Smooth Jazz New Jersey | Nationally recognized Smooth Jazz artists

Saturday, April 19th

WBGO Presents All That Jazz with Alex Bugnon at Hamilton Stage

About Alex Bugnon

Jazz pianist Alex Bugnon has been a prolific, energetic force on the contemporary music scene for more than two decades. A renowned musician/composer/bandleader, Bugnon hales from the picturesque town of Montreux, Switzerland – site of the world-famous Jazz Festival

His first album, Love Season (1989), with the fledgling record label, catapulted the virtual unknown to prominence and set him on his musical course. The album rocketed to number 2 on the R&B charts and was nominated for best jazz album at the Soul Train Awards. In 1991, Alex released his second album for Orpheus, Head Over Heels, and like the first, it became a chart topper cementing his position as a radio and fan favorite on the R&B and smooth jazz circuit, earning him Black Radio Exclusive’s Best New Artist Award.

As the year ends, Alex has released his 12th album – HARLEM, the second on Xela. HARLEM is a mix of original compositions and his personal take on beloved and well-known songs including the classic A Night in Tunisia, Curtis Mayfield’s Pusherman, Stevie Wonder’s Summer Soft and Burt Bacharach’s A House is Not a Home. Alex makes his home in the historic village of Harlem, New York, and maintains his connection to his beloved Montreux.

Come early to the adjacent WBGO Piano Lounge, have a cocktail on the couch and be amazed by young phenom Leonieke Scheuber performing on the Fazioli Grand Piano.

After the show on the adjacent Hamilton Stage meet and greet with Alex and the band in the WBGO Piano Lounge.

Come early to the adjacent WBGO Piano Lounge, have a cocktail on the couch and be amazed by young phenom Leonieke Scheuber performing on the Fazioli Grand Piano.

After the show on the adjacent Hamilton Stage meet and greet with Alex and the band in the WBGO Piano Lounge.

on the UCPAC Main Stage

Saturday, May 3rd

An Evening with Branford Marsalis

on the UCPAC Main Stage

New Orleans-born Branford Marsalis is an award-winning saxophonist, band leader, featured classical soloist, and a film and Broadway composer. In the process, he has become a multi award-winning artist with three Grammys, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master, and an avatar of contemporary artistic excellence.

The Branford Marsalis Quartet, formed in 1986, remains his primary means of expression. In its virtually uninterrupted three-plus decades of existence, the Quartet has established a rare breadth of stylistic range as demonstrated on the band’s last release: The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul. But Branford has not confined his music to the jazz quartet context. He recently composed a classical suite commissioned by the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. A frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Branford has become increasingly sought after as a featured soloist with acclaimed orchestras around the world, performing works by composers such as Copeland, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, John Williams, Mahler, Milhaud, Rorem, Vaughan Williams and Villa-Lobos. And his legendary guest performances with the Grateful Dead and collaborations with Sting have made him a fan favorite in the pop arena

Saturday, June 7th

Grammy Winner Jeff Lorber & Alexander Zonjic

Jeffrey H. Lorber (born November 4, 1952)[1] is an American keyboardist, composer, and record producer. After After 6 previous nominations, Lorber won his first Grammy Award on January 28, 2018 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Prototype by his band the Jeff Lorber Fusion

Two greatest hits compilation albums were released in 2000 and 2002. Flipside (2005) was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category.[13] At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, his 2013 album Hacienda was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album.[14] In 2018, he received a Grammy for his album Prototype in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category.

Alexander Zonjic 15 time Detroit Music Award winner.

In 2020, eleven years after releasing Doin’ the D, an album paying dynamic homage to the music and magic of Detroit, Alexander Zonjic got back in the throwback R&B groove with the release of another infectious, high-spirited valentine to his beloved adopted hometown. Written and produced for the veteran, multiple award winning flutist by Pieces of a Dream keyboardist James Lloyd, “”Motor City Sway” – the infectious lead single from Playing It Forward, Zonjic’s first collection on his own Hi-Falutin Music label – quickly hit the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart and was one of the most added singles on the Billboard BDS chart two weeks in a row. Ten of the eleven tracks on Playing It Forward were produced by keyboardist Jeff Lorber, who helmed the majority of sessions for Zonjic’s previous albums Reach for the Sky (2001), Seldom Blues (2004) and Doin’ The D.

A native of Windsor, Ontario (immediately across the Detroit River), Zonic is a 15-time Detroit Music Awards winner with deep and multi-faceted ties to and influence on the city

on the UCPAC Main Stage

Friday, June 20th, 8PM

UCPAC Presents
THE BEST OF THE EAGLES

Best of the Eagles (BOTE) is one of the top Eagles tribute bands in the country, performing the band’s greatest hits from the 70’s, 80’s and beyond. What makes this tribute band unique from other bands is that each member performs and sings the song just as the original member does. That means that their ” Joe Walsh” sings the Joe Walsh songs, their “Glenn Frey” sings the Glenn Frey songs and their “Don Henley” replicates all of his incredible vocals. However, this is no simple copy band or impersonator act but rather a group of excellent musicians who expertly and authentically re-create the songs, the music, the vocals and the magical aura of one of America’s greatest rock bands.

Dine nearby!

Round out the magic of your concert experience with a “Dinner and a Show” deal from one of Rahway’s local eateries

To take advantage of these deals, simply present your ticket at a participating restaurant on the day of the show. Reservations are encouraged.

Featuring

The best in
smooth jazz
and r&b

Discover one of a kind performers ranging from all kinds of jazz styles and talents. Smooth Jazz New Jersey showcases events that honor a craft that continues to inspire communities and echo through the ages with its influence.

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Past Performances

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Saturday, April 19th