Send off the summer in Roaring Twenties style with Mike Davis and the New Wonders! Featuring familiar favorites and forgotten gems of the jazz age, dancers and listeners alike will enjoy this program of sizzling hot jazz. Show off your seersucker and linen one more time as we enjoy another evening of hot jazz on the back deck!
About Mike Davis
“Eloquent trumpet prodigy” Mike Davis (The Wall Street Journal) has a voice beyond his years on his instrument. His playing is imbued with the sounds of prohibition-era speakeasies, Hoovervilles of the depression, and glittering jazz palaces of the swing era, creating a timeless cocktail of American music. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Mike began his trumpet instruction at age nine with Jerry Oram in Seattle and went on to study with Laurie Frink during his undergraduate years. Both encouraged his interest in early jazz styles, which led to his beginning to work professionally in New York City while still in college. He now appears regularly around New York City as the leader of the New Wonders and with Dandy Wellington and his band, Emily Asher’s Garden Party, Glenn Crytzer, Terry Waldo, Baby Soda, Dan Levinson, and many other traditional jazz and swing bands. A regular at the celebrated jam session at Mona’s Bar, Mike is one of the vanguard of young musicians bringing traditional jazz to the forefront of the NYC music scene.
Thank you for your support!
Leadership Support for the Lot of Strings Concert Series is provided by Will and Mary Leland and Lot of Strings founding donor, F. Gary Knapp.
Support for the Back Deck Concert Series is provided by Gary’s Wine & Marketplace and Morris County Tourism Bureau, a Division of the Morris County Economic Development Alliance.
Back Deck Visitor Information and Guidelines
Attendees must bring their own chairs and are welcome to bring refreshments. Tickets are $63 for an 8’x8’ block that accommodates up to two patrons or $33 for a block that accommodates one. There is a $3 handling fee per block included in the price. Concerts begin at 7:30 PM. Patrons are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 PM to enjoy their picnics. In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances will be held in the Museum’s Bickford Theatre, general admission. For assistance and to make purchases by phone, call the box office at 973-971-3706.
About the Back Deck
Since launching in July 2020, The Back Deck has presented over 72 performances of critically acclaimed artists, welcomed more than 11,000 patrons, and received critical praise from local and national media. The series has presented established artists and rising stars with several ensembles going on to receive national acclaim. Now an established part of the regional cultural landscape, the Museum’s elevated parking deck has become known for elegant tailgates and world-class music each summer.
The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "ICE SS" by the Central Jersey punk act Sally Draper.
