Arts Council of Princeton Presents Summer Courtyard Concert Series Every Thursday Starting June 28

June 12, 2012

The Arts Council of Princeton, in partnership with the Princeton Shopping Center, presents the Summer Courtyard Concert Series every Thursday from 6-8 pm at the Princeton Shopping Center at 301 North Harrison Street, Princeton, NJ. Concerts start on Thursday, June 28. This summer’s performers through July 26 include the Blawenburg Band, The Jazz Lobsters, Alex Mitnick and the Kaleidoscope Band, Riverside Bluegrass Band and Amazin Grace and the Grace Little Band. August performances, running weekly through August 23, will be announced at a later date. The Summer Courtyard Concert Series is free to the public.  Ample parking is available at thePrinceton Shopping Center.

The Blawenburg Band (June 28) was founded in 1890 in Blawenburg, NJ.  It is one of the oldest community bands in the state. The 75 members of the Blawenburg Band range in age

from their teens to their nineties, and include teachers and students, research scientists and computer specialists, and homemakers and active retirees. Some players have years of training and professional experience, others learned to play as children and are dedicated amateurs.

 

The Jazz Lobsters (July 5) is one of the busiest big bands in the tri-state area. Featuring the timeless music of Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Quincy Jones, as well as hip new arrangements, the big band plays everything from 40’s swing to fiery latin and salsa to

ballroom dance numbers. Led by keyboardist and arranger James Lafferty, the big band is filled with cutting edge musicians from all over the east coast. Out front is the unique, velvet-toned bass voice of Michael Andrews and clarinetist Audrey (“Mrs. Lobster”) ripping up Benny Goodman favorites.

 

Alex & The Kaleidoscope Band (July 12) – With 15 national awards for excellence in children’s entertainment including a Parents’ Choice Recommendation and Approval and Best Song for Children from the Independent Music Awards, Alex & The Kaleidoscope Band uplift and engage audiences of all ages with their interactive and world-music infused performances. Audiences sing, clap and dance with the band which includes guitar, keyboard, bass, drums and a female vocalist who leads the audience in movement and dance.

 

Riverside Bluegrass Band (July 19) is a five-piece acoustic string band from Princeton, New Jersey who combines traditional bluegrass music with bluegrass-style interpretations of classic and newer pop and country songs by the Beatles, the Byrds, Steve Earle, Ricky Skaggs, Buddy Miller and many others.

 

Amazin Grace and the Grace Little Band (July 26)“Amazin' Grace” Little, from Trenton, NJ, has wowed audiences with her powerful R&B and gospel renditions since she won the adult category of the famous Apollo Theater talent competition—at the age of 12! After that she joined the national touring companies of Dreamgirls, Oh Calcutta, and The Wiz. Her group, “Amazin' Grace and the GLB Band,” performs regularly at Warmdaddy's in Philadelphia and also for private parties. Grace released an album entitled “Amazin' Grace” under Philadelphia International Recording Studios in Philly, and has many other exciting projects in the pipeline. She & her band are simply amazing.

 

The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP), founded in 1967, is a non-profit organization with a mission of Building Community through the Arts. Housed in the landmark Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, the ACP fulfills its mission by presenting a wide range of programs including exhibitions, performances, free community cultural events, and studio-based classes and workshops in the visual, performing and literary arts. Arts Council of Princeton programs are designed to be high-quality, engaging, affordable and accessible for the diverse population in the greater Princeton region.

 

Established over fifty years ago, the Princeton Shopping Center has become a popular home for some of the Princeton area's most unique retailers and restaurateurs. Built as a California-style center 50 years ago, the Shopping Center is known for its architectural design and unique layout - a rectangular format with a center courtyard boasting the area's most beautiful floral displays created by the Center's 40-year veteran chief gardener and his staff. The Princeton Shopping Center is located at 301 North Harrison Street in Princeton Township. For more information please call Princeton Shopping Center at (609) 921-6234 or www.princetonshoppingcenter.com or contact Vashtie Coeferat vcoefer@artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777.

 

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