On Stage

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The Future of NJJazzList
Photo credit: MD Zund

Here at NJJazzList things will be changing. We're looking at new ways of promoting live jazz and look forward to supporting more jazz artists and venues. 

Thank you to all our supports over the years. I've enjoyed every minute of creating and maintaining this site in it's various forms and l am looking forward to doing more for this great American artform. Stay tuned...
                            -Andy McDonough

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Live Jazz Every Tues & Thurs 7-10 pm

Tavern on George
361 George St. New Brunswick

Click image to learn more.

New Brunswick Jazz Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting world class jazz performances in downtown New Brunswick & other Central Jersey venues. Since its inception in 2010 NBJP has gone from presenting two jazz performances a month, to offering FREE year around shows, four nights every week. The Jazz Project has successfully fostered a supportive environment for regular live jazz performance in New Brunswick and has presented more than 700 events featuring over 1000 acclaimed national and international jazz leaders, sidemen and special guests, including among many others: Arturo O’Farrill, John Lee, Ed Cherry, Dave Stryker, Akiko Tsuruga, Roseanna Vitro, Mimi Jones, Jerry Weldon, Rudy Royston, Virginia Mayhew, Luis Perdomo, Dezron Douglas, Joe Magnarelli, Ralph Peterson, Steve Williams, Kenny Davis, Tia Fuller, Orrin Evans, Jared Gold, Tim Ries, Victor Lewis, Conrad Herwig, and Ravi Coltrane.


NBJP also regularly partners with the New Brunswick Public Schools and the Hub Teen Center to provide after-school enrichment programming in the form of jazz performances with student participation and talk backs.

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Bill Charlap, Christian McBride and more at WPU

Click image above to learn more.

The Jazz Room Series is a long-running program at William Paterson University. This season, you can hear a wonderful program of jazz greats and genres, including:

Saxophonist-Vocalist Camille Thurman

Apr 06, 2025 @ 3:00 PM

Location: Shea Center for Performing Arts

Camille Thurman has gained worldwide respect as a saxophonist and she was a finalist in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition.  


Chico Alvarez with the WP Latin Jazz Ensemble

Apr 13, 2025 @ 3:00 PM

Location: Shea Center for Performing Arts

Vocalist, Chico Alvarez, is an active singer, performing with the Afro-Cuban band Mafimba for nearly 40 years.  He has also been jazz radio host of “The New World Gallery” on New York radio station WBAI. 

Christian McBride & Bill Charlap Duo

Apr 27, 2025 @ 3:00 PM

Location: Shea Center for Performing Arts

This is a truly rare performance by two true jazz giants who have rarely performed together and who never have toured.  Christian McBride has a solid reputation as one of the world’s most respected jazz basists and bandleaders. Bill Charlap is one of the world’s foremost pianists, touring and recording with his trio of 27 years and won  a 2016 Grammy Award with Tony Bennett.

Will Downing

May 09, 2025 @ 8:00 PM

Location: Shea Center for Performing Arts

Celebrating an insane 35 years as a performer and with 27 albums to his credit, Downing  has the popular single, "What Part of My Love" , that has shot to the top of the UK Soul Chart Top 30.

Click on the image above for the full schedule and ticket details.

New Jersey’s Jazz Clubs You Should Know

The following is a short list of venues in New Jersey that are devoted to live jazz performance. Many other clubs and performance spaces lend their stage to jazz for special performances and regularly scheduled jam sessions, too. Check for them on the NJJazzList Calendar here  and support live jazz.
Clement's Place 15 Washington St, Newark, NJ 07102 https://www.facebook.com/clementsplacejazz Phone: (862) 205-7660
Brush Culture (aka brvshcul7ur3) 482 Cedar Ln, Teaneck, NJ 07666 https://brvshcul7ur3.com Phone: (201) 357-5745
Medley's Bayou 980 Teaneck Rd, Teaneck, NJ 07666 https://www.medleysbayou.com Phone: (201) 851.3663
Shanghai Jazz  24 Main St, Madison, NJ 07940 https://www.shanghaijazz.com Phone: (973) 822-2899
Moore's Lounge189 Monticello Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07304 Phone: (201) 332-4309
The Statuary 53 Congress St, Jersey City, NJ 07307 https://www.facebook.com/thestatuaryofjc Phone: (201) 936-7191
Candlelight Lounge 24 Passaic St; Trenton, NJ 08618 https://www.candlelighteventsjazz.com Phone: (609) 695-9612
Rustica Lounge 565 George Rd, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010 https://www.rusticalounge.com Phone: (201) 313-0802
Dorthaan's Place (at NJPAC) 1 Center St Newark, NJ 07102 https://www.njpac.org/search/dorthaan%27s Phone: (888) 696.5722 
Special thanks to Peter Lin, the trombonist and musical director of the New Jersey-based band Lintet who helped to curate this list. Learn more about Peter and his music at www.peterlinmusic.com.
Jazz Currents & Education
Global Jazz 

RSS The Free Jazz Collective
  • Razor Sharp & Bone Deep
    By Paul Acquaro The trombone, simple to say, has played a crucial role in jazz history, from supporting instrument to prominent leading role and solo voice. Already in early jazz, the instrument's unique slides, growls and scoops added a raw, expressive quality to the music. Later, it showed off its more lyrical and smooth side, […]
JazzWax

RSS JazzWax
  • Kandace Springs: 'Lady in Satin' May 13, 2025
    You'd have to be out of your mind to cover Lady in Satin (1958), one of Billie Holiday's final LPs and widely considered a masterpiece today. Unless, of course, you can pull it off, and vocalist Kandace Springs does just...     Related Stories10 Albums to Cure Midwinter Blahs 
All About Jazz 

RSS All About Jazz
  • Swinging Scores—How Jazz Shaped Bollywood’s Golden Age
    This piece--the first in a five-part series on the Indian jazz revival--focuses on the heavy imprint of jazz on Indian cinema, specifically Bollywood during its golden age between the 1940s and 1970s. It's a story about how a music born in jny: New Orleans made its way to Bombay, and how, for a few wild […]
  • Usein Bekirov: Qizilciqlar
    Head of the jazz department at Lviv National Academy of Music (LNMA), Usein Bekirov is a Ukrainian jazz-fusion/ethno-jazz keyboardist who draws on his Crimean Tatar musical roots as well as influences from Azerbaijan and the Balkans... [ read more ]
Education

RSS Jazz Guitar Education
  • Diminished Scale Guitar Workout - Chords And Melody - Free PDF And YouTube Short
    Welcome to this short lesson where we dive into one of the most mysterious and powerful tools in a guitarist’s arsenal — the diminished scale. We’ll break down the two main forms of the diminished scale (half-whole and whole-half), explore how they relate to dominant 7♭9, 7#9 and diminished 7th chords.
  • Harmonic Major Scale Chords For Guitar
    The Harmonic Major Scale is a unique variation of the major scale, created by lowering the 6th degree. This small change introduces a mix of major and minor qualities, making it useful in jazz, fusion, classical, and film music. In this lesson, we’ll explore how to harmonize the scale into triads and 7th chords, uncovering […]
Reviews & CD Picks
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The Jim Ridl Trio - Standards Live

Released 2022, this is a live recording of standards and  originals with Jim Ridl piano, Tim Lekan bass, Bob Shomo drums.
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Bill O'Connell Latin Jazz

This ensemble embraces a broad stylistic swath of jazz, Latin and Brazilian idioms and experiments with  intimate to large groups. 
Bill O’Connell – piano and Fender Rhodes, Lincoln Goines – bass, Robby Ameen – drums with special guests Randy Brecker – flugelhorn, Craig Handy – alto sax, Conrad Herwig – trombone, Andrea Brachfeld – flute, and Dan Carillo – guitar.

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Steve LaSpina - A Change in the Weather

This is bassist, Steve LaSpina’s 12th album as a leader, and explores some of his old tunes, as well as new works. It gives the listener a rare opportunity to experience how original compositions in jazz develop after decades of live performance. PERSONNEL: Steve LaSpina - bass, Joel Frahm - tenor & soprano saxophone, Luis Perdomo - piano, and Eric McPherson - drums.

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Reggie Quinerly New York Nowhere

Drummer, Reggie Quinerly, offers his latest album as a fond good-bye as he relocates to Los Angeles.  The quintet of trumpeter Antoniene Drye, tenor saxophonist John Ellis, pianist John Chin, and bassist Sean Conly,  recorded their seven tracks together in one room, old school.

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Arturo O'Farrill - Four Questions

Four Questions is a 2020 album by Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. It won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album.  Label: Zoho Music

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Andy Fusco - Remembrance

Veteran alto man Andy Fusco has appeared on many sessions over the years including his work with the Buddy Rich big band and sideman duties with the likes of Walt Weiskopf and drummer Steve Smith. Bravo to Steeplechase Records who have given him the opportunity to record an album a year with this being his fifth release.

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George Coleman in Baltimore

Previously Unreleased Live Tenor Sax Giant George Coleman from The Ballroom in Baltimore,1971

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Matt Aronoff
Morning Song
Composer: Matt Aronoff (b. 1980)
Label: Adhyâropa Records
Performers: Matt Aronoff (bass), Jason Rigby (tenor sax), Yago Vazquez (Frender Rhodes), Henry Cole (drums)
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Matt Aronoff
Featuring Philadelphia-based tenor saxophonists, Bootsie Barnes and Larry McKenna with Lucas Brown (organ), and Byron Wookie Landham (drums). Released October 10, 2018
Helping Hands

Know of a jazz player in need, a benefit or a good cause related to jazz?  Please reach out.

In the meantime, click on the link to learn more about Philadelphia's JazzBridge organization.