AAJ Orchestra to Premiere at Pier 66 (NYC) on August 14th - Free!

Jazz Comes off the Web and onto the River
Free Jazz Concert on the Hudson
Pier 66, on the Hudson River at West 26th Street

Friday, August 14, 2009
7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

New York City, A brand-new jazz ensemble, The All About Jazz Orchestra, will give its debut performance on Friday, August 14, 2009, outdoors on a Hudson River Pier. Admission is free.

All About Jazz is a Website for jazz fans and musicians at allaboutjazz.com. For the past year, professional jazz musicians from various parts of the country who regularly communicate with one anther on the site's Musician-to-Musician forum have been planning to meet in New York to socialize, jam, and give a concert. Most of the players, who know each other only through their online conversations, will meet face to face for the first time at a rehearsal the night before the concert.

The All About Jazz Orchestra will play six original tunes, all written by members of the band, ranging in style from rhythmic bossa nova to contemporary experimental.

Kicking off the evening will be an avant-garde group from the Washington, D.C., area, the Vector Trio. The full orchestra concert follows. Afterwards there will be an open jam session until 11:00pm for band members and special guests.

Jay Norem, a jazz composer from Atlanta who in July of last year conceived the idea of bringing together AAJ forum members in person, is already looking to the future. "This, the first-ever Internet jazz band, is something that we hope to continue as long as the All About Jazz Website exists," he says. "Our hope is that this will be an enduring part of this site's dedication to keeping jazz very much in the here and now."

The venue for the concert and jam is Pier 66 Maritime, an outdoor cafe and performance space on a permanently anchored barge at Pier 66, on the Hudson River at West 26th Street. Also anchored at the pier are the decommissioned lightship Frying Pan and the fireboat John J. Harvey, both tourist attractions.

The performances begin at 7:00 pm. Pier 66 Maritime does not accept reservations, there is no cover charge or minimum, and it attracts a sizable crowd.

The manager's advice: Get there early! For more information contact Bernard Ente.