The New Brunswick Jazz Project will celebrate its 17th anniversary with a special Emerging Artists Series performance highlighting original student compositions and rising jazz talent.
The event, titled “The Jazz Composers,” will take place Tuesday, April 14, at Tavern on George. A featured set begins at 7 p.m., followed by the organization’s weekly open jam session at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Curated by Anthony Branker, a professor at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and founding director of jazz studies at Princeton University, the performance will showcase a sextet of emerging musicians performing original works.
Featured performers include alto saxophonist Michael Price, tenor saxophonist Matt Estabrook, trumpeter Tahj Walsh, pianist James Pakhamou, bassist Jeff Andolaro and drummer Jonah Kantro. The program will include compositions by Price, Estabrook, Walsh, Seraphina Taylor, Maya Anand, Ed Crisonino, Kristin Field and Pakhamou.
Organizers say the concert reflects the mission of the Emerging Artists Series, which since 2010 has provided student musicians from institutions including Rutgers, Princeton University and William Paterson University with opportunities to perform alongside professional artists.
The anniversary event also coincides with Jazz Appreciation Month, offering both a celebration of the organization’s history and a spotlight on the next generation of jazz composers and performers.
