Current Events HOT JAZZ

Check out legendary Latin jazz musician Paquito D’Rivera during a free concert at Lincoln Harbor Park on the Weehawken waterfront this Saturday, July 24, at 7 p.m. D’Rivera – a six-time Grammy winner and a resident of North Bergen – will perform with his quintet and special guest artists. The concert is part of the Summer Concerts on the Hudson series. The rain date is Sunday, July 25, at 7 p.m. Call (201) 716-4540, or see www.hrpac.org for more information.Summerfest, a free music series, continues at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Upcoming acts include Big Band Swing Machine on Sunday, July 25, from 6 to 8 p.m.; and Richard Reiter Afro-Jazz Project on Tuesday, July 27, from 7 to 9 p.m. The concerts take place at the CRRNJ Terminal Plaza. Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. Free parking is available.

Through July 31, Gallerie Hudson features City Views – photos and drawings of the urban environment, including work by Anatoly Pronin, Michael McNamara, Mikhail Mazel, Duane Winfield, Mickey Mathis, and Richard LaRovere. Gallerie Hudson is at 197 Newark Ave., Jersey City, (201) 434-1010.

Color Works, a group exhibition featuring work by Jersey City artists Donna Rae Kessinger and Rene Mayorga, is on view at the Michael Perez Gallery in Manhattan through August 1. The gallery is at 520 W. 23rd St., (212) 366-6600. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Jersey City’s Mark Whitfield will be performing on Thursday, July 29, as part of the Jazz in the Garden lunchtime summer concert series at the Newark Museum. Donations of $2 for adults and $1 for seniors are suggested, while members and children will be admitted for free. Participants are encouraged to “brown bag” or purchase lunch from the Museum Café to enjoy during the performance. The museum is at 49 Washington St. in Newark’s Downtown/Arts District. Call (973) 596-6550 or see www.newarkmuseum.org for more information.

Grace Church Van Vorst is holding an open call for art for What Have You Got To Say? – a show planned for the Jersey City Studio Tour this fall. All media is acceptable, and the deadline for submission is Friday, August 20. The exhibit, cosponsored by Pro Arts Jersey City, will feature the political voice of the local art community, and will run from October 2 through November 4. Artists may contact Garth Kobal at (201) 222-6998 or at garthkobal@comcast.net.

Healthy Beat 2004, a festival of music, health, and cultural arts, will be held this Saturday, July 24, at Audubon Park in Jersey City. The festival will feature live music, giveaways and raffles, free health screenings, and more. The event, to be held from noon to 6 p.m., will serve as a fund-raiser for Music is Therapy, Inc. community programs. The park is at Bergen Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard. Call (201) 222-8775 or see www.musicistherapy.org for additional information.

Party With Purpose, a Hoboken-based volunteer charity organization, will be hosting a party on the shore on Saturday, July 31. The event will be held at Bar A in Belmar from 3 to 8 p.m., rain or shine. The $15 admission fee covers live entertainment, all-you-can-eat barbecue, fun activities, and drink specials. For additional information, contact Party With Purpose at sdelea@digitalgrit.com, or see www.partywithpurpose.org.

Latin jazz artist Raphael Cruz performs this Thursday, July 22, as part of Hoboken’s Concerts in the Park. The free show runs from 7 to 9 pm. at Sinatra Park, located on Sinatra Drive between Fourth and Fifth streets in Hoboken. See www.hobokennj.org for details.

Bayonne’s Summer Sounds by the Bay concert series continues on Wednesday, July 28, with a performance by The Upsiders. The free concerts take place every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at 16th Street Park, located off Avenue A in Bayonne. Call (201) 437-9181 or e-mail gkewr34@optonline.net for more information.

Can’t afford a plane ticket to an exotic island this summer? Take a trip to the West Indian/Caribbean Parade and Festival this Saturday, July 24. The celebration will be held from noon to 6 p.m. at Exchange Place in Jersey City.

The Hudson Shakespeare Company will present Lysistrata on Tuesday, July 22, at 7 p.m., at Hamilton Park in Jersey City; on Monday, July 26, at 7 p.m., at Sinatra Park in Hoboken; on Thursday, July 29, at 8 p.m., at Ellsworth Park in Union City; and on Friday, July 30, at 7 p.m., at Van Vorst Park in Jersey City. For more information, see www.hudsonshakespeare.org. I defy you to come up with an excuse for missing this play!

On Tuesday, July 27, Union City’s Festival in the Park will hold a screening of the movie Shrek at Ellsworth Park. The event begins at 8 p.m., and it’s free – bring the kids and the kids-at-heart.

The next feature in the Monday Movie Series at All Saints Parish Hall in Hoboken is Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb). The screening starts at 6:30 p.m. on July 26. Admission is free – and the Parish Hall is air-conditioned. Guests are encouraged to bring snacks, and to stay for a discussion after the show. All Saints is at 701 Washington St. in Hoboken.

Bayonne resident and Hoboken High School graduate Manny Medina will perform in New Voices 2004: Everything Old is New Again at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Performances are scheduled for July 30 at 7:30 p.m., and July 31 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, $27, and $35. Paper Mill Playhouse is located on Brookside Drive in Millburn. For tickets, call (973) 376-4343.

Did you just open a show? Is your band playing somewhere? Are you staging a dance recital or sponsoring an event? Let us know. Send photos and relevant information to: Current editor, P.O. Box 3069, 1400 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030; e-mail to current@hudsonreporter.com; or fax to: (201) 798-0018.