The Fanwood Performance Series presents an evening of jazz featuring home-grown musicians on June 13.
Saxophonist Pat Gannon – an alumnus of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School (class of 2018) and its premier jazz band, the Moonglowers – will bring his organ quartet to Fanwood’s Carriage House. Opening the show will be James Gardella and the Music Legends, a five-piece combo made up of current members of the award-winning Moonglowers.
Gannon has performed at numerous festivals and clubs in the New York metro area, with his own groups as well as swing orchestras. The alto saxophonist and arranger graduated from William Paterson University, where he studied under Bill Charlap and Vincent Herring. Gannon has an affinity for the classic organ quartet format, inspired by Sonny Stitt and Stanley Turrentine. He’ll be accompanied by stellar musicians on organ, guitar and drums.
Gardella’s ensemble performs a mix of jazz styles including mid-tempo swing, ballads and Latin compositions. The group consists of Gardella on drums, fellow SPFHS senior Paul Allen on piano, junior Aleks Stevens on trumpet, sophomore Mia Coscarello on tenor saxophone and freshman Lillian Jones on bass.
With its “locally sourced” talent, the June 13 program is expected to appeal to a large audience – but seating is limited, so anyone planning to attend is urged to make reservations by emailing fanwoodperformance@gmail.com with the number of seats requested.
Showtime is 7:00 p.m. at the Patricia M. Kuran Cultural Arts Center (a.k.a. the Carriage House), at 135 Watson Road just west of Martine Avenue, next to Fanwood Borough Hall. The suggested donation for admission is $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors – cash at the door.
The volunteer-run Fanwood Performance Series is a presentation of Mayor Colleen Mahr and the Fanwood Borough Cultural Arts Council. It is made possible in part by a HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners.
Music fans can find more information and updates at the series website (https://fanwoodperformanceseries.org) and on its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FanwoodPerformanceSeries).
