BODY & SOUL
A night of fine wine, cuisine + soulful jazz to benefit Jazz House Kids, featuring four top regional restaurants
WHEN: Saturday, February 28, 2015
WHERE: Van Vleck House & Gardens, 21 Van Vleck Street, Montclair
For more information and to purchase tickets to Body &Soul, call 973.744.2273 or visit www.jazzhousekids.org.
Jazz House Kids, a Montclair-based nonprofit that has gained a reputation as one of the nation’s preeminent arts education and performance organizations, will hold its 7th annual signature fundraising event. The evening is hosted by Jason and Deborah DeSalvo and the Jazz House Kids Board of Directors.
New this year, four of the region’s hottest restaurants will intrigue the palette with a menu specially created to celebrate the great eras of jazz and culture. Participating restaurants include, Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen in Morristown, Villalobos in Montclair, Ariane Kitchen & Bar in Verona, and Pig & Prince in Montclair.
The “Early Show” 6:30-8:00 PM—$250
Renowned restaurateur Chris Cannon and his team from the new and highly-acclaimed Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen present an oyster bar and paired bites at a special patron “Early Show” at 6:30 PM. The “Early Show” also features a private jazz performance by award-winning Jazz House Kids students, and a tasting of exclusive wines selected by board member emeritus Jason DeSalvo and Sharon Sevrens, proprietor of Amanti Vino, a boutique, artisanal wine shop in Montclair. Both DeSalvo and Sevrens will be on hand to pour, inform and field oenological questions. Patron tickets to the “Early Show” include admission to the “Main Set” starting at 8:00 PM.
The “Main Set” 8:00-11:00 PM—$150
Body & Soul patrons are invited to stay for the second part of the evening, “The Main Set,” from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM, as guests swing through historic eras of jazz and culture.
- Music by the French gypsy jazz band, Manouche Bag will inspire French cuisine by Chef Michael Carrino of Pig & Prince Restaurant and Gastro-Lounge in Montclair
- The all-female, multi-national Latin Jazz orchestra, Coco Mama is featured in the Rhythms of Afro-Latin Jazz room with tapas by Chef Adam Rose of the new, hot Montclair restaurant, Villalobos
- Blues & Soul performed by talented Jazz House Kids emerging musicians at the Juke Joint will stir up Southern cuisine by former Bravo’s Top Chef contestant Ariane Duarte and her team from her new Verona restaurant, Ariane Kitchen & Bar
The well-matched menu of cuisine, along with wine from Amanti Vino, will capture the flavor, feel and sound of these favorite jazz eras.
“For the past six years, Body & Soul has been one of the town’s most highly-anticipated social events of the season where professional jazz musicians, community leaders and new and old friends mingle and mix,” said Melissa Walker, president and founder of Jazz House Kids. “We are so excited to work with four of the hottest restaurants in the region, who have generously donated their time and cuisine for this event. With a new venue at Van Vleck House & Gardens, this promises to be an amazing event while raising funds to support Jazz House Kids.”
Over the past 13 years, Jazz House Kids has built a national reputation by bridging the gap in the arts and delivering authentic jazz education and performance experiences to thousands of young people. More than 38% of students at the Jazz House receive need-based tuition assistance and free private lessons. The organization never turns a student away because of financial limitations. More than $314,000 in programmatic funds were directed specifically toward Newark’s public and charter schools. Currently, Jazz House Kids runs programs in 16 schools in New Jersey.
Last year was a stellar year of recognition for the organization, with numerous young people studying at the Jazz House receiving 32 national awards. Recently, the Jazz House Big Band was named a finalist in the 2015 Charles Mingus High School Competition and Festival, the fourth year in a row that the organization will be represented. Seven of its students have been recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation and five students have been tapped for the 2015 GRAMMY Camp - Jazz Session. In addition, one student received an ASCAP Herb Alpert Composers Award and two others were chosen for the Jazzfestival Bern Fellowship. Several Jazz House Kids students were honored by multiple organizations. Our students are admitted to top colleges and national music conservatories. All 27 of our 2014 high school seniors graduated and continued on to college, receiving a combined total of more than $700,000 in scholarships. Many students are the first in their family to go to college.
About Jazz House Kids
Jazz House Kids helps students gain an “artistic edge” through music, mentoring, education and apprenticeship. By offering pre-professional, year-round musical training along with community engagement and education programs for young people from all backgrounds, we use jazz as an effective teaching tool to enhance academic achievement, dedication and teamwork, and cultivate tomorrow’s global citizens.
