Picture this: it’s the Fourth of July and you’re standing in Liberty State Park looking out at the Statue of Liberty. The explosions in the night sky have yet to begin, but your ears are saturated by the musical equivalent.
Brian Setzer and his big band are kicking out some serious jams, like “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “Rock This Town.” Tens of thousands of people are shouting, singing, dancing. Looking at Lady Liberty, soaking in the revelry of your fellow countrymen and listening to the big beat blasted out by a guitar player with a pompadour, you think, Does it get any more quintessentially American than this?
Forget the hills: in Jersey City, summer is what’s alive with the sound of music. More specifically, saxophones and guitars, bongos and timbales, funky bass and sweet, singable melodies. From the grandeur of Liberty State Park to the downtown soundstage of Journal Square, from the waterfront to university concert halls, the art museum to Jersey City’s historic theaters, if it’s music you want, Jersey City’s the right place this season.
Summerfest
For the past 11 years, the Summerfest Music Series has drawn thousands of music fans to Liberty State Park to see performers like Tommy Dorsey, Bucky Pizzarelli and Jimmy Sturr. Located near the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, there’s perhaps no other music venue in the world that offers such awesome views. The Statue of Liberty is right there, as is the Manhattan skyline and the mighty Hudson River.
“I don’t think there’s a better place to perform in America,” says Sturr, who for the past six years has performed at each Summerfest with his 11-piece polka band. “I’m an American, and to be there in front of that big American flag with the Statue of Liberty in the background is just great.”
Starting July 9, the free Summerfest shows take place every Sunday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and every Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Big-band swing is the music du jour at Summerfest, though there’s plenty of Latin jazz too, says Maryanne Kelleher-Arango, director of Jersey City Cultural Affairs. More than 300 people regularly attend each show. “It’s one of our more popular events,” Kelleher-Arango says. She notes that on the rare occasions when it rains, the show goes inside the train terminal.
Cultural Affairs is also planning a massive July 4 concert at Liberty State Park. After a few years on hiatus due to budget constraints, Liberty State Park, the mayor’s office, the City Council, and Cultural Affairs and Events Management are pooling their resources to throw a huge party.
More than 30,000 people are expected to attend the show, which will start at 6 p.m., Kelleher-Arango says. Though the performer(s) have yet to be announced, in years past, showstoppers like Hall & Oates and the Brian Setzer Orchestra have rocked from the twilight’s last gleaming to the fireworks show. Kelleher-Arango says to expect an artist of similar caliber this holiday.
Lunchtime jazz
Ray Rodriguez, saxophonist, flautist and bandleader of the nine-piece salsa orchestra Swing Sabroso, remembers performing in Journal Square for the first time last June. The audience was a mix of suits and students, white collar, blue collar and no collar, and there were people with lineages from so many different countries.
“It was one of the most diverse crowds I’ve ever played for,” Rodriguez says.
Though he was standing under sunlight, not spotlights, Rodriguez remembers watching with pride as people started dancing and even singing along to some of the standards.
“It was a really great time,” he says.
Starting the first Wednesday in May and running through the end of August, the Journal Square Restoration Corporation will present the “Fountain Entertainment Series” every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., says Diana Vitrano, marketing promotions manager for JSRC. This year’s menu will feature Latin salsa, Caribbean reggae, Cuban salsa, Brazilian jazz and Latin jazz, Vitrano says.
“People can sit around and eat their lunch and listen and dance,” she says.
This is also the 10th year running for Jazz for Lunch, Jersey City Cultural Affairs’ weekday jazz showcase on the waterfront. Every Thursday from July through August near Exchange Place Pier (essentially Sussex Street and the Waterfront) from noon to 2 p.m., local jazz virtuosos like the Spirit of Life Ensemble and the Don Carter Jazz Ensemble ply their craft for what Kelleher-Arango describes as “our downtown work community, stay-at-home moms who come down with their strollers, and retirees.”
“The idea is, come out and eat lunch,” Kelleher-Arango says. “Come out, don’t hang out in your office when you can come and be a part of your community.”
Indoor music
New Jersey City University has an eclectic mix of music in the springtime months leading up to summer’s kickoff.
“People want to see something different, not the usual stuff, which helps us create more variety because there’s so much cultural diversity in this city,” says Kate Sarmiento, production manager for the university’s Department of Music, Dance and Theater.
NJCU’s shows take place on its campus on Kennedy Boulevard at either Rossey Hall or the Margaret Williams Theatre. Free shows include ensemble performances, a lecture and demonstration on traditional Indian music, a Haitian dance and drumming workshop, a guitar concert, opera, a Spring Jazz Bash, and a chamber ensembles concert.
The gorgeous historic Loew’s Theatre in Journal Square will play host to some R&B, blues and rock shows this summer, says Patti Giordan, president of Friends of the Loew’s. Though she won’t name specifics because the shows aren’t finalized yet, Giordan pointed to the recent Bright Eyes show, as well as events for the city’s Puerto Rican and Philippine communities, as examples of what music fans can expect more of this summer. Check www.loewsjersey.org for up-to-date information.
The Jersey City Museum is also planning some special jazz shows for families, in partnership with Newark’s jazz radio station WBGO, at its 152-seat theatre. While the schedule hasn’t been finalized, Linda Onorevole, director of marketing at the museum, advises music fans to check www.jerseycitymuseum.org for more information.
There’s also a unique rule about attendance at Jersey City Museum concerts: No adults allowed without a child. “It’s a concert primarily for children,” Onorevole says. “It’s a family event.”
Still not satisfied?
The annual Cultural Arts Festival, featuring multiethnic food and music, takes place at Liberty State Park on Sunday, June 4. In addition to hundreds of vendors selling eats, arts and crafts, a slew of musicians will also provide entertainment, says Maryanne Kelleher-Arango.
Throughout the month of May, the city will bust out its karaoke machine and take it into block parties in each of the city’s wards, allowing residents to mix with the mayor and council, do the electric slide with their neighbors, and sing a little bit on their own.
The city’s Cultural Affairs office can be reached at (201) 547-6921.