Here is a reason to travel next door to Jersey City and grab some Jazz Sunday June 2nd for their inaugural Jazz Fetsival at the historica Riverview Park…

Riverview Jazz Festival Swings into Jersey City Heights June 2, 2013 11am-4pm

The Jersey City Heights’ burgeoning jazz scene will be the focus of the Inaugural Riverview Jazz Festival, Sunday June 2, at Jersey City’s Historic Riverview Fisk Park from 11am-4pm .

Presented by Farms in the Heights, the festival will be a free, day-long event featuring live performances, children’s activities and a pop-up art show in the neighboring Community Gardens (for children of all ages).

“We are excited to be showcasing some amazing live talent and celebrating the vibrant diversity of Jersey City Heights,” said Will Tatz, the festival’s organizer. “Anyone who has been to Riverview Fisk Park knows how spectacular the views are. It’s a great showcase for the newly designated Riverview Arts District, and even though our historic gazebo was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, this park has hosted live performances dating back to the early 20th century, and we intend to revive that tradition. It will be a unique musical experience for the city.”

Funds will also be raised for the restoration of the historic gazebo.

The lineup for the festival features five musically diverse artists, each with ties to the Heights neighborhood, which is the most diverse community in the city. The festival is being held in conjunction with the weekly Farms in the Heights farmer’s market, which features locally-sourced and wholesome food vendors.

Official Lineup for the Inaugural Riverview Jazz Festival 2013:

Beninghove’s Hangmen are the NY/NJ area’s favorite noir cinematic punk jazz band. Alongside bandleader/saxophonist Bryan Beninghove, Rick Parker plays trombone, with Eyal Maoz and Dane Johnson on guitars, Kellen Harrison on bass and Shawn Baltazor on drums. Their latest release, Beninghove’s Hangmen, placed number three on Lucid Culture’s list of the top 25 Jazz Albums of 2011

Tracy Stark, a longtime staple of the NYC cabaret scene, is a pianist/arranger/singer songwriter of bracing originality and range. Tracy is currently at work on a new CD with producer Richard Barone, featuring guest vocalists including Lesley Gore, Jane Monheit, Nona Hendryx and Karen Black. She will bring the piano bar into the park and keep the audience on its toes.

New Tricks is a seasoned working band of the type not found as often as it once was in jazz. Saxophonist Mike Lee, trumpeter Ted Chubb, Bassist Kellen Harrison and drummer Shawn Baltazor have been playing together for over eight years and have forged a swinging, post bop classic New York sound. Their cohesion and assuredness are showcased on the brilliant 2011 CD Alternate Side.

ZONE is: Michael Moss on saxophones, flute and bass clarinet; Mel Nusbaum on piano, Billy Stein on guitar, Robert Edwards on electric bass, Lou Selmi on drums, and Yogui on congas, bongos and percussion. Zone play a mix of traditional and modern standards and original compositions by both Michael Moss and Mel Nusbaum, who have played together for 40 years. The llist of their collaborators reads like a who’s who of modern jazz.

Pat Van Dyke is a drummer, composer, producer, and band leader. PVD balances the rhythmic intensity of true-school hip hop & experimental electronic music with the rich harmony & refreshing subtlety of jazz. Recent releases include PVD Breaks Volume I & II (original breakbeat series), a full length LP with NJ emcee; 8thW1, as well as a limited edition vinyl 7″ single with (mc) John Robinson entitled “Miles & Trane”: a hip hop tribute to jazz legends which sold out at online vinyl retailers within the first month. Pat will be joined on stage at RJF by Josh David on bass and David Stolarz on keyboards. Don’t be surprised if an MC straight outa Jersey shows up to offer up some microphone skills.

The Riverview Jazz Festival is made possible through the support of The Distillery Gallery and Artspace, The Trolley Car Bar and Grill, Palisade Lumber, and Palisade Drugs.