JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR
The free, annual Morristown Jazz and Blues Festival will take place at its usual location, Morristown Green in downtown Morristown, Sept. 14, with five acts scheduled to perform.
Blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor (see video below) will headline at 8 p.m.
Frequent festival performers Louis Prima Jr. & the Witnesses will present their high-energy stage show, featuring the songs of Louis Prima Sr. (“Sing, Sing, Sing,” “Jump, Jive an’ Wail,” “I Wanna Be Like You,” “Just a Gigolo”) and more, at 6 p.m.
Richie “LaBamba” Rosenberg’s 18-piece Rock’n R&B Big Band, featuring the singer and trombonist and longtime collaborators such as Mark “The Luv Man” Pender on trumpet and vocals, Mike Merritt on bass and James Wormworth on drums, will perform at 4 p.m., with singer and harmonica player Rob Paparozzi featured as a special guest.
The 18-piece U.S. Navy Band Commodores will play jazz at 2 p.m.
And “hot jazz” group The Hot Sardines, featuring singer Elizabeth Bougerol and pianist Evan Palazzo, will open the show at noon.
Last year’s festival was a two-day event. The opening night of music took place as planned, but the main show — which had been scheduled to feature Prima, The Hot Sardines, The U.S. Navy Band Commodores and others — was cancelled because of rainy weather.
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