November is Jazz Month at the Monmouth County Library!

For more than 35 years, the Monmouth County Library has provided residents with quality jazz at the Library’s free afternoon concerts. Come celebrate November is Jazz Month at the Library with a series of concerts and lectures designed to entertain and educate the listener.

This November will feature Sunday concerts at Library Headquarters in Manalapan by the Widespread Depression Orchestra, Rio Clemente, and Bill Mays, among other artists. Library Headquarters will also host a pair of lectures about the history of jazz and how it is played.

November will kick off with a Jazz Insights performance/lecture by jazz pianist and vocalist Andy McDonough on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at Library Headquarters in Manalapan. McDonough will introduce patrons to jazz from a player's perspective. This will be an opportunity to learn about jazz and hear it played by a trio consisting of  McDonough on piano, John Lenis on bass and Yutaka Uchida on drums.

The second lecture, Roots & Riffs: An Introduction to Jazz and Its History will be presented by the Library’s own Jack Livingstone who, for more than 35 years, has brought the most popular and influential jazz musicians and bands to our Libraries. The lecture will be held on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at Library Headquarters in Manalapan. Bring your questions!

Library Commission Chair Renee B. Swartz invites all of Monmouth County, young and old, to celebrate this eclectic art form through the contrasting styles of the featured musical groups, during Jazz Month -- and throughout the year.

"The Monmouth County Library - your place as the center of culture, of community, of learning and extraordinary entertainment, is open and free to all,” Ms. Swartz said.

The November is Jazz Month concert series is as follows. All concerts will be held at Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan 07726.

The Music of Stephen Sondheim
with Bill Mays, Tommy Cecil & Duduka Da Fonseca
2 p.m., Sunday, November 4
Bringing a breath of innovative fresh air to Stephen Sondheim's traditional Broadway music with a jazzy improvisation, Pianist Bill Mays, Bassist Tommy Cecil and Percussionist Duduka Da Fonseca will play their interpretation of such classics as The Ballad of Sweeney Todd, Small World, and Comedy Tonight.   

In a July 2012 review by Marc Meyers of JazzWax...."Pianist Bill Mays and bassist Tommy Cecil have just released one of the most endearing and engaging jazz albums of the year: Side by Side: Sondheim Duos.  Cecil captures the spirit of Sondheim's restless songs, which always seem simultaneously anxious and axiomatic. A question mark that changes into an exclamation point and back again.”

Rio Clemente: Bishop of Jazz
2 p.m. Sunday, November 11
From Manhattan's famed Birdland to The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel from Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center...Anyone who has listened to Rio Clemente play piano comes away in awe. This master pianist mixes a strong classical background with a rich knowledge of jazz history, then adds an amazing sense of creativity and interpretation. The result is music that is different from others, and nearly always produces a standing ovation and cries for "more."

A native of Morristown, NJ, Rio is a member of its Hall of Fame. He's been named Professional Artist of the Year by the Arts Council of the Morris Area.  New Jersey Monthly Magazine named him among its "Top 40 New Jerseyans" and the New Jersey Jazz Society named him Musician of the Year. 

Widespread Depression Jazz Orchestra
2 p.m. Sunday, November 18
As its long-time coordinator and alto-saxophonist Mike Hashim tells us, “The Widespread Depression Jazz Orchestra was a nine-piece jazz ensemble founded in 1972 covering a  wide spectrum of styles, bridging the gap between bebop and swing, and everything in between, as well as original arrangements by band members.”

Initially, the group played 1950's style R&B and early rock and roll with guitars, piano, sax, bass guitar, drums, and a vocalist, but by the middle of the 1970s the ensemble was operating as a big band revival group, in the style of the bands of Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Lionel Hampton.  The Widespread Depression Jazz Orchestra has played at premier jazz clubs across America and around the world, and appeared at major music festivals.

For more information on Jazz Month, please call the Library at 732-431-7220 X7222, or visit the Library’s webpage at www.monmouthcountylib.org