(CENTRAL NJ) -- The 6th Annual Central Jersey Jazz Festival will take place on Friday, September 14 from 6:00pm to 10:00pm in Flemington, Saturday, September 15 from 1:00pm to 6:00pm in New Brunswick, and Sunday, September 16 from 1:00pm to 6:00pm in Somerville. The free, three day, mega-musical event is the largest outdoor musical event of its kind in the area and will take place rain or shine with BYO seating in all 3 locations. The festival is the work of an unprecedented collaborative partnership of three New Jersey County seats- Flemington, New Brunswick and Somerville.
The weekend long jazz super-fest kicks off Friday September 14 with a well-crafted roster of jazz ambassadors. Renowned guitarist, Jersey resident Dave Stryker who has worked with legends Jack Mc Duff and Stanley Turrentine, has been listed in the Downbeat Critics and Readers’ Poll 10 times, will be the main attraction on the Peroni Stage Friday evening in Flemington. Chicago native, jazz vocalist Sachal Vasandani who has collaborated with many prominent jazz artists including: Jon Hendricks, Wynton Marsalis, Bill Charlap, Bobby McFerrin and Stefon Harris will also perform on Friday night. Opening the show will be saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin a New Yorker who has performed on four continents, for President Barack Obama's 2009 Inauguration, and with titans Clark Terry and Reggie Workman. Jazz House Kids will perform between sets. Visitors to the Central Jersey Jazz Festival-Flemington may begin seating in Downtown Flemington at the Historic Court House at 5:00pm. The performances will begin at 6:00pm.
On Saturday, 15 September, three-time Grammy Winner, drummer extraordinaire Terri Lyne Carrington will headline the all-star New Brunswick Festival day. Ms Carrington’s impressive resume includes work with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spaulding, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau and Geri Allen. New Brunswick’s Peroni Main Stage lineup also includes a salute to the father of modern day jazz, Louis Armstrong with 3 for Louis, a sextet led by Eddie featuring 3 trumpeters representing 3 generations and a 3- piece rhythm section. The dynamic young organist Matthew Whittaker, who happens to be blind, will open the September 15performance day. Matthew is the youngest artist to be endorsed by Hammond in its 80+ year history and a 2016 winner of Showtime at the Apollo. The New Brunswick Jazz Brass Band will get the afternoon off to a swinging start and keep the music going between main stage performers. Seating for the Central Jersey Jazz Festival - New Brunswick begins at 12:00pm at George Street and Livingston Avenue. The show starts at 1:00pm.
In Somerville on Sunday September 16, the Festival culminates with Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Carla Cook whose style has been described as “earthy, sophisticated & versatile” will topline the bill. Cook has performed or recorded as a guest artist with such luminaries as the JALC Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Cyrus Chestnut, the Count Basie Orchestra and Lionel Hampton’s Big Band...she was the last of a long line of esteemed vocalists to regularly perform with Hamp before his death. Sunday’s lineup also includes vibraphonist Monte Croft a thirty four-year veteran of the New York music scene who has performed with artists like Nicholas Payton, Terence Blanchard, David “Fathead” Newman, and Cassandra Wilson. Husband and wife jazz duo, JALCO veteran trumpeter Marcus Printup and acclaimed harpist, Riza Printup complete the Sunday afternoon lineup on the Peroni Main Stage. On the Courthouse steps, Jazz House Kids will keep things going between sets. Seating begins on E. Main Street and The Courthouse Green in Somerville at noon and the show starts at 1:00pm.
The Central Jersey Jazz Festival is presented by RWJ/Barnabas Health and produced by Flemington Community Partnership, New Brunswick Jazz Project, Somerville Arts on Division and Sheila Anderson.
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
