Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival Scheduled for Aug. 20

The George Gee Orchestra will open this year’s Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival on Saturday, Aug. 20, on the Morristown Green at noon

Bucky Pizzarelli, The Cutting Room, NYC, June 2014 (photo: Jeff Tamarkin)

The sixth annual Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival, celebrating the 90th birthday of guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, will take place on Aug. 20 from noon until 10 p.m. on the Morristown Green in Morristown, N.J.

Initiated in 2011 by Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty, this year’s free festival will also pay tribute to the late bassist Rusty Paul, son of Les Paul, who died this past January after a long illness. The festivities will begin with a performance by the George Gee Swing Orchestra, featuring vocalists John Dokes, tenor saxophonist Michael Hashim, alto saxophonist Ed Pazant and bassist Marcus McLaurine, among others.