The Jazz Musicians Who Defined a City's Sound
The Birth of Jazz in Jersey City
Jazz is often associated with the lively jazz scenes of New Orleans, Chicago, or New York City. While New Jersey can hardly claim to be the birthplace of jazz, it has produced a numerous number of talented jazz musicians including Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, and Count Basie, just to name a few.
Jersey City has also done its part in producing several gifted jazz artists. Randy Klein is a Jersey City-born award-winning jazz pianist, composer, author, and educator. He is one of many accomplished Jersey City-born jazz musicians who continue to make an impact on the world of jazz today.
Jazz Venues & Clubs in Jersey City
Jersey City is certainly no New Orleans, but it does have its dynamic jazz clubs and venues which are sure to provide an exciting evening of live jazz performances.
Moore’s Lounge (also known as Bill & Ruth’s) is a 40 year old venue located on 189 Monticello Avenue in Jersey City, hosting live jazz performances. Every Sunday, the venue hosts a “Meet the Artist” series. During this series, prominent, renowned artists are brought together with up-and-coming artists and invited to perform for a local audience and tell stories about their careers and career highlights. At the end of the event, a Q&A session is held. Moore’s Lounge also hosts an event titled “Friday Fish Fry Jam” every Friday. During this event, aspiring jazz musicians join together in a jam session while enjoying fish fry which is made using Ms. Ruth’s (the owner of the venue) famed recipe. Moore’s Lounge received 4.7 out of 5 stars on Google Reviews with customers commending its “great jazz jam sessions” as well as its “great atmosphere and great jazz”, many calling Jazz Sunday “the highlight” of their experience at the venue.
The mission of Moore’s Lounge and Finally Home center around a common goal: community engagement in Jersey City. “For quite a while now I have been able to make a great wish of mine come true, making live Jazz available, for a very affordable contribution, to members of my own community including the kids” writes the owner on Moore’s Lounge’s website.
Arts, Culture, and Finally Home
Jersey City contains a plethora of arts and culture surrounding it. While New Orleans will always be the birthplace of jazz, jazz will always have a place in the heart of Jersey City through the various jazz clubs and jazz musicians who grew up here. Finally Home’s mission is to encourage community engagement by informing others about the arts, culture, and history of Jersey City. The jazz clubs and jazz musicians all set out to achieve this goal of community engagement as well, through their art and creativity.
The Unsung Heroes of Jersey City Jazz:
A Musical Tribute
Listen to our curated playlist of Jersey City
Jazz Giants of Jersey City: Stories of Legendary Musicians & Performers
Andrew' Hill’s influential jazz journey took four decades to reach its peak, blending tradition with innovation in his albums, from "Black Fire" (1963) to "Time Lines" (2006). At seven, he picked up the accordion and by ten, was self-taught on the piano. Hill honed his be-bop skills in Chicago, toured with famed artists like Dinah Washington, and shared the stage with the legendary Charlie Parker and Dinah Washington.
In New York during the early '60s, Hill's unique style drew comparisons to Thelonious Monk and caught the attention of Blue Note Records' Alfred Lion, leading to an intense recording period. His music captivated listeners with its unconventional structure and emotive allure.
Striving to redefine the jazz bandleader as a composer beyond mere entertainment, Hill's last decade was remarkable. He led various bands and earned critical acclaim for three new albums along with the prestigious Danish JazzPar Award in 2003.
Mr. Hill's four-decade musical journey culminated in a legacy that enriched jazz with a fusion of tradition and innovation, blending written scores with impromptu creativity, and balancing strict rhythmic and harmonic structures with free expression.
Walt Weiskopf is a multi-talented tenor saxophone player, composer, clarinetist, and arranger. His musical journey includes collaborations and recordings with renowned artists such as Buddy Rich and Toshiko Akiyoshi, noted for her "Carnegie Hall Concert," and Renee Rosnes with the album "Life on Earth." Weiskopf steers his own musical groups—a quartet, sextet, and nonet—and actively shares his knowledge at the Eastman School of Music, following a tenure at New Jersey City University. His written contributions to jazz education are prominent with works like "Around the Horn," published by Jamey Aebersold. Weiskopf's discography boasts albums including "Song for My Mother," "Siren," and "Man of Many Colors" from Criss Cross Records.
Dave Kikoski stands out as a vibrant pianist and composer residing in Jersey City. His dynamic performances are marked by collaborations with musical greats such as Roy Haynes and Randy Brecker, along with contemporary ensembles like the Mingus Big Band. Kikoski brings his creative vision to life in albums such as "Maze," "Surf's Up," and "Inner Trust" from Criss Cross Records, as well as "The Five" from DIW Records.
Russel Malong Born on November 8, 1963, Russell Malone is a renowned American jazz guitarist. His career kicked off in 1988 when he teamed up with the legendary Jimmy Smith and soon found himself performing with stars like Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall during the '90s. Notably, Malone strummed his guitar for the Diana Krall Trio starting in 1995, contributing to three Grammy-nominated records and snagging a Grammy for Best Vocal Jazz Performance with the album "When I Look in Your Eyes."
Malone's talent also shines through in his collaborations with pianist Benny Green in the late '90s and early 2000s, with albums like "Kaleidoscope," "These Are Soulful Days," and "Naturally." The dynamic duo even treated fans to a live album, "Jazz at The Bistro," in 2003, and a studio hit, "Bluebird," the following year. They hit the road together until 2007.
Alongside his duo gigs, Malone has hit the stage with jazz giants like Ron Carter, Roy Hargrove, and Dianne Reeves. He's also lent his guitar skills to sessions with a who's who in jazz, including Kenny Barron and the Marsalis brothers. Malone's solo journey began in 1992 with his debut album, and since then, he's been the frontman of his own trio and quartet, captivating audiences with his six-string magic.
Jimmy Lyons, a fervent admirer of Charlie Parker's phrasing, played the saxophone with a style reminiscent of Parker's, especially in his bop-influenced rhythms and melodies. However, Lyons was also known for his work in more avant-garde settings. He earned his fame collaborating with pianist Cecil Taylor from 1960 until his passing in 1986, bringing a swing feel that grounded Taylor's music firmly in jazz, despite Taylor's classical influences.
As a teenager, Lyons received an alto saxophone from Buster Bailey, a notable clarinetist with the Fletcher Henderson band. He learned from seasoned saxophonist Rudy Rutherford and befriended jazz greats Elmo Hope, Bud Powell, and Thelonious Monk. Lyons's career took off when he joined Cecil Taylor, recording groundbreaking albums like "Cecil Taylor Live at Café Montmartre" (1962) and "Unit Structures" (1966). Though Lyons rarely led his own recording sessions, he eventually did so in 1969 with the album "Other Afternoons" on BYG label, and later more frequently, releasing several albums with Hat Hut and Black Saint labels.
“...black music is a group music. That's why I don't like doing a solo saxophone thing: My feeling stems from rhythm, I really have to feel that rhythmic thing happening.”
-Jimmy Lyons
Kool & the Gang’s musical journey began in the 1960s as a jazz instrumental group named the Jazziacs. The band was formed in 1964 when a group of young musicians from Lincoln High School in Jersey City and rose to prominence in the 1970s by blending jazz, funk, R&B, and pop. Kool & the Gang's Over time, their style evolved to include elements of funk, influenced by renowned artists such as James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone.
Kool and the Gang achieved their first major breakthrough with the release of "Jungle Boogie" in 1973, which was followed by hits like "Ladies Night," "Celebration," and "Get Down On It." Their accomplishments include two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top 10 pop hits, and 31 gold and platinum albums.
The band members have been acquainted since their school days in Jersey City, New Jersey, and have previously performed under various names such as the Jazz Birds, the Jazziacs, and Kool & the Flames. Interestingly, one of the band members, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, initially played the saxophone with the mouthpiece upside down, unaware of the correct technique.
In addition to their musical success, Kool & the Gang secured global commercial endorsements, actively supported numerous charitable causes, and were the sole American group to participate in Band Aid's 1984 Do They Know It's Christmas project, which aimed to assist famine victims in Africa. Kool & the Gang emerged as one of the pioneering African American bands of the 1970s, standing as a testament to their self-contained success.
“Our goal is simple - We believe in throwing a damn good party for the people, but a party with some of the best musicians you’ll ever hear. That’s how we can engage our communities with the wonderfully diverse world of “jazz” for generations to come.”
- Bryan Beninghove, Director, Riverview Jazz
Enjoy their Annual Jersey City Jazz Festival and Annual Jersey City Latin Jazz Festival
…Along with the NJCU Alumni Jazz Big Band features accomplished musicians who studied at the University as far back as the late 1960s, when Professor Richard Lowenthal started the jazz program.
Sources: Moore's Lounge website. Randy Klein bio.
