Dick Hyman News

The Eighth Annual Bickford Benefit Concert featuring an all-star ensemble of outstanding jazz artists from the Tri-State area comes to the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum for one night only on Monday, November 12, 2018 at 7:30 PM. The ensemble includes trumpeter/vocalist Bria Skonberg, cornetist Warren Vache, trombonist Mariel Bildsten, clarinetist Dan Levinson, pianist Rossano Sportiello, guitarist/vocalist Molly Ryan, bassist Rob Adkins, and drummer Mark McLean.  All of the ticket sales from this concert will go to support programming at the Bickford Theatre.

Two-time Emmy Award winning composer, lyricist, conductor, pianist, and producer Glen Roven, has passed away at the age of 60.

Dan Levinson's Midsummer Night's Jazz Party returns to the Bickford Theatre as part of Summer JazzFest for one night only on Thursday, August 2 at 7:30 pm. For his annual appearance at the popular festival, Levinson dispenses with music scores and stands for a jam session in the tradition of the legendary jazz clubs of the forties and fifties such as Eddie Condon's and Nick's. Joining the popular clarinetist will be Jon-Erik Kellso on trumpet, Harvey Tibbs on trombone, Mark Shane on piano, Rob Adkins on bass, and Paul Wells on drums. And as customary, the concert will be preceded by a food truck picnic.

Jack Kleinsinger's Highlights In Jazz closes its 46thseason with a tribute to lauded jazz guitarist Russell Malone. A mainstay on the Manhattan music scene since the 1980s, as well as a regular at international festivals and concert halls, Russell has attracted critical and fan recognition for his work as an accomplished leader and in-demand sideman. 

The virtuoso jazz pianist Dick Hyman will perform at the Bickford Theatre on Monday, May 7, at 7:30 PM. His solo concert, "Dick Hyman Plays the Decades," features his interpretations of popular songs from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" written in 1892 to Stephen Sondheim's "Losing My Mind" from the 1971 musical Follies. Some of the other selections to be performed are the Lennon-McCartney hit "Norwegian Wood," the popular standard "Stella by Starlight," and "I Feel Pretty" in celebration of the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein. Mr. Hyman also promises to perform his tour-de-force version of Fats Waller's "Minor Drag."

Jazz fans know they can count on the Highlights In Jazz concert series to showcase the gifted players who shaped jazz history and continue to contribute to its long and rich legacy. This third concert of the 46th season is no exception: The music is sure to dazzle - and swing - when you have such renowned musicians on hand as pianist Dick Hyman, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, bassist Jay Leonhart, saxophonist/clarinetist Ken Peplowski, and drummer/vibraphonist Chuck Redd.

Jazz clarinetist Ken Peplowski will pay tribute to jazz legend Benny Goodman at the Bickford Theatre on Thursday, May 3.  He and his Sextet, featuring Chuck Redd on vibes, Rossano Sportiello on piano, Sean Smith on bass, Matt Witek on drums, and Hilary Gardner on vocals, remember the great clarinetist in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the famous Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert of 1938.

Jazz fans know they can count on the Highlights In Jazz concert series to showcase the gifted players who shaped jazz history and continue to contribute to its long and rich legacy. This third concert of the 46th season is no exception: The music is sure to dazzle - and swing - when you have such renowned musicians on hand as pianist Dick Hyman, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, bassist Jay Leonhart, saxophonist/clarinetist Ken Peplowski, and drummer/vibraphonist Chuck Redd.

The Axelrod Performing Arts Center (APAC) is celebrating the Fred Astaire songbook on Sunday, April 8 at 3 p.m. with star vocalists Danny Bacher and Alexis Cole, who recently appeared together at Carnegie Hall, and two leading Broadway dancers, Cory Lingner("On the Town," "American in Paris") and Eloise Kropp ("Dames at Sea," "CATS"), performing with an all-star jazz band led by Dr. Art Topilow on piano, with Aaron Weinstein on violin, Mike Lee on saxophone, Doug Clarke on guitar, Rudy Petschauer on percussion and Gary Mazzaroppi on bass.

The Highlights In Jazz 46th Season continues Thursday, March 22, 2018, at 8 P.M., when The Millennials Meet The Masters.

Dan Levinson and his all-star band celebrate the music of those early days of jazz at the Bickford Theatre for one night only on Monday, February 26th at 7:30 pm.  Entitled Dan Levinson's Jazz 101: The Trailblazers of America's Original Art Form, the concert features the music of King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Jelly Roll Morton, The New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Clarence Williams, Eddie Condon, Duke Ellington and more.

The Highlights In Jazz 45th Anniversary Gala launches the new season Thursday, February 22, 2018, at 8 P.M. featuring the Bucky Pizzarelli Trio with guitarist Russell Malone, and bassist Martin Pizzarelli, with acclaimed singer Allan Harris. Plus a surprise special guest!

CYNTHIA SAYER, the internationally celebrated jazz banjoist and vocalist, will lead her Joyride Quartet in The Hot Jazz Banjo Show in a rare New York City concert appearance at the legendary jazz club Birdland on Thursday, March 15 at 6:00 PM. Birdland is located at 315 W. 44th Street in Manhattan. Tickets: $30.

Carl Orff's classical choral masterpiece Carmina Burana will burst into life in a lush production designed for two choruses, three soloists, a two-piano percussion ensemble, and dynamic premiere choreography of Leymis Bola os Wilmott of Sarasota Contemporary Dance. Carmina Burana in Motion is presented by Choral Artists of Sarasota, Saturday, February 3, 4 p.m., at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. $15 student tickets are available with ID at the door.

Producer Jack Kleinsinger and the entire Highlights In Jazz family joins the rest of the jazz world in mourning the late Kevin Mahogany, who passed away December 17, 2017. He was originally scheduled to appear at the season kickoff concert.

The Bickford Theatre presents the annual birthday bash for Hall of Fame guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli on Monday, January 8th. Bucky, who turns 92 on January 9th, has been at this annual birthday party every year with the exception of his 90th when he was in the hospital. He will bring an all-star ensemble with him including Martin Pizzarelli on bass, Ed Laub on guitar, Russ Kassoff on piano, Linus Wyrsch on sax, and Aaron Weinstein on violin.

Z2 Entertainment has announced a second performance for The Wailin' Jennys on Monday, November 20th, at 8 p.m. at the Boulder Theater. Tickets are on sale now.

Iconic entertainer Marilyn Maye, accompanied by The Tedd Firth Big Band, will perform in The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center on October 27-28 at 7pm and 9:30pm. Maye is one of the remaining geniuses from the golden age of show business, and offers an American Songbook experience like none other.

Jazz at Lincoln Center's 30th anniversary celebratory events include an exploration of the blues led by authorities on the blues tradition.

The Nicki Parrott Trio will make their only New Jersey appearance this fall at the Bickford Theatre in Morristown on Monday, October 23, at 7:30 as part of the very popular Jazz Showcase series. Tickets for the concert are available online at www.morrismuseum.org or by phone at 973-971-3706.