It’s the swankiest, swingiest jazz event of the year! Get ready for Body and Soul, a night of fine wine + spirits + superb cuisine + swingin’ jazz, at the beautiful Van Vleck House & Gardens in Montclair on Saturday, February 20th!
Every year, on a cold night in February, Jazz House Kids heats up the town with a celebration for the senses. This year’s Body & Soul returns to historic Van Vleck House & Gardens, which offers the perfect setting for a journey through the eras.
Jazz House Kids will transform the historic site into three Roaring ’20s music venues including a new tented Winter Garden Ballroom on the front lawn for dancing.
“For the past seven years, Body & Soul has been one of the town’s most highly anticipated social events of the season, where professional jazz musicians, community leaders and new and old friends mingle and mix,” said Melissa Walker, president and founder of Jazz House Kids. “This year, we are so excited to be stepping up and stepping out with the addition of the Winter Garden Ballroom, where our guests can spread out and dance in 1920s style. With an incredible menu from Jockey Hollow, one of the nation’s hottest restaurants, this promises to be another amazing event while raising vital funds to support Jazz House Kids.”
Acclaimed pianist and vocalist Loston Harris brings his legendary cabaret to the Side Car Night Club room. Blending traditional jazz, gospel and blues with his own unique stylings, his music has been described as “a combination of humanity and genius.” For more than a decade, Harris has headlined at the legendary Bemelmans Bar located in The Carlyle in Manhattan, which has a legacy of hosting great cabaret and jazz greats including Bobby Short, Eartha Kitt and Elaine Stritch.
Hot ’20s jazz performed by the talented Dion Tucker Quartet will be featured in the Jazz House Speakeasy room. A Jazz House Kids faculty member, Tucker is a trombonist and member of the Harry Connick, Jr. Band who performed in the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more than 12 years.
Dance to music by the award-winning Jazz House Big Band directed by Julius Tolentino will be featured in the tented Winter Garden Ballroom (sponsored by Nancy Northup and James Johnson). Recently, the Jazz House Big Band was named a finalist and invited to compete in the 2016 Charles Mingus High School Competition and Festival. This is the fifth consecutive year the organization will be represented in the competition. The Big Band will feature soloists from the Jazz House Vocal Academy.
And the best part? 100% of proceeds from Body & Soul support our in-school programs and student tuition assistance at the Jazz House!
For more information and to purchase tickets to Body & Soul, call 973-744-2273 or visit www.jazzhousekids.org.