Music lovers inside Hackensack, NJ's HACPAC auditorium this Sunday, March 16, 2025 afternoon prepare for a "Kudos!" tribute celebrating the life of musician and community leader Edward Decker presented by jazz vocalist Tony DeSare along with guitarist John Pizzarelli and singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson.
Decker, who passed away in December, 2024, grew up in River Edge, NJ and graduated from River Dell High school. He studied music at the University of North Texas and business at Fairleigh Dickinson University. While still in school, he purchased Musically Yours, a small music business in Maywood which moved to Hackensack and thrived for the past 23 years. Starting in 2008, Decker accompanied jazz singer Tony DeSare on 7-string guitar traveling the world and performing with some of the greatest orchestras on the planet.
Along with his musical accomplishments, Decker was active in the redevelopment efforts for the city of Hackensack, particularly in terms of his commitment to HACPAC, the Hackensack Performing Arts Center, where he developed the venue’s PAC the House series of concert performances.
Inside HACPAC’s modern auditorium, the lights dim and Executive Director John T. Peters welcomes the audience to today’s celebration of life. He introduces Mayor John P. Labrosse, Jr. who announces that, in the future, the PAC the House concert lineup at HACPAC will be renamed the Ed Decker PAC the House event series.
Peters introduces “the most awesome” Valerie Simpson who takes a seat at the piano and eases into a slow and emotional arrangement of her 1968 Ashford and Simpson-composed hit for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.”
Performing with conviction and soul, Simpson cries, “I’ve got your picture hanging on the wall/But it can’t see or come to me when I call your name,” prior to sharing her thoughts about life and friendship during the piano interlude.
The crowd avidly applauds and Simpson talks about “performing with Eddie” at the Sugar Bar, her NYC restaurant and lounge. She invites singer DJ Scaife, Jr. to join her on another 1968 Ashford and Simpson hit for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, “You’re All I Need to Get By,” where the duo soulfully sings, “There’s no, no looking back for us/We got love, sure ‘nough, that’s enough.”
Scaife, Jr. takes a seat at the piano and Simpson takes her place center stage for a number she reveals was “one of Eddie’s favorites.” Dylan Shamat and Kevin Congleton join the duo on bass and drums for a rhythmic version of Ashford and Simpson’s 1967 Motown masterpiece, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” where Simpson sings and dances across the stage before the crowd reacts with enthusiastic cheers and applause.
The musicians exit the stage as guitarist John Pizzarelli enters and tells a story about how “Eddie got a grant to study 7-string guitar” with John’s dad, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. He also tells one of Ed’s favorite tales about when John played an early gig with his dad at the Pierre Hotel in New York City and pianist Van Cliburn and his entourage showed up just before closing time.
Announcing, “I’m going to play some guitar solos, because Eddie always liked my solos,” Pizzarelli softly taps his foot as he renders a lovely solo interpretation of “Swinging on a Star” on his 7-string classical guitar. He follows up by putting his spin on “I’m Old Fashioned” before slowing things down for a slow and pensive rendition of “Skylark” and picking up the tempo again on the jazz standard, “Tangerine.”
Pizzarelli provides a personal tribute to Decker with a poignant arrangement of “My Buddy,” where he plays and sings with emotion, “Miss your voice, the touch of your hand/Just long to know that you understand/My buddy, my buddy, your buddy misses you.”
He follows up by scat singing on a fast and rhythmic arrangement of “I Got Rhythm” while accompanying himself on Decker’s instrument of choice — a 7-string hollow-body jazz guitar.
Pizzarelli recounts, “I would often send videos to Ed of what I was working on, and this is one of those songs,” before wrapping up his musical tribute with a solo instrumental arrangement of “This Nearly Was Mine,” transfixing the audience with his masterful performance.
Concertgoers cheer and Pizzarelli welcomes Tony DeSare to the stage along with bassist Dylan Shamat and drummer Kevin Congleton. Taking a seat at the grand piano, DeSare tinkles the ivories on an uptempo rendition of “Route 66.”
After Pizzarelli sings, “Get your kicks on Route 66,” each of the musicians gets an opportunity to solo in the spotlight to the delight of music lovers in the crowd.
DeSare tells a story about how Ed initially joined his band 16 years ago before dedicating “I Thought About You” to his trusty friend. Singing with feeling in his rich baritone voice, DeSare croons, “I took a trip on a train/And I thought about you,” as he plays piano with the band on this jazzy arrangement.
Revealing that Ed often encouraged him to compose his own music, DeSare performs a rhythmic version of “Another Chance for My Heart,” an original Sinatra-like tune on which DeSare impresses with a jazzy piano solo.
Declaring, “I don’t know anyone who loved life more than Eddie Decker,” DeSare — along with Pizzarelli and the band — give a tour de force performance on “I’m Gonna Live ’Til I Die” where DeSare cries, “I’m gonna live ’til I die/I’m gonna laugh ‘stead of cry/I’m gonna take the town and turn it upside down/I’m gonna live, live until I die,” on this swinging Frank Sinatra tune.
Music lovers applaud as Pizzarelli and the band exit the stage and DeSare reads aloud a social media post he wrote expressing his feelings surrounding the loss of his friend and colleague.
He concludes the afternoon’s tribute with an emotional rendition of “One For My Baby” where Tony sings live to a recording of Ed Decker’s expert guitar playing, his velvety vocal taking on new meaning as he croons, “We’re drinkin’, my friend, to the end of a brief episode/Make it one for my baby and one more for the road.”
The crowd stands and cheers and DeSare invites John Pizzarelli and Valerie Simpson back onto the stage for a group bow. Afterwards, audience members are invited to mingle with the performers in HACPAC’s downstairs gallery where Edward’s wife, Linda, takes a moment to share her thoughts on this afternoon’s celebration of life for her husband stating, “I think it was amazing that these world-renowned artists and friends of Ed’s came together to show their love and support for Ed,” prior to concluding, “I’m very touched.”
To learn more about future events in the Ed Decker PAC the House event series at HACPAC — including American Idol and The Voice’s Wé Ani on April 26 and Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Paula Cole on May 17 — please go to hacpac.org.
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