Jazz fans in northern New Jersey have this weekend’s free Oskar Schindler Performing Arts Center (OSPAC) jazz festival to look forward to. This fifth edition of the annual fest includes performances by the Houston Person Quartet, Wallace Roney Sextet, Waverly Seven featuring Anat Cohen, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars featuring Claudio Roditi, Cecil Brooks III, Vic Juris, Kevin Mahogany, Dave Stryker & the Blue to the Bone Band, Eliane Elias Trio with Marc Johnson and Billy Hart (Elias is pictured), and more.
The festival begins this Friday at the OSPAC with a jazz and yoga program at 7 p.m., then continues later that night with a performance by tenor powerhouse Eric Alexander at nearby Cecil’s Jazz Club ($15 cover charge).
A schedule of the Sept. 8-9 programs is as follows:
Sept. 8
1:30 p.m.: OSPAC Jazz Ensemble led by Xavier Davis & Ralph Lalama
2:00 p.m.: Houston Person Quartet
3:00 p.m.: Rosanna Vitro Quartet
4:00 p.m.: Wallace Roney Sextet
5:00 p.m.: Waverly Seven Featuring Anat Cohen And The Music of Bobby Darin
6:00 p.m.: Eliane Elias Trio with Marc Johnson & Billy Hart
7:00 p.m.: Dizzy GillespieTM Alumni All-Stars Featuring Claudio Roditi
Sept. 9
12:30 p.m.: OSPAC Jazz Workshop Big Band led by Don Braden
1:00 p.m.: Cecil Brooks III and the CBIII Band
2:00 p.m.: Dave Stryker & the Blue to the Bone Band Featuring Steve Slagle
3:00 p.m.: Romero Lubambo and Pamela Briggs – Guitar & Voice Duo
3:30 p.m.: Vic Juris and Romero Lubambo With the World Music Ensemble – Guitar Virtuosos
4:30 p.m.: Kevin Mahogany
5:30 p.m.: Grupo Latin Vibe
The OSPAC amphitheatre is located at Crystal Lake, 4 Boland Drive, West Orange, N.J. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs. The event is FREE with a suggested door donation of $5.
