The sounds of hot music and cool vocals sizzle when Ocean County College’s Arts and Community Center hosts the popular MidWeek Jazz Series. Come hear acclaimed artists play classic jazz and swing in a single 90-minute set! Shows run on Wednesdays at 8p.m. on OCC’s Main Campus, College Drive, Toms River, NJ. Please use Parking Lot #2. Tickets are on sale now at the OCC Box Office.
June 27: Bucky Pizzarelli – Back Again! – Living legend guitarist Pizzarelli has filled more seats for MidWeek Jazz than any other performer! For this show, he is ably assisted by violin virtuoso Aaron Weinstein, who has charmed audiences for years. Equally familiar is Jerry Bruno, at the upright string bass, who has a résumé as long as Bucky’s. Seats sell quickly when this trio visits!
July 11: Al Harrison’s Dixieland Band – “Each of their performances for us had enthusiastic audiences clapping and giving standing ovations,” claims the Cape May Traditional Jazz Society. The same can be said for their performance for MidWeek Jazz last year. Al Harrison on trumpet, cornet, and flugelhorn, shows his mastery of those instruments along with his knowledge of the music. This is a must-see for all jazz lovers!
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August 8: The Vaché Brothers – Co-led by two musical masters, the Vaché Brothers thrilled MidWeek Jazz audiences on their last visit. Warren Vaché is a brilliant cornetist who has his own distinctive and beautiful tone that invigorates small-group swing. One viewer writes calling him “a great cornet player with a quicksilver mind.” Allan Vaché’s clarinet playing is said to be marvelous, “particularly as he digs in and shares the passion he finds within a tune.” The group’s sidemen are equally skilled and respected, causing critics to praise their work and audiences to applaud the “new, imaginative treatment that keeps old tunes alive!”
August 15: JAZZ LOBSTERS – Even if you don’t like “shellfish,” the celebrated Jazz Lobsters are known in this region as the “best of the Big Bands.” Their 18-piece powerhouse ensemble has thrilled audiences throughout the state and beyond. Their songbook is vast and growing, with the best of the Goodman, Ellington, Shaw, Miller, Dorsey, and Basie bands … they even play some lesser-known Benny Moten pieces and Sinatra favorites! Their backup musicians are all top pros, drawn from major bands and even symphony orchestras, thus their imaginative solos make each outing unique. This band is one of Ocean County’s favorites!
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September 19: Guitarist, Frank Vignola – A “human whirlwind,” Vignola, has a creative mind and “flying fingers” that sometimes have “trouble with the law of physics.” His appearance for last year, during MidWeek Jazz, proved him to be “one of the world’s truly extraordinary guitarists,” clearly making him “the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians.” The legendary Les Paul included him in his Five Most Admired Guitarists list! Vignola is backed by youthful guitar ace Vinny Raniolo who displays “equally fiery playing” that resulted from his “jaw-dropping technique.” Other guitar players will want to sit up close and observe their masterful performance!
Tickets: $18 adults and $15 seniors. For information, call the Ocean County College Box Office at 732.255.0500 (TTY: 732-255-0424). Purchase tickets online at tickets.ocean.edu. Visit us on the web at www.ocean.edu.
