Latin Jazz Concert And Free Film Screening Announced At Rutherfurd Hall

Jazz at Rutherfurd Hall is in its 9th year and continues to entertain audiences with exceptional quality musicians of the highest caliber. This final concert of the series this season will feature a performance by Cubano Be, Cubano Bop and an additional free film screening of Jimmy Van Heusen: Swingin’ with Frank & Bing, a PBS documentary about longtime musical partnership between Jimmy Van Heusen and Frank Sinatra.

All the concerts in the jazz series at Rutherford Hall will benefit the Rutherfurd Hall Foundation, dedicated to preserving the rich history of Rutherfurd Hall as well as the Hackettstown Rotary Club which helps families in need in the Warren County area. Tickets for the event which includes the concert and film screening are $35.00 each and can be purchased online at rutherfurdhall.org OR at the following locations in the Hackettstown area.

Cubano Be, Cubano Bop – Sunday December 1st at 1:00 PM (Doors open 12:30)

 Cubano Be, Cubano Bop (formerly known as “The Latin Jazz Express”) is a Latin Jazz group in the tradition of Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria and was formed at William Paterson College in 1990. Soon after, this group was used for commercial recordings that featured legendary African artists such as the Ghanaian Highlife artist, C.K. Mann and Laud Addy from the highly esteemed Addy family (see Congo Square, Wynton Marsalis). Guitarist, Michael Vinas, has also served as the bassist for famed bandleader and composer Tito Puente furthering the band’s connection to the traditions that inspired their formation and style.

Over the years, the group has performed at countless universities, jazz venues and festivals. Grammy nominee, Chico Mendoza, who mentored the group from its early days continues to use “Cubano Be, Cubano Bop” as his own for many of his live events.

Whether backing other artists for live or studio work, or performing under their own name, “Cubano Be, Cubano Bop” ignites their audiences with their infectious use of Latin rhythms and exciting arrangements.

Light refreshments served during intermission.

Jimmy Van Heusen: SWINGIN’ WITH FRANK & BING – PBS Documentary

The PBS documentary written and directed by Jim Burns, takes a look at the remarkable life and music of four-time Oscar-winning songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen. Jimmy Van Heusen was one of the most accomplished songwriters in history. Claiming four “Oscars” and one Emmy award among his credits he also wrote more songs (85) recorded by Frank Sinatra, his longtime friend, than any other composer. He also composed the songs for another good friend, Bing Crosby for six of the seven Crosby/Hope Road pictures. In spite of such accolades, he personally felt one of his biggest honors was being elected by his peers as one of the original inductees to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971. Most of his songs were written with two lyricist partners Johnny Burke (1940 to 1953) and then Sammy Cahn. This film explores the partnership between Van Heusen, Sinatra and Crosby and the jazz standards that arose from the songwriter’s work.

Tickets for the event which includes the concert and film screening are $35.00 each and can be purchased online at rutherfurdhall.org OR at the following locations in the Hackettstown area.

• Mama’s Café Baci in Hackettstown
• Jacks’ Scissor Wiz in Hackettstown
• Terranova Pizzeria-Trattoria in Panther Valley

The event is cohosted by The Rutherfurd Hall Foundation and the Hackettstown Rotary Club, with proceeds benefiting both organizations. The Trustees of Rutherfurd Hall Foundation serve as stewards of the over 110-year-old estate now serving as a cultural and enrichment center.  In partnership with the Allamuchy Board of Education and in conjunction with the Friends of Rutherfurd Hall, in 2013 the Rutherfurd Hall Foundation was established as a separate 501(c)(3) to raise funds for beautification, capital improvements. restoration, improvements of the house and property. The Foundation has successfully raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to add brand-new bathrooms that make the Hall a more desirable location for the many events it hosts. With this track record of success, we are now moving on to raise money for air conditioning on the first floor.

Hackettstown Rotary Club helps families and individuals in need in the Warren County area, through many philanthropic projects and donations to other community organizations. The Rotary Club internationally is a humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the lives of all people across the globe. In Hackettstown, the Rotary club supports many events and projects, hosting food drives, shredding events, and the annual MEMORIAL MOTOR MADNESS Annual Car Show with Mars Wrigley among countless other projects to provide funding and service to community organizations like NORWESCAP, DASAAC, Habitat for Humanity, Operation Chillout, and many others while also providing scholarship opportunities for local students.

Rutherfurd Hall located in Allamuchy Township, NJ, is listed on the National and New Jersey State Registers of Historic Places, built in 1904 and visited by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today Rutherfurd Hall is a cultural center and museum owned and managed by the Allamuchy Township Board of Education. For ten years it has provided educational and enrichment opportunities for the residents of Allamuchy and the surrounding communities. It is sustained through a combination of public funding, New Jersey Historical Commission grants, Rutherfurd Hall Foundation support, corporate and individual donations, volunteers and event-based fundraising. Additional operating revenues are obtained through an active rental program, public programs for a nominal fee, and other earned-income programs. Rutherfurd Hall is working towards its goal of becoming a self-sustaining enterprise that protects and preserves its historical, cultural and architectural integrity.

For more information on the historic Rutherfurd Hall, visit www.rutherfurdhall.org

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