Happy summer, friends! It has been a very busy year of weekly gigs at the fun and fabulous Swing 46, my residency there is entering its fourth year! I delight in singing with such jazz masters as saxophonist Mike Hashim, bassist Ralph Hamperian, guitarist Mark McCarron, drummers Steve Little and Mike Campenni, and pianists Janice Friedman, Toru Dodo and Rafael DeLugoff, all top shelf jazzers. My students at New School and Hofstra worked very hard, gained so much knowledge and experience on their paths to professional status, and sang wonderfully in their year end concerts and juries. I am very proud of them!
I am so looking forward to a fantastic summer filled with concerts, festivals, jazz camps and gigs!
I am proud to announce that I am the Artistic Director for the first annual Milford Jazz Festival 2024, in Milford Pennsylvania. Milford is a culturally rich and historically fascinating town at the apex of NY, NJ and PA, on the beautiful Delaware River. From Friday, July 12 to Sunday, July 14, we will present a wide variety of jazz events.
We will launch the festival with the fiery young pianist Esteban Castro and his trio at the Milford Theater, followed by a showing of ‘Pete Kelly’s Blues,’ hosted by local film historian and author, John Di Leo. There will be music on the porches and jazz brunches at the historic hotels in town on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, featuring musicians from NYC, including Jennifer Vincent, Boots Maleson, Sean Harkness, Barry Stephenson, Alex Wintz, and of Deerhead Inn fame in Stroudsberg, PA, Nancy and Spencer Reed, Butch Campbell and Skip Wilkins.
On Saturday, July 13, Barry Bryson and Swing Street, an 8 piece swing band, featuring Jeanne O’Connor and myself on vocals, will play for dancing and listening pleasure, proceeded by a swing dance lesson with Manuel Rojas. This exciting event will take place at the historic Forest Hall. The festival concludes Sunday with my vocal quartet, Royal Bopsters, at Grey Towers, with legendary singer/pianist Ronny Whyte as our guest. Our band is comprised of the swinging young pianist, Will Gorman, legendary bassist Cameron Brown, and spectacular drummer Sherrie Maricle, of Diva Orchestra fame. And last but not least, the Sunday, July 14 concert will be the debut of our amazing new tenor, Danny Bacher! Please join me, Jeanne O’Connor and Dylan Pramuk as we welcome Danny to the Bopsters’ family.
All events are within walking distance of town. It is easy to get to Milford, PA by bus or train from NYC and Philly, and lodging at the historic hotels in town, Tom Quick Inn, Hotel Fauchere and La Posada are a luxurious pleasure.
Please visit our websites:
MilfordJazzFest.com and greytowers.org/events for schedules, tickets and directions.
I continue my Tuesday residency at Swing 46 with the Mike Hashim quintet, every Tuesday form 5:30 to 8 :30 PM, and on Sundays, May 26 and June 23, and Saturday, June 30, I will perform there with my own band, also from 5:30 to 8:30 PM. Swing 46 is an inviting and cozy jazz club, a longtime NYC institution, with great food and cocktails/mocktails, featuring excellent jazz and swing dance instruction Tuesday through Sunday, two bands each night. For reservations, swing46.nyc
I am honored to be invited back to all 3 jazz camps I worked at last summer. From Sunday, June 16 to Friday, June 21, I will be at Tritone Jazz at Naz, in Rochester, NY, working alongside the brilliant singer, saxophonist and vocal group arranger, my longtime dear friend, Darmon Meader of NY Voices fame. From Sunday, August 4 to Saturday, August 10, I will be at Vermont Jazz Center Summer Workshop, working alongside Her Majesty the Queen of Bop, 95 and 1/2 year young songbird Sheila Jordan. From Friday, August 29 to Sunday, September 1, I am returning to Quebec, for the JazzWorksCanada summer workshop, on beautiful LacMacdonald where I will be working alongside top Canadian jazz musicians.
Please visit these three jazz camp websites for more info:
tritonejazz.com
vtjazz.org
jazzworkscanada.com
Hope to see you this summer 2024!
xoAmy
