Saturday, August 13

LACKAWANNA BLOCK PARTY

An all-day mini-fest capped off by the return of DJ Brother Mister, aka, Christian McBride's funky dance party!

AN ALL DAY BLOCK PARTY WINARD HARPER and JELI POSSE + NICOLE HARPER + OUR JAZZ HOUSE SUMMER STUDENTS + DJ BROTHER MISTER.

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Saturday, August 13 | 12:00 - 10:00 pm

Starting at 12 noon, the Lackawanna stage will feature 130 student musicians from five states and three countries taking part in the JAZZ HOUSE Summer Workshop (12-4 pm). As the sun sets (4-7pm), the area debut of the trailblazing saxophonist Nicole Glover performs with her quartet followed by Winard Harper & Jeli Posse with its 9-piece band featuring tap dance, vocals, African percussion and high-energy swing and a positive message of unity.
 

Capping off the summer series at 7:00 pm, the town will once again get its groove on for an incredible, diverse and inter-generational boogie fest and one of
the largest street dance parties Montclair has ever seen, featuring DJ Brother Mister, aka CHRISTIAN McBRIDE, MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL and JAZZ HOUSE KiDS artistic director and 8-time GRAMMY Award-winning bassist. McBride, a huge fan of this genre, will be spinning his old school soul and funk favorites all night long and, often,
playing along, embellishing the bass line with his masterful skill.

No Tickets Required

Beach and Lawn Chairs Welcome

Pop-Up Tents and Beach Umbrellas Prohibited

GET IN THE ZONE!

AN AFTERNOON OF FAMILY FUN

Bring your wee be-boppers to the FAMILY JAZZ DISCOVERY ZONE, a special place where kids and their families can gather to play, improvise, create, make new friends and of course, share our passion for jazz! 

AUGUST 13 | 12 NOON - 5:00 PM

FAMILY JAZZ DISCOVERY ZONE

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JAZZ HOUSE EMERGING MUSICIANS

Keeping in the 13 year tradition of the MONTCLAIR JAZZ FEST, student ensembles from the JAZZ HOUSE Summer Workshop will take the Lackawanna Block Party stage throughout the afternoon starting at noon on Saturday.  Directed by trumpeter and educator TED CHUBB, the award-winning workshop continues on the campus of Montclair State University for two sessions.  Each intensive session immerses students in the art of jazz performance and helps them become well-rounded musicians through masterclasses with acclaimed guest artists, workshops, ensemble performances and jam sessions with professional musicians.

NICOLE GLOVER QUARTET

Saxophonist and bandleader Nicole Glover grew up in Oregon, where she was introduced to the music through her father’s record collection and studied in programs dedicated to learning jazz and priming students for touring and performing, such as the award-winning American Music Program and Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. She moved to the East Coast to attend William Paterson University, where she studied with Mulgrew Miller, Harold Mabern and Rich Perry, and assumed permanent residence in NYC in 2015. She soon established herself as a rising star, working with esteemed artists such as with George Cables, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Billy Hart, Esperanza Spalding, Renee Rosnes and many others. Since 2020, she has been performing with the supergroup Artemis. 

Nicole has been leading her own band for three years, with residencies at SMOKE, Smalls, Fat Cat, and through Jazz at Lincoln Center. In 2021, she released her HighNote/Savant records debut Strange Lands, featuring her regular trio plus Cables, to glowing reviews and acclaim, eventually rising to #12 on the JazzWeek radio charts after only a few weeks. Nicole is also an experienced educator and clinician, who teaches at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

WINARD HARPER + JELI POSSE

Winard Harper was born in Baltimore in 1962 and started like most drummers by beating on cans just after learning to walk. A child prodigy, a five-year-old Winard would sometimes sit in and play his drums in older brother Danny's rock n roll band after the family moved to Washington D.C. Winard and his younger brother Philip, a trumpeter, would busk in the streets of Georgetown and sit in at jam sessions around the city. For more than a year, Winard worked in a trio with pianist Reuben Brown and bassist Steve Novosel, veterans of the DC jazz scene. 

Winard worked as a sideman for a virtual who’s who of jazz including Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Betty Carter, Ray Bryant, Abdullah Ibrahim, Pharoah Sanders and Clifford Jordan. In addition, he co-led the band The Harper Brothers, who went on to release four acclaimed albums on PolyGram. In the early ‘90s, inspired by mentors like Dr. Billy Taylor and Billy Higgins, he recorded several albums featuring collaborations with jazz greats, while also building a strong sextet. 

A virtuoso on the drum set and the balafon, the West African equivalent of the marimba, Winard is a sought-after collaborator at home and abroad, a bandleader of several groups, a regular at the New York clubs, an educator, and an event organizer.  He will be performing with his group Jeli Posse at the Block Party.