This weekend, August 7 – 9 a new shore tradition is born – The Asbury Park Loves Jazz Festival! From Friday through Sunday, jazz lovers will be brought back the glory days of a music scene that once featured the hippest jazz music played anywhere! Add to that a beach weekend on the Asbury Waterfront and you’ve got some serious summer sizzle!

Asbury Park has a rich history of Jazz – drawing icons such as Duke Ellington who first visited in 1912 as a young teenager. Count Basie, a Red Bank native, who played Mrs. Jay’s Beer Garden in the 1930’s – long before it became the Stone Pony. Asbury Park’s west side clubs on Springwood Avenue were home to one of the most vibrant jazz scenes between 1910-1970.

The roster of live entertainment for the Asbury Park LOVES Jazz Weekend is a great mix of today’s top jazz musicians as well as artists creating the next generation of jazz history in venues on Main Street, downtown and the Boardwalk.

On Saturday Live music starting off with local favorites from Lakehouse Music Academy Kid’s Jazz Band, moving into standard jazz with the Sympathetic Resonance with Karen Lee. Next up is Island Motion calypso with Desi Norman and Boardwalk Jazz with PJ Rassmusen as well as Valerie Adams and the Dimensions Band. Music will fill the heart of downtown Asbury Park from our tent garden at Press Plaza and into art galleries and restaurants. Music in Pres Plaza is free and open to the public from 11am – 7pm.

Sunday is the Main Event of Asbury Park Loves Jazz at the Paramount Theater featuring a star-studded line up that will have you on the edge of your seat, Featuring: Brooke Alex Bugnon, Jonathan Fritzen & Vincent Ingala – The Next Generation, Chieli Minucci & Special EFX with special guest Marion Meadows. You won’t want to miss out on one of the best nights of jazz in New Jersey! Tickets start at $19 and are available here.

The weekend schedule was designed to allow you to mix music with great beaches, over 50 restaurants featuring cuisine from around the world and a nightlife that extends beyond the jazz programming. It’s shaping up to be a great weekend in Asbury Park!

Asbury Park Loves Jazz
August 7 – 9 2015

JAZZ WEEKEND SCHEDULE

FRIDAY NIGHT
Asbury Park Transportation Center
Kick Off Celebration
7pm to 10pm
Ticket Price: $10
Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz from Karen Rodriquez
Cuban fare and rum tasting, silent auction

SATURDAY
Press Plaza
Live music free & open to the public – in our tent garden
11:00am Lakehouse Music Academy Kid’s Jazz Band
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Sympathetic Resonance with Karen Lee
1:30pm – 3:00pm – Island Motion with Desi Norman
3:30pm – 5:00pm – Boardwalk Jazz with PJ Rassmusen
5:30pm – 7:00pm – Valerie Adams & The Dimensions Band

SUNDAY
The Paramount Theater, 1300 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park
Main Event
Tickets as low as $19
Doors open at 1:00pm
2:00pm – Brooke Alford, Artist of the Violin
3:00pm – Alex Bugnon
4:20pm – Jonathan Fritzen & Vincent Ingala – The Next Generation
5:30pm – Chieli Minucci & Special EFX with special guest Marion Meadows

11:30am – 1:00pm – Free Jazz from Deftet on the Asbury Park Boardwalk 4th Avenue Greenspace

Getting Here
Easy access to Asbury LOVE’s Jazz weekend of events from NJ Transit. A two minute walk to the downtown and 12 min walk to the Boardwalk from North Jersey Coastline’s Asbury Park Station located on Main Street at Cookman Ave.

Show your NJTransit ticket for $5 off an official t-shirt!

Click here to Purchase Show Tickets for Sunday

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Jonathan Fritzén
Music with the power to captivate, coupled with a touring schedule that spans Europe, the far east and some of the biggest festivals in the USA, is rapidly turning Swedish American composer and keyboard player Jonathan Fritzén into a truly global phenomenon. Now, his considerable worldwide audience seems certain to increase still further with the release of his latest CD, the appropriately titled ‘Magical’.

Vincent Ingala
Back in January of 2011, Smooth Jazz Journalist of The Year nominee, Denis Poole commented that ‘North End Soul’ from multi-instrumentalist, writer and producer Vincent Ingala was, by any standards, an outstanding piece of work. In fact, it proved to be a spectacular debut and set the scene for what evolved into a truly remarkable year. In San Diego, at what became known as ‘The Lemonade Weekend,’ Ingala owned the stage at Anthology and later that night played with Peter White at the Hard Rock Hotel. Twelve months later, his ever growing fan-base would be rewarded with Vincent’s follow up album ‘Can’t Stop Now,’ earning him two Billboard top five singles, one of them topping at #1 for four weeks. With seven original compositions, two spellbinding covers and guest performances from Gregg Karukas & Jonathan Fritzen, ‘Can’t Stop Now’ is a measure of just how far Ingala has come and a tribute to the focus and dedication he has for his music.

Chieli Minucci
“Every day I am grateful for the gift of creative energy,” states Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated guitarist Chieli Minucci (pronounced Key-eli Mee-noo-chee). With an enviable list of chart-topping radio hits, Chieli Minucci along with the late master percussionist George Jinda, masterminded the ground-breaking ensemble Special EFX. On May 21, 2013, Chieli Minucci swings full circle on Shanachie Entertainment with his latest effort, Genesis, marking 30 years since the inception of Special EFX. The consummate artist is reenergized, and attributes this to the essential things in life. “I am inspired by healthy living, consistent relationships with family and loved ones, friends, and traveling. My music is simply a consequence of what I am thinking about and feeling.” With the release of Genesis the evolution of Special EFX continues. Chieli Minucci confides, “It is my hope that when people hear Genesis that they will enjoy it and be able to relate to it in some way. I hope they are moved and are able feel what I felt as I wrote these songs.”

Marion Meadows
Albert Einstein once said “We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.” For multi-talented saxophonist and consummate creative spirit Marion Meadows, the allure of music was never too far. The charismatic, strikingly handsome, eloquent and debonair musician, who happens to moonlight as a brilliant digital designer/photographer, and semi-professional cyclist originally had aspirations to become a veterinarian. “Reaching people through music has always been rewarding for me. Expressing yourself through an instrument and having listener’s run through so many emotions is an artistic impression like no other,” says Marion. With a clear trajectory in sight, the stars aligned for Meadows one evening at Grand Central Station, when his saxophone was mysteriously overheard reverberating through the Big Apple’s oldest railway. Emmy-winning TV composer Jay Chattaway (Star Trek fame) was so enchanted that he introduced Marion Meadows to Grammy-winning pianist, producer and label owner Bob James, who helped Meadows to launch his career as a solo artist. Close to 25 years later, scores of sold out shows, twelve critically heralded albums, a string of radio hits and collaborations with luminaries like Stevie Wonder, Eartha Kitt, The Temptations, George Benson and Norman Connors, Meadows is not through yet. “I have immersed myself in so many styles, from old school funk, jazz, rock and pop that a great tune is a great tune and I draw inspirations from all styles of music, but it is also from the outdoors and the beauty the world has to offer that inspire me each day” states Marion. February 26, 2013, Shanachie Entertainment in conjunction with Listen 2 Entertainment Group will release Whisper, Marion Meadows’ label debut. Featuring mostly originals, Meadows dances a delicate balance between soul and fire, intellect and emotion, and sensitivity and brawn, making Whisper, an exhilarating musical foray into one of contemporary jazz’s most brilliant minds and recognized soprano saxophonists.

Brooke Alford, Artist of the Violin
“There are some experiences in life that you just have to see in order to believe them. No words or explanation can come close to the excitement, passion, and thrill of being there in action. What is this experience I speak of? Brooke Alford, Artist of the Violin: a one-of-a-kind visual and audio adventure for ALL of the senses. The complete package for your listening pleasure.” ~ Anonymous Brooke Alford Platinum Sponsor=