna on Tenor Sax.
• The ever popular Ken Peplowski Quartet.

In the food court, the sounds of Emily Asher’s Garden Party will fill the air and the virtuoso trombonist will be joined by Dan Levinson on reeds, Bria Skonberg on Trumpet, Jared Engel on Banjo and John Phillip on Sousaphone.

The evening concert kicks off at 6:00 p.m. with the exciting vocals and guitar of:

• Allan Harris and his Quartet
• The critically acclaimed Ellington Legacy Band under the leadership of Edward Kennedy Ellington II. The Legacy Band also includes Norman Simmons on piano and Virginia Mayhew on Tenor Saxophone.

Also at the evening concert, the New Jersey Jazz Society will honor Mayor Mary Anna Holden of Madison, and Jon Brauer and Anthony Ferrara of Toyota of Morristown.

Most of the music takes place in two venues, Dolan Hall in the Annunciation Center and the Octagon Theatre right next door. As an extra bonus, there will be a variety of vendors offering a wide selection of food, hard to find records, jazz CDs, art and crafts of all kinds. Admission to the craft and food court is free.

Jazzfest is made possible through the generous support of Toyota of Morristown, RXR Realty, the Star-Ledger, WBGO Jazz99FM, Hot House Magazine, Songbirds Agency, Hullarious Productions and the Madison Arts and Culture Alliance.

Tickets for Jazzfest are only $55.00 in advance, and $70.00 at the gate. New Jersey Jazz Society members enjoy a special rate available through the website. Full time students with valid ID are only $10.00 at the gate. Parking is free and train travel is easy with a station right at the college gate.  The gates open at 11:30 a.m. and the music begins at noon. For more information on tickets and directions visit the New Jersey Jazz Society website (www.njjs.org) or call the NJJS Hotline at 800-303-NJJS (6557).