Jersey Jazz - New Jersey Jazz Society

Saluting the giants of jazz.
Cole, Artie Shaw, Zoot Sims, Buddy DeFranco and Frank Wess and many
others. At Jazzfest Cohn will be paired with young Aaron Weinstein, a
fellow Berklee alum who is considered among the finest of contemporary
jazz violinists. A winner of the Illinois State Fiddle Championship in 1998
and 2001, he was the youngest performer ever to hold the title. He is also
the youngest musician ever to record as a leader for the prestigious
traditional jazz label Arbors Records and his debut CD, A Handful of Stars,
was hailed by Nat Hentoff as “the rebirth of the hot jazz violin.”
Meanwhile, under the tent, the Jazzfest afternoon will feature tribute
performances to two of jazz’s most celebrated bandleaders. The popular
George Gee Swing Orchestra will salute New Jersey’s own Count Basie,
a labor of love for Gee who was moved to form his first Make-Believe
Ballroom Orchestra after interviewing Basie for his college radio station
at Carnegie Mellon University. That was in 1980 and the leader has been
keeping the flame lit ever since, leading both a 17-piece big band and the
10-piece Jump, Jive and Wailers. A favorite at swing and Lindy hop dance
events around the country, Gee has lectured at the New School, and has
led clinics and master classes. He also blew the doors down when he
headlined NJJS’s 2008 Pee Wee Russell Memorial Stomp.
Saxophonist Harry Allen will present a tribute to Woody Herman’s famed
Four Brothers band with a group he’s calling “Four Others,” and it should
be quite a show as Allen is simply one of the best of contemporary tenor
players. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Los Angeles and Rhode
Island, Allen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Rutgers
University in 1988. He’s gone on to perform at festivals and clubs worldwide,
frequently touring the US, Europe and Asia. He’s made over 30
recordings of his own and has performed with a plethora of top artists,
including Rosemary Clooney, Ray Brown, Hank Jones and Harry “Sweets”
Edison and recorded with many top artists, including Tony Bennett,
James Taylor and Sheryl Crow.
continued from page 26
Harry Allen
left to right:
Vinny Raniolo,
Gary Mazzaroppi,
Frank Vignola, part
of Frank’s Hot Club.
Cecil Brooks III
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