New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Exit 0 Jazz Festival Offers Three Days of Music in Cape May


By Shen Shellenberger, JerseyArts.com

originally published: 11/04/2016


A three-day festival. More than half a dozen venues. A line-up of performers that’s guaranteed to strike a chord (like what I did there?) with all types of music lovers. Taking place in a town that boasts a distinctive style, charm and history, and a reputation for good old-fashioned fun.

I’m talking about Exit 0 Jazz Festival, Cape May’s two-a-year music celebration that is happening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 11, 12 and 13.

And, if the variety of acts and the three-day weekend, multiple-venue arrangement puts you in mind of other events, most notably the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, that is no coincidence.

I mentioned that notion to Michael Kline, the festival producer, when we talked recently, and learned that Kline had spent several years living and working in NOLA.

“I was lucky enough to be able to really immerse myself in that culture for many years,” he said. “When I first moved there, I volunteered for WWOZ (the city’s outstanding public radio station), and did a show on the station for ten years. Music and WWOZ were my entrée into the whole thing,” he said.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



While in New Orleans, Kline also started his own booking agency. And, when he and his family returned to NJ in 2005, Kline still had NOLA performers he was working with.

“When we got back, the old [Cape May Jazz] Festival was still going on,” he said, “and I was hoping to book my guys there.”

But, as is a common story with nonprofits, the festival experienced financial hard times and eventually went under. Kline felt this was unfortunate, not just for the festival, but also for the town. “It was a popular event. It put a stamp on Cape May.”

Kline’s connections to the shore town went way back to his childhood. “Every Friday night, my family would pack the car and we’d drive to Cape May for the weekend.”

So, later, as an adult, Kline felt the pull of that connection again. “Here I am, living in Cape May,” he said, “and I realize that this festival is important to preserve.”

That idea took shape at a Thanksgiving dinner with a table full of friends. “We’re all eating, and drinking, and talking,” he said, “and we decided to go for it.”

The Exit 0 Jazz Festival is now in its fifth year, and presents two weekends of music – one in April and one in November – each year. The festival is run by a small staff and a devoted group of volunteers, and receives strong sponsor support from the business community and Cape May County.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



And, as I said, presenting an assortment of performances in a multi-venue format originates from an established model.

“We borrowed liberally from festivals all over the world,” Kline said, “with an eye toward our own setting and the way we would do it.”

Audiences not only have the opportunity to see and hear a variety of performances, they also can see and hear them in different types of venues – from Convention Hall and the ballroom at Congress Hall, to more intimate spots like Iron Pier Craft House or Cabana’s.

“The places are an important part of the experience,” said Kline. “You are able to create your own vibe around the fest.

“We have a quite sophisticated, straight-ahead core jazz audience, and many of them come for that,” he said. “But most people are not familiar with many of the performers. We see the festival as an opportunity to expose them to new artists.”

Another interesting aspect of the festival is the fact that some of the performers don’t seem to fit a strict definition of “jazz.” Kline concurs.

“I talk to a lot of people during the fest who tell me they didn’t think they were ‘jazz fans,’ or who say they don’t understand jazz or know how to listen to it,” he said.

“It’s just American music,” said Kline. But, if you go back and look at its origins, there really is nothing complex or mysterious about jazz.

Kline contends that presenting younger musicians is a good way to break down barriers and expand musical awareness.

“They (young artists) are fresh and creative,” he said. “They draw from many influences, but they also bring in their own experiences, which are dramatically different from those of generations before them.”




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



As I said, the entire line-up is outstanding and features more than a few big names, like Wynton Marsalis, Pat Martino, Squirrel Nut Zippers and Red Baraat. But I wanted to hear, straight from the producer’s perspective, about a couple of MUST-SEE acts.

“One of those young guys I mentioned is Jamison Ross,” Kline told me. “He is in his 20s, and is a vocalist and drummer from the South. He brings a really soulful, R&B flavor to what he does.

“I’m very excited to be able to present him,” said Kline.

“Another is Cécile McLorin Salvant. I love her approach, and how musical she is,” he continued. “She is an incredible vocalist, and her band is really amazing.”

The fact that Cape May is a resort town brings to another, almost non-music-related feature to the festival.

“There are people who just happen to be here,” Kline said. “And we want to figure out how to bring them in and have them be part of the energy and the experience.

“Cape May has a particular feel – its own style and architecture and history. It is unlike any other Southern New Jersey beach town.

“And Cape May has always welcomed artists and the arts,” Kline added.

“We share a commonality with other unique places around the world, but we work from the palette of Cape May.”

For an Exit 0 Jazz Festival audio preview, Log in here to the Spotify playlist.





About the author: Jersey Girl, music lover, and culture geek – Shen Shellenberger has made a career of her life-long love of the arts. From her jobs at WXPN-FM and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to her 25 years as a freelance writer, she instills her Jersey-born roots in all she does. Whether it’s the beauty of a classic painting, the dynamics of contemporary dance, or the raw energy of rock ‘n’ roll, Shen brings her perspective to whatever she covers.

Content provided by Discover Jersey Arts, a project of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts.





FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Frisson

Frisson Winds

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Candlelight

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Queen and The Beatles

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Damn

Damn The Torpedoes - The Music of Tom Petty

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

There,

There, There (A Tribute to Radiohead)

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Asbury Lanes
209 4th Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ 07712
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

Band

Band Infusion Musical Night by GG

Saturday, July 12, 2025 @ 7:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Borgata

Borgata Event Center presents KEM

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Borgata Event Center presents KEM, known as Soul's Greatness, on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 8:00pm. KEM's passion for music and the emotions he brings to life on stages worldwide have been a part of him since childhood, when he played the old piano at his grandfather's church.



Surflight

Surflight Theatre Education Program presents: Surflight Vacation Serenaders

(OCEAN COUNTY, NJ) -- Surflight Theatre is proud to debut the Surflight Vacation Serenaders as a brand new part of its Education Department for the Summer 2025 season. This group of young performers will sing, dance, and put you in a musical theatre trance!



Annual

Annual Jazz, Health and Food Truck Festival 2025 in Orange NJ

(ORANGE, NJ) -- Are you a fan of jazz music and delicious food? Then mark your calendars for Saturday, July 12, 2025, because the City of Orange NJ is hosting their annual Food Truck and Jazz Festival featuring Three Doctors Health Fare.



Strand

Strand Center for the Arts presents Chicago 9 – The Ultimate Tribute to Chicago

(LAKEWOOD, NJ) -- The iconic horns, unforgettable melodies, and powerful rhythms of Chicago come alive on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 8:00pm, as Chicago 9 – Tribute to Chicago takes the stage at the Strand Center for the Arts in Lakewood. They are widely recognized as the premier Chicago tribute band in the country.



All-Bluegrass,

All-Bluegrass, All Night: Live at Albert Music Hall on July 12th

​​​​​​​(WARETOWN, NJ) -- On Saturday, July 12, 2025, Albert Music Hall will present an evening dedicated entirely to Bluegrass music. The event begins at 6:00pm and features six live performances, each offering a 30-minute set, showcasing both new and returning acts.