Over the past two decades, Freddie Hendrix has become one of the most in demand trumpeters in Jazz, and beyond. Also an accomplished composer, arranger and educator, the Teaneck, New Jersey native's skill and versatility has resulted in him working with a wide array of performers that range from the Count Basie Orchestra and The Christian McBride Big Band, to Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys.

With the release of his first recording as a leader, JERSEY CAT, Freddie is serving notice that now is his time. One of the music's most exciting players, Hendrix has forged his own sure footed, full toned sound, out of the tradition of Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Lee Morgan, and Clifford Brown. A powerful septet recording, JERSEY CAT, a scintillating septet debut, impresses from the opening bars of the powerful first track, "St. Peter's Walk". At home on fiery, uptempo tracks, or on ballads like "You Don't Know What Love Is", Hendrix shows that he can handle any tempo and interpret any song with ease, and when called for, nuance. And on originals like "On The Rise" (one of his first compositions), "Madeira Nights", (inspired by his first trip to Europe), and "Whims Of A Waltz", Freddie's aforementioned composing and arranging talents are on full display. Among the other selections on this well rounded project is a wonderful performance of the Horace Silver classic "Peace", and a swinging rendition of Freddie Hubbard's "Hubtones".

International Recording Artist's The Alexis P Suter Band are a powerful and unique 5 piece ensemble fronted by a vocalist who transcends styles and genres.

When the great Bluesman B.B. King first heard Alexis P. Suter sing, he was visibly impressed and said so after her opening set for him at BB Kings NYC. Shaking his head in wonder in his characteristic way, he remarked: “It’s a rare thing to share the stage with great talent like that young lady.”

The Alexis P. Suter Band have earned similar accolades from other well-known musicians and performers, including Dan Aykroyd and the great Levon Helm of The Band.

A true vocal phenomenon, bass/baritone powerhouse Suter and her band began wowing audiences in the northeast as regular performers at Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Sessions in Woodstock, NY. "She is one of those wonderful spirits, she's got her arms around you; you can feel that,” Helm has said. The Alexis P. Suter Band opened the show at The Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, NY over 90 times. As special guest openers for The Levon Helm Band, they played to sold-out audiences at the Beacon Theater, Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, The Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ and Central Park’s Summerstage.

Award-winning instrumentalist, vocalist and bandleader Cynthia Sayer defies all the banjo player assumptions as she single-handedly re-popularizes the 4-string banjo in jazz. Sayer, who grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, is celebrated as one of the top 4-string jazz banjoists in the world today: soulful, edgy, both contemporary and classic, with a playing style that is all her own.

Praised for her “drive and virtuosity” by The New York Times, Sayer rose to prominence as a founding member of Woody Allen's New Orleans Jazz Band, all the while exploring her wider musical interests and playing with other legendary jazz, popular and roots music artists. Her eclectic, swing-based shows treat audiences to the rarely heard range and versatility of the 4-string banjo, America’s original jazz instrument, and her warm, engaging audience connection wins hearts wherever she goes. Cynthia appears regularly in concert and at festivals internationally with her bands and as a guest artist. She has played with Bucky Pizzarelli, Dick Hyman, Les Paul, Marvin Hamlisch, Wynton Marsalis, Marian McPartland, Andy Statman, John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), and many others.

Guitarist Charlie Apicella is the leader of Iron City.  The band's forth CD, Payin' The Cost To Be The Boss: a tribute to BB King features Charlie's arrangements of some of BB King's pre-1960 hits as well as two hard bop inspired originals and arrangements of classic Blue Note Records gems.

He has been mentored in improvisation and composition by Yusef Lateef, Pat Martino, and Dave Stryker.

Charlie Apicella is an Eastman Guitars Featured Artist, a Guild Guitars Sponsored Artist and a ZT Amplifiers Official Artist.

He has written lessons for DownBeat and Just Jazz Guitar magazines and has been profiled in Vintage Guitar and Hot House magazines.

Sandy Josephson, a member of the New Jersey Jazz Society Board of Directors, is the author of Jazz Notes: Interviews Across the Generations (Praeger/ABC-Clio). He writes the “Big Band in the Sky” column for Jersey Jazz Magazine and has written extensively about jazz musicians in a variety of publications ranging from the New York Daily News to American Way magazine. Josephson is also curator of the “Music in the Moonlight” jazz series at the Luna Stage in West Orange. He is director of marketing and public relations for the Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack, NJ. His new book, "Jeru's Journey: The Life and Music of Gerry Mulligan", will be published in October by Hal Leonard Books.

The New Jersey Jazz Society, founded in 1972, is an organization dedicated to the performance, promotion and preservation of jazz. The Society produces music festivals and concerts, awards scholarships to deserving New Jersey college jazz studies students and conducts Generations of Jazz programs in local school systems.

The membership is comprised of jazz devotees from all parts of the state, country and the world. The Society publishes an award-winning monthly magazine, Jersey Jazz, which contains feature articles, photos, music calendars, concert and album reviews and Society information. It is free to all members. For more information, log onto www.njjs.org or call 1-800-303-NJJS (6557).

Jeremy Pelt has become one of the preeminent young trumpeters within the world of jazz. Forging a bond with the Mingus Big Band very early on, as his career progressed, Pelt built upon these relationships and many others which eventually lead to collaborations with some of the genre's greatest masters. These projects include performances and recordings with Cliff Barbaro, Keter Betts, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Ravi Coltrane, Frank Foster, Winard Harper, Jimmy Heath, Vincent Herring, John Hicks, Charli Persip, Ralph Peterson, Lonnie Plaxico, Bobby Short, Cedar Walton, Frank Wess, Nancy Wilson and The Skatalites, to name a few. Pelt frequently performs alongside such notable ensembles as the Roy Hargrove Big Band, The Village Vanguard Orchestra and the Duke Ellington Big Band, and is a member of the Lewis Nash Septet and The Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band featuring Louis Hayes. As a leader, Pelt has recorded ten albums and has toured globally with his various ensembles, appearing at many major jazz festivals and concert venues.

Pelt's recordings and performances have earned him critical acclaim, both nationally and internationally. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal by legendary jazz writer and producer, Nat Hentoff, and was voted Rising Star on the trumpet, five years in a row by Downbeat Magazine and the Jazz Journalist Association. Pelt is currently touring throughout the United States and Europe in support of his latest release, "Tales, Musings, and Other Reveries" (Highnote Records, 2015).

Steven Kroon has been a professional musician for more than 45 years. Born in Harlem, percussionist Steven Kroon is mostly noted for adding his percussion sounds to the great late vocalist Luther Van Dross from, 1981 to 2001, as well as recording and touring with Ron Carter. He has also recorded and performed with much of the "Who's Who" in the music business, such as Stanley Turrentine, Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, Aretha Franklin, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, just to name a few. Adding to his credits, he has five CD's released in his name: "In My Path," "Senor Kroon," "El Mas Alla" (Beyond), "Without A Doubt" (Sin Duda), and his latest "On The #1," all under his own record label "Kroonatune Records, LLC." I'm also proud to announce that I made the Downbeat Critics pole Rising Star for 2015.

My Sextet is a high-energy electrifying Latin Jazz Sextet. Our musicality consists of Jazz with the blend of Afro Cuban and Brazilian music.

Johnny O'Neal is a legendary jazz pianist, having performed both as a leader as well as with luminaries such as: Art Blakey (including a one year stint as a member of Blakey's 'Jazz Messengers' ensemble), Clark Terry, Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, Joe Pass, Lionel Hampton, Anita O'Day, Sonny Stitt, Carmen MacRae, Kenny Burrell, Benny Golson, Sarah Vaughn, Wynton Marsalis, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, among others.

His father, Johnny O'Neal, Sr., was a well-known jazz pianist and singer in Detroit.

He started his career at age 13 working at New Bethel Baptist Church in his home town of Detroit, MI as church pianist on Sundays for $10 per service. At the time New Bethel was pastored by the legendary Reverend C.L. Franklin, father of Aretha Franklin.

His career hit a high when Director Taylor Hackford selected him to play jazz virtuoso Art Tatum in the 2004 biopic Ray (2004), exposing O'Neal to music lovers unfamiliar with his work.

He is active in the New York City jazz scene.

Since 2010 the New Brunswick Jazz Project has successfully fostered a supportive environment for regular live jazz performance in the New Brunswick area. NBJP partners, Jimmy Lenihan, Virginia DeBerry and Mike Tublin have gone from producing two jazz shows a month, to offering free, world class jazz performances four nights a week, year round.

Over the past six and a half years, NBJP has presented more than 800 events with world-renowned veteran musicians and emerging artists. Ravi Coltrane, Arturo O'Farrill, Ralph Peterson, Dave Stryker, Roseanna Vitro, Jerry Weldon, Akiko Tsuruga, Dezron Douglas, Freddie Hendrix, Joe Magnarelli, Ethan Cohen, Winard Harper, Kenny Davis, Tia Fuller, Vic Juris, Orrin Evans, Jerry Weldon, The Curtis Brothers, Sean Jones, Myron Walden, Virginia Mayhew, Ralph Bowen and Conrad Herwig are among the acclaimed national and international jazz artists and special guests who have performed for NBJP.

Live, straight ahead jazz is presented weekly at Garden State Ale House, INC Restaurant, the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick and Due Mari. (Full Schedule - http://nbjp.org) The New Brunswick Jazz Project has created a real jazz scene and now regularly draws guests from all over the state, as well as New York and Pennsylvania, to Central Jersey to enjoy this quintessential, uniquely American music.

". . .New Brunswick has now become a destination for jazz." ~ The New York Times

"The New Brunswick Jazz Project is quickly becoming New Jersey's freshest jazz presenters..." -The Star Ledger

Never one to disappoint, Sanabria is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting leaders in Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and Jazz, this drummer and percussionist will perform with his highly acclaimed quartet. The son of Puerto Rican parents, born and raised in the "Fort Apache" section of New York City's South Bronx, Bobby Sanabria was inspired and encouraged by maestro Tito Puente, another fellow New York-born Puerto Rican. Sanabria has played with legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, and Chico O’Farrill and has been featured on TV, Radio programs. Multi-nominated Grammy artist, Sanabria and his Quarteto Aché toured Armenia in June of 2007 being personally invited by the President of Armenia and the U.S. Embassy to represent the United States in a series of concerts. His recording, ¡Quarteto Aché!, released in 2002, on the ZOHO label, documented his virtuosity in a small group setting and was hailed a "classic" by Modern Drummer magazine and critically acclaimed by the New York Times.

Tenor Saxophonist Javon Jackson is not one to be pigeonholed as he swings hard no matter if it is funk, soul or hard bop. He came into international prominence touring and recording with the legendary drummer Art Blakey as a member of his band, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Symbolizing a new generation of musicians that blended tradition with neo-jazz, Jackson went on to release 14 recordings as a band leader and tour and record over 135 CDs with jazz greats including Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Charlie Haden, Betty Carter, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Donald Byrd, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Richard Davis, Bobby Hutcherson, Curtis Fuller, JoAnne Brackeen, Stanley Turrentine, and Ben E. King. His most recent recording, Expression (Smoke Sessions), is a hip CD that features Stevie Wonder songs as well as originals. Jackson puts “Fun” back in “Funk”! According to C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz “…Jackson and his band are steeped in the 21st Century Groove… Easy Does It is exactly what Dr. Jazz ordered.”

Endowed with the kind of liquid phrasing and sheer wisdom that comes from depth of experience on the jazz performance campaign trail, Vanessa Rubin is an ever-evolving classic singer. A true storyteller, she sings songs of life that she’s lived; the ups and downs, joys and pains. Capable of employing the gamut of emotions, Ms. Rubin can range from whisper to shout in the blink of an eye; from honey-laden ballads purring like a kitten, to up tempo swinging and scatting like a fluent saxophone, she delivers the goods. Joining her is the renowned saxophonist, Don Braden, “a jazz musician of the highest caliber”, with a beautiful and joyous sound who comes out of the blues tradition. Their collaboration is reminiscent of the great pairing of Etta Jones and Houston Person. On the heels of a new CD, “Full Circle” (Creative Perspective Music) Vanessa Rubin and Don Braden swing!

From West Orange, NJ, Isaiah began studying piano classically at the age of five, eventually branching out to other styles. After discovering how much fun it was to play jazz, he began to focus on private jazz studies and was soon performing with Jazz House Kids and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra. Isaiah is a 3-time winner for Outstanding Achievement from the Music Educators Association and an Outstanding Soloist at both the Essentially Ellington and Mingus competitions. In recent years he has participated in the 2014 Vail Jazz Workshop, the 2015 GRAMMY Jazz Combo, was invited to participate in the 2015 inaugural Summer Jazz Academy at Castleton by Wynton Marsalis and was a jazz piano winner for the National YoungArts Foundation. Thompson is currently in his second year at Julliard School.

Jazz House Kids, incorporated in 2002 by its founder, Melissa Walker, is the only community arts organization in New Jersey exclusively dedicated to educating children through jazz: America’s home-grown art form. They ensure that every student has access to music, education, mentoring, and apprenticeship. This is the 5th year that these talented students will join CJJ Festival.

Radio announcer, author, TV show host and freelance producer, Ms. Anderson has produced the Somerville (now Central Jersey Jazz Festival) since its' inception. Currently the on-air-host of "Weekend Jazz After Hours" on WBGO, The Jazz Source (88.3FM/www.wbgo.org) she has authored Three books: "The Quotable Musician from Bach to Tupac", "How to Grow as A Musician: What All Musicians Must Know to Succeed"-both Allworth Press and "The Little Red Book of Musicians' Wisdom" on Skyhorse Press. In addition Ms. Anderson produces the Jazz In The Garden summer festival for the Newark Museum and worked with Jazzmobile, Inc., the oldest Jazz organization presenting free Jazz.