JAZZ IN JANUARY
WHEN: Saturday evenings, January 14-28, at 4 PM
WHERE: Sitnik Theatre located at the David and Carol Lackland Building, 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ.
TICKETS: All three events are available for a special subscription price of $70.
Tickets are available through the Centenary Stage Company Box Office at 908.979.0900, online at www.centenarystageco.org, and at the CSC box office at the David and Carol Lackland Center on the campus of Centenary College.
The 2012 Jazz In January series returns to the Centenary Stage Company, January 14-28, showcasing the Denise King Sextet, Diva Jazz Orchestra with a special appearance by Maurice Hines, and the All Star Jazz Jam.
Kicking off on January 14, the jazz series presents the Denise King Sextet, featuring one of the best jazz and blues singers in the Mid-Atlantic. King was first discovered when a writer-guitarist from Philadelphia International Records overheard her singing while she was sweeping her front porch in West Philadelphia.
With no formal training, King’s talents naturally developed on her own accord, influenced by her uncle’s vast album collection of R&B and jazz works. King is renowned for her covers of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan standards. Onstage collaborations include Phil Wright, Cecil McBee, Christian McBride and Lonnie Plaxico, among others. She continues to interpret jazz with R&B, blues and gospel influences and also provides jazz interpretations of rock and soul hits, including the music of Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight.
The Denise King Sextet features Lee Smith on Bass, Bruce Cox on drums, Aaron Graves on Piano, Duane Eubanks on Trumpet and Aaron Burton on Tenor Saxophone. Tickets are $22.50 in advance and $27.50 on the day of performance.
“One of the best big bands in the world,” declared DownBeat Magazine about the 15-piece Diva Orchestra, which will return to the Centenary Stage on Saturday, January 21, with special guest artist Maurice Hines. The Diva Orchestra, led by drummer Sherri Maricle, has played Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, NY’s Apollo Theatre, the Kennedy Center in D.C., and had played internationally from the Meridian Hotel in Paris to the International Jazz Festival in Bogota. In their concert with Nancy Wilson, the Cleveland Plain Dealer raved about DIVA: “ Everybody in that band was powerful... Their set, powered by drummer-leader Sherrie Maricle, smoked."
The Tony-Award-winning Maurice Hines began his career at age 5, performing with his brother, Gregory Hines in venues from New York, Las Vegas and Europe, as well as over thirty-five performances on the Tonight Show. Hines’ Broadway credits include the hit musical Eubie!, Bring Back Birdie with Chita Rivera and Sophisticated Ladies, among others. The multi-talented Hines is a veteran director and choreographer, with critically acclaimed jazz albums also to his name. His albums are dedicated to the Stanley Kay, Hines’ late manager, and the creative force behind Sherrie Maricle & The Diva Jazz Orchestra, a band that carries on his musical legacy. Tickets for the Diva Orchestra with Maurice Hines are $30 in advance and $35 on the day of performance.
All-Star Jazz Jam on January 28 features musicians hand-selected by Hackettstown’s own impresario of jazz, Ed Coyne. “This will by one of the greatest nights of improv you will ever hear!” exclaims Coyne, who has been spearheading the Jazz series at Centenary Stage for almost a decade. The evening’s line-up of veteran musicians include Jerry Weldon on tenor saxophone, Robin Eubanks on Trombone, Warren Wolf on Vibraphone, Dennis Mackrel on drums, Rufus Reid on Bass and Jesse Green on Piano. Tickets for All-Star Jazz Jam are $22.50 Advance, and $27.50 the day of performance.
A special subscription price for Jazz in January is available for all three jazz events for just $70. Tickets are available through the Centenary Stage Company box office at 908-979-0900, and online at www.centenarystageco.org, and at the box office at the David and Carol Lackland Center at 715 Grand Ave in Hackettstown, on the campus of Centenary College.
Jazz In January is made possible through Coyne Enterprises and CSC premiere sponsors, Heath Village and Fulton Bank of New Jersey.
The Centenary Stage Company is a not-for-profit performing arts series dedicated to serving as a cultural resource for audiences of the Skylands region, with professional music, theatre and dance events and arts education programming throughout the year. Year-round performances at the Centenary Stage Company are made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, The Marriott Residence Inn, Mama’s and Café Bacci, and CSC members and sponsors.
