Artists
Friday Night Kickoff Line Up
James Popik and Supernova
James Popik (Guitar), Tom McMillan (Bass), Ben Cahill (Keys), Tom DiGangi Jr (Drums), Chuggy Carter (Percussion), Tom Tallitsch (Sax), John Henry Goldman (Trumpet), and Lars Wendt (Trombone)
Along with original works, James Popik & Supernova play Classic and Modern Jazz with a Jam vibe, what we call Festival Jazz. From Chick Corea, Pat Metheny and John Scofield to 60s funky Jazz like Eddie Harris and Horace Silver, Supernova brings the groove and FUN. You just might wanna dance.
Flemington's Line Up - Saturday, Sept. 14
Akiko Tsuruga
She’s “Sweet and Funky,” she’s “Cute and Bad”. A Composer. A Performer extraordinaire. The legendary Dr. Lonnie Smith describes her this way: “Akiko’s playing is like watching a flower blooming, a bird spreading her wings in the music world. Akiko is here to stay.”
Raised in Osaka, Japan, this talented musician began studying the organ at the age of three, at the famed Yamaha Music School. After discovering her passion for jazz very early on in her musical journey, Akiko launched her career immediately after graduating from the Osaka College of Music. While living and playing in Osaka, she had many opportunities to perform with world-renowned jazz musicians from the United States. Meeting Grady Tate, in particular, was a life-changing event for Akiko.
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After landing in the mecca for jazz, New York City, it didn’t take long for Akiko to make her mark – It was during these early years that she had the great pleasure of sitting in, playing gigs, and eventually recording with jazz greats such as Frank Wess, Jimmy Cobb, Grady Tate and other top NY musicians. Her reputation ultimately drew attention of Lou Donaldson as he chose her in 2006 as his quartet’s organist.
But it was the meeting of organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith that proved to have the greatest impact on Akiko’s musical development and career. He became an important mentor to Akiko, and she considers him her greatest influence. She flourished and continued to be a constant draw on the NY jazz scene.
Akiko has ten albums as a leader to her credit both the U.S. and Japan. Her debut album in the U.S., “Sweet and Funky”, was selected as a “Best Album of 2007” in DOWNBEAT Magazine. Her albums have constantly placed in the top ten on the National Radio Jazz Chart. Akiko also received “Swing Journal Rising Star Award” (Japan) in 2010, Hot House Magazine (NYC) Best Organist’ in 2017 and the DOWNBEAT Magazine Critics Poll 2020 Rising Star Organ.
Akiko’s newest excitement is a trio project features a jazz celebrity drummer, Jeff Hamilton, and a superb rising guitarist, Steve Kovalcheck. This thrilling trio has been touring around the US and Europe. Akiko continues to be a constant draw on the NY Jazz scene. And she will be joining The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra for their 2023 European Tour.
Just take a listen to this dynamic performer, and I’m sure you will agree with the legendary Dr. Lonnie Smith – “Akiko is here to stay!”
Maucha Adnet
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Maucha Adnet started singing professionally at age 15 as part of vocal group Céu da Boca, from 1978 to 1984. With Céu da Boca, Maucha toured around Brazil and recorded two albums released by Polygram.
From 1984 until 1994, Maucha performed all over the world with legendary composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and that’s how she ended up in New York, where she has been living since 1987.
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The recordings Maucha did with Jobim and his Banda Nova are: Passarim” (Polygram, Verve, 1987), “Antonio Brasileiro” Grammy Winner (Sony Music, 1995), “Tom Jobim Inédito”(BMG-Ariola, 1995) and “Rio Revisited”(Polygram, Verve, 1987).
Since living in New York, Maucha has been working with her own band and participating in many recordings and shows with artists like: Randy Brecker, Slide Hampton, Claudio Roditi, Duduka Da Fonseca, Trio da Paz, Mario Adnet, Winton Marsalis, Bucky Pizzarelli and many others.
Here are some of the CDs that Maucha was a guest vocalist: Jobim Sinfônico, CD e DVD (Adventure Music/Biscoito Fino,Brasil) Latin Grammy Winner produced by Mario Adnet and Paulo Jobim. With Slide Hampton, “Slide Plays Jobim”, with Duduka Da Fonseca” on the Grammy nominee CD “Samba Jazz Fantasia”(Anzic Records), with Randy Brecker on the Grammy Winner CD, “Into the Sun”.
Maucha also teaches in workshops on the subject of Brazilian Music in many parts of the world spreading her expertise in phrasing and interpreting in different Brazilian Styles of Music.
Maucha has recorded three solo CDs: “Songs I Learned From Jobim”(Venus Records – Japan), “The Jobim Songbook”(Kind of Blue) 2006, both with arrangements by her brother, Mário Adnet. The most recent CD “Milagre”, is a duo with pianist Helio Alves, released in March of 2013 on Zoho Music.
Flemington Festival produced and hosted by Flemington Community Partnership and Sheila E. Anderson, author and on-air personality of WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM
Flemington Community Partnership’s mission is to foster a thriving business community in the Borough of Flemington. LoveFlemington.com
Sheila Anderson joined the staff of WBGO-FM, in 1995, where she hosts Weekend jazz Overnight. From 1995-2002 she hosted the award-winning TV show “The Art of Jazz” on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. She authored four books: The Quotable Musician: From Bach to Tupac (2003), How to Grow as A Musician: What All Musicians Must Know to Succeed (2005) (both published by Allworth Press) The Little Red Book of Musicians Wisdom (Skyhorse Press, 2012) and in 2019 the 2nd edition of How to Grow as A Musician (Skyhorse Press.) As a producer, for eighteen years, Ms. Anderson curated Jazz in the Garden at The Newark Museum of Art (NMOA) and she continues to curate the Central Jersey Jazz Festival (CJJF).
Ms. Anderson is a (2017) Columbia University Community Scholar, an inaugural Dan Morgenstern Fellow at the Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University-Newark (2020,) is a graduate of Baruch College and resides in Harlem, NYC.
Somerville's Line Up - Sunday, Sept. 15
Alvester Garnett’s ArtWorks Ensemble
“Joy and spirited musical communication” are what characterize the artistry of Alvester Garnett’s drumming. Singers such as late great legends Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter, to instrumentalists Wynton Marsalis, James Carter, Regina Carter, and Cyrus Chestnut have all called on Mr. Garnett for the energy and fire that he brings to the bandstand.
His first formal studies in the performing arts came at the age of four with tap dance lessons and from age 5 to 9 with the study of piano. Throughout middle school and into high school his most prominent musical studies came through his participation in various chamber choirs, madrigals and a show choir. He figured out the basic coordination of playing the drums from watching a music video of the pop band “The Police”, in which the drummer Stewart Copeland played a simple beat. After this, his mother heeded his requests to study percussion. At age 14, Mr. Garnett began the formal study of percussion.
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Mr. Garnett’s first exposure to the true discipline of playing Jazz came at the age of 16. While still a junior in High School and participating in an All-County High School Jazz Band, Ellis Marsalis, introduced him to the names of Master Jazz Drummers. Mr. Marsalis advised him to obtain the recordings of Max Roach in particular and many others including “Papa” Jo Jones, “Philly” Joe Jones, Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, James Black, and Ed Blackwell.
“I don’t know where I would be had I not met Ellis. After that first rehearsal with Ellis I was literally in tears. I think my band director at the time thought he was too rough, but I think that one encounter helped me to make up my mind whether I was going to be serious about music or not. It disillusioned my perception of drumming and prepared me for the time-honored tradition of studying those before me as a means of growth. Of course, I’m still doing that now.”
During the following summer, Mr. Garnett again studied with Mr. Marsalis. This instance would be in a Summer Program for gifted students at Virginia Commonwealth University. This program entailed regular listening sessions and ensemble studies under the direction of Mr. Marsalis. Immediately after this Mr. Garnett joined the Malden Diplomats Drum and Bugle Corp and went to Boston. It was with this organization that he had his first tastes of touring the US and Canada. This involved furthering his studies of rudimental drumming styles, sleeping on gym floors while on the road, eating meals from a food truck, and doing twenty pushups for mistakes made during practice.
The summer after graduating High School and under the advice of Doug Richards then head of the Jazz Department at VCU, he attended Gunther Schuller’s music training program at The Festival at Sandpoint in Idaho. Sis Tobler, the philanthropist and gemologist, sponsored his tuition, for Mr. Schuller’s program. It was here that he first met and studied with master drummer Max Roach, leading trumpeter and educator, Wynton Marsalis and Jazz historian Martin Williams. Mr. Garnett would return to this same program two years later to study with the legendary drummer Victor Lewis.
After enrolling at Virginia Commonwealth University, he studied, once more, with Ellis Marsalis. This time it would be for one year in a master class setting. Here he also studied Arranging, Jazz History and Big Band performance with jazz program head Doug Richards. His private drum set instructor for the entirety of college was Scott Taylor. In 1992 during college & under the advice of trumpet master Clark Terry, whom Mr. Garnett was backing up on a local gig in Richmond, he entered and won the 3rd place prize in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drum Competition held at New York City’s prestigious Lincoln Center. It was at this competition that Betty Carter first heard Mr. Garnett which lead to him being invited to participate in her first annual Jazz Ahead Program which subsequently lead to him being a member in her band in 1993and making his way to New York City.
Three months after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Instrumental Performance/Jazz Studies, Mr. Garnett received a call coincidentally on the same day.
Cynthia Scott
Cynthia Scott with Jeb Patton (Piano), Paul Beaudry (Bass), Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax (Drums), Patience Higgins (saxophone)
Cynthia Scott, an Arkansas-born vocalist, has spent three decades mesmerizing audiences worldwide with her versatile vocal artistry spanning jazz, blues, and beyond. Growing up as the daughter of a minister, she developed a keen ear for a good sermon, a quality that deeply informs her emotive singing style.
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Her career took flight when Ray Charles handpicked her as a Raelette, marking the beginning of a transformative musical journey. Cynthia’s collaborations extended beyond Charles to include luminaries like David “Fathead” Newman, Harry Connick Jr., Randy Weston, Wynton Marsalis, Norman Simmons, Houston Person, and many others. This illustrious roster of collaborators cemented her status as a jazz luminary. Critics, including Howard Reich of The Washington Post, have hailed her as a “mesmerizing vocalist.”
In the late ’80s, Cynthia moved to New York City, feeling an immediate connection to the vibrant music scene. She has headlined renowned venues like Birdland, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, and Smoke Jazz Club, and embarked on numerous international tours. Her versatility shines through her performances at prestigious festivals in Europe, Japan, Russia, and Ukraine. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine deeply saddens her, as it denies people the solace and joy that music brings.
Beyond her performances, Cynthia is committed to education and cultural exchange. Graduating from the Manhattan School of Music with a Masters Degree, she shares her expertise as a vocal teacher through private and virtual lessons. Her role as a Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department underscores her dedication to global outreach, particularly in West Africa, where she found profound personal and ancestral connections.
Cynthia’s musical journey is not just about performances; it’s a testament to her unwavering belief in the transformative power of music. From sharing stages with legends to inspiring young minds in workshops, her artistry transcends boundaries.
www.cynthiascott.com #cscottsing
Joe Locke Trio
Joe Locke Trio with Pat Bianchi (organ), Byron Landham (drums)
Joe Locke is widely considered to be one of the major voices of his instrument. He has performed and recorded with a diverse range of notable musicians, including Grover Washington Jr, Raul Midón, Kenny Barron, Eddie Henderson, Cecil Taylor, Dianne Reeves, Eddie Palmieri, Ron Carter, The Beastie Boys, the Münster Symphony Orchestra, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, the Orchestra da Camera della Sardegna and the Lincoln, Nebraska Symphony.
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Long known to be a soloist capable of stunning physical power and broad emotional range, it was not until the last decades that he emerged as the composer, bandleader and conceptualist that he is considered today. This is in no small part due to his solo projects since the beginning of the 2000s. Four Walls of Freedom, a six-movement suite based on the writing of the monk Thomas Merton, which he composed as a vehicle for tenor saxophonist Bob Berg, garnered high praise from the critical community as a major work and won several international polls. Live in Seattle, by The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group, won the 2006 EarShot award for “Concert of the Year”. This group is well loved and emulated by younger musicians looking for direction and inspiration. The overwhelming success of the quartet, Force of Four, can be attributed to the talents of his young cohorts and to the leader’s musical philosophy, which is to honour tradition while keeping both feet planted in the present and future. His 2011 album, the captivating, immersive album VIA, is the result of a reunion of Storms/Nocturnes, the transatlantic trio with Geoffrey Keezer and Tim Garland, about which Chick Corea said “This trio is unique, a chamber jazz form that truly sizzles with virtuosity and creativity. Tim, Geoff and Joe make an amazing trio”.
In 2011 Joe joined the Motéma label for four intrinsically different albums bearing witness of his immense stylistic versatility and ability to create artistic depth in a variety of contexts:
After Signing, the long-awaited follow-up studio album of Live In Seattle, 2012 also saw the release of Joe Locke’s first ever symphonic project, Wish Upon A Star, featuring Locke‘s Quartet with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra (NE), and the Jazz radio charts #1 Blues & Ballads album Lay Down My Heart in 2013. In 2015 Locke released Love Is A Pendulum – a suite based on a poem by Barbara Sfraga – is already being hailed the most important work of his career.
Locke’s latest album, Subtle Disguise (2018) represents “the total expression of who I am as a musician and human being.” (JL) a nd is very much a happy continuation of his search to unite his love of composition with the connective qualities of melody and groove. Jazziz Magazine celebrates it as “a crowning achievement from a certified vibraphone master.” Subtle Disguise features Jim Ridl, Lorin Cohen and Samvel Sarkisyan as part of the core quartet, plus guests Raul Midón, David Binney, Adam Rogers and Alina Engibaryan.
Locke is a six-time recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Mallet Instrumentalist of the Year” Award, has received two Earshot Golden Ear Awards for “Concert of the Year” and the 2013 Hot House NYC Jazz Awards for Best Vibes Player, and keeps topping critics and readers polls. In 2016 he was honoured with the induction into the Music Hall of Fame of his hometown Rochester, NY. He is an active clinician and educator in the United States and in Europe and has been the International Vibraphone Consultant at the Royal Academy Of Music, London, on a visiting basis since 2008, holding the title of Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy Of Music (Hon ARAM) since 2013.
Festival produced and hosted by Downtown Somerville, and Sheila E. Anderson, author and on-air personality of WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM.
In 1995 she joined the staff of WBGO, Newark, New Jersey where she hosts Weekend Jazz Overnight and Salon Sessions. She has authored four books: The Quotable Musician: From Bach to Tupac (2003), How to Grow as A Musician: What All Musicians Must Know to Succeed (2005) (both published by Allworth Press), The Little Red Book of Musicians Wisdom (Skyhorse Press, 2012) and the 2nd edition of How to Grow as A Musician will be published, (2019).
In addition to curating jazz at the Newark Museum of Art, Ms. Anderson is a (2017) Columbia University Community Scholar, an inaugural Dan Morgenstern Fellow by the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers-Newark (2020,) is a graduate of Baruch College and resides in Harlem, NYC.
Plan Your Weekend
Come for the music, stay to explore our main streets. Great “farm to table” eats, shopping, attractions, and natural beauty. Support the local businesses in our area.
