(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- The Morris Museum presents Back Deck 2025 - the sixth year of their popular concert series featuring big international names and regional superstars in jazz, classical, and genres in-between. Patrons are invited to bring chairs, set up picnics, and enjoy the sunset for this special program.
Under the direction of producer Gregory Burrus, the 2025 season promises a dynamic variety of memorable concerts under the stars. The Morris Museum is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, New Jersey.
Friday, June 27 at 7:30pm - Amani presents The Beatles and Music of All Seasons. Join them for this tribute to the Beatles, featuring the jazz collective, Amani. In addition to Beatles tunes, Marty Eigen and his band will perform music of all seasons, such as Spring is Here, Autumn Leaves, Summertime, and Winter Wonderland. Amani means “peace” in Swahili.
The group was formed to share the concept of peace through music. The core veteran musicians are frontmen Stephan Fuller on vocals, and Marty Eigen on woodwinds. Amani is a collective with connections to dozens of talented musicians who perform alongside them regularly. Amani performs hits from a variety of genres including: The American Songbook, Folk, Blues, Gospel, R&B, Jazz, Bossa Nova and Broadway.
Thursday, July 3 at 7:30pm - John Lee & Friends. This will be an evening of jazz featuring repertoire based on the vast experience of these musicians. Led by Dizzy Gillespie’s longtime bassist John Lee, this Quartet has been performing together for three years and their sound continues to grow and evolve. Their collective credits include work with the groups of: Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Gregory Hines, Alicia Keys, Miriam Makeba, James Moody, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, McCoy Tyner, the Count Basie Orchestra, Christian McBride Big Band, Lenny White, and Stevie Wonder. Included in their performance will be works by Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Ivan Lins, Wayne Shorter, and Stevie Wonder.
From 1984 thru 1993, John Lee was Dizzy Gillespie’s bassist. Performing and recording in the trumpet master’s various bands including the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, and Dizzy’s Grammy Award winning United Nation Orchestra. After Dizzy’s passing, his family asked John to create an ongoing tribute to the great man and his music—and the concept for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars was born. John is the bassist and director of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience. John has worked in the bands of Gary Bartz, Larry Coryell, Jon Faddis, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Gambarini, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Gregory Hines, Miriam Makeba, James Moody, Claudio Roditi, Sonny Rollins, and McCoy Tyner. John is also a Grammy Award winning record producer and audio engineer. He has produced over 100 recordings and is the co-founder of the record label JLP, Jazz Legacy Productions.
Thursday, July 10 at 7:30pm - Frisson Winds. Summer winds! Enjoy a breezy night of warm wind music when the Frisson Winds brings their mix of the classics by Mozart and more as well as lighter summer fare by Gershwin, Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag and many other crowd favorites! From Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center and the Bermuda Festival the musicians of Frisson Winds have performed around the globe.
Frisson Winds features the brilliant wind musicians of the group Frisson. These virtuoso wind players perform a wide variety of music for winds of various combinations as well as wonderful programs of music for piano and winds. Concerts feature trios, quartets and quintets by such composers as Beethoven, Mozart, Francaix, Poulenc, William Grant Still, Valerie Coleman, Gershwin, Paquito d’Rivera and many more.
Frisson features the best and brightest of classical music stars and the group showcases emerging young artists as well as seasoned professionals. In just a few seasons the group has skyrocketed to become one of the leading classical music groups in the field. The members of Frisson all have impressive biographies, and many have performed at such prestigious venues as the Verbier Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Marlboro Festival, and Ravinia Festivals as well as in New York City at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.
Saturday, July 12 at 7:30pm - The Fumos. THE FUMOS are a NYC-based band reviving the glorious horn-heavy dance music of the 70s. From funk to rock, soul and jazz; the 4-piece rhythm section lays down heavy grooves to surround a 3-piece horn section on an array of memorable classic tunes that are danceable and straight up fun! From Kool & The Gang, Maceo Parker, Average White Band, B.T. Express, The Crusaders, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Jeff Beck and The Band; THE FUMOS bring a loose, fun vibe to their shows that people love to party and dance to.
THE FUMOS feature veterans of NYC’s live music scene including (L to R) Jack Walsh (guitar), George Wurzbach (keys), Tony Orbach (tenor sax), Paul Vercesi (alto sax), Kevin Bachelor (trumpet), Charlie Sands (bass) and Gary Ciuzio (drums).
Thursday, July 17 at 7:30pm - Bria Skonberg. Musical mega-talent Bria Skonberg returns to the Back Deck! She is a Juno-award winning artist, 10x Downbeat Rising Star, recipient of the Legend Award by the Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook and a 2025 nominee for the prestigious “Academie du Jazz” awards.
The trumpeter, vocalist, and songwriter has been called the “shining hope of hot jazz”(The New York Times) and is considered “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation”(Wall Street Journal). She has been a featured artist at hundreds of festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz Heritage, Kobe, Monterey, Breda, Newport and Montreal Jazz Festivals and recently at Carnegie Hall.
Thursday, July 24 at 7:30pm - Lynette Sheard. Join them at the Back Deck for an inspired musical performance, full of opulence, jazz, and extravagance. Imagine a 1920s-style jazz band, complete with a horn section, piano, and a swinging rhythm section, playing lively tunes reminiscent of the roaring twenties. The setting will be one of glamour, with flapper dresses, tuxedos, and an atmosphere of indulgence and celebration.
The music will include classic jazz standards from that era, like “Rhapsody in Blue” or “Ain’t Misbehavin'”, along with original compositions that capture the energy and elegance of Gatsby’s world. The immersive experience will blur the line between the audience and the performers. The audience is invited and encouraged to dress in flapper attire and interact as if they were attending one of Gatsby’s parties.
Lynette Sheard is a versatile vocalist. She is an award winning actor, producer, director and vocal coach, and mental health advocate. She performs Jazz, Blues, R&B, Gospel, Soul and Pop music. Theater credits include principal roles in: Dream Girls, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and Ragtime. Broadway World declared that “she is fabulous with a voice that shakes the rafters” Lynette is also featured in the “Encyclopedia of Newark Jazz.”
Saturday, August 2 at 7:30pm - Richard Baratta. The Grammy nominated, Richard Baratta Gotham City Latin Jazz Sextet/Septet is comprised of world-renowned master musicians. Rooted in traditional jazz background, but expanding into all musical idioms, the musicians and band leave a lasting impression wherever they perform. They have traveled the world entertaining at well know jazz and music festivals, universities, institutions and clubs. Each musician has been a leader in his own career and collectively they synthesize into a unique musical experience. The performances include the Music in Films series, drawing from Baratta’s successful 35 year movie career.
His two critically acclaimed recordings, MUSIC IN FILM-THE REEL DEAL and MUSIC IN FILM -THE SEQUEL, and their latest recording, LOOKING BACK, which takes a look at iconic rock classics from the mid 60’s are featured. Incorporate numerous original compositions and what you have are brilliantly arranged, mostly familiar and absolutely swinging affairs with a fresh, unique approach and a funky Latin Jazz feel. This is not just a cover band. Cover bands, as popular as they often are with audiences, always benefit from the inclusion of new and exciting music that appeals to the complete strata of discerning listeners. Gotham City is that group. Do yourself a favor, check out this raucous, good-time, feel-good live band for any type of event. When not individually touring, the band consists of Vincent Herring or Craig Handy on saxophone, Paul Bollenback on guitar, Bill O’Connell on piano, Michael Goetz on bass, Paul Rossman on percussion, Richard Baratta drums, and vocalist Carroll Scott.
Thursday, August 7 at 7:30pm - Cuarteto Latinoamericano. Cuarteto Latinoamericano, is one of the world’s most renowned classical music ensembles, for more than forty years the leading proponent of Latin American music for string quartet. Founded in Mexico in 1982, the Cuarteto has toured extensively throughout Europe, North and South America, Israel, China, Japan and New Zealand. They have premiered more than a hundred works written for them and they continue to introduce new and neglected composers to the genre.
Winners of the 2012 and 2016 Latin Grammys for Best Classical Recordings, they have been recognized with the Mexican Music Critics Association Award and three times received Chamber Music America/ASCAP’s “Most Adventurous Programming” Award. Cuarteto Latinoamericano is Saúl, Arón and Álvaro Bitrán, and Javier Montiel.
Friday, August 8 at 7:30pm - The Alaya Project. The Alaya Project is the essential bridge between the intricate Carnatic style of Indian classical music and contemporary jazz and funk. Born in the cultural bastion of Oakland, California, The Alaya Project explores new textures and perspectives built over two decades of friendship, dialogue, and musical immersion across genres and continents.
The driving hybrid kit grooves of Indian percussionist and drummer, Rohan Krishnamurthy, the soulful Ragas and melodies of Prasant Radhakrishnan on saxophone, and the harmonic bedrock of Colin Hogan embodies the permanence of a changing soundscape.
Thursday, August 14 at 7:30pm - Evan Sherman. New Jersey-native and GRAMMY-winning drummer, Evan Sherman returns to the Back Deck after three years of sold-out performances. In 2025, Evan spent another year touring and performing internationally at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Paris Philharmonie, and Royal Albert Hall playing drums and writing arrangements for vocal sensation, Samara Joy who was a surprise guest at last year’s Back Deck concert. Only in his 30’s, Evan has already made a name for himself as a highly sought after sideman and bandleader of many configurations including big bands and small groups. Join them for another one-of-a-kind evening with Evan Sherman & Friends.
GRAMMY-winning drummer Evan Sherman began playing professionally as a teenager. In 2011, Evan attended Manhattan School of Music with a Presidential Scholarship and before graduating in 2015, had already been hired personally to play in the bands of Ron Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, John Lee, and Branford & Wynton Marsalis. Sherman has been credited “who, though in his mid-20s plays here like an old master” for his work on the 2017 release, Masters Legacy featuring Ron Carter. In 2022, Evan began touring and recording with multi GRAMMYwinning vocalist, Samara Joy performing on five continents at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Paris Philarmonie, main stages at top jazz festivals including North Sea, Newport, Montreux, Monterey, and TV appearances on the GRAMMYs, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Today Show, 60 Minutes, Jennifer Hudson’s & Kelly Clarkson’s shows, to name a few. Sherman has recorded on 10+ albums as a sideman, and in 2021 released his debut quintet album, Sidewalkin’. He can also be heard on Samara Joy’s GRAMMY-winning 2023 recording of “Tight” and 2024, release Portrait as drummer and arranger. Evan is grateful for the support of Paiste Cymbals, Vic Firth Drum Sticks, and Prologix Drum Pads.
Saturday, August 23 at 7:30pm - Tesla Quartet. Now in its 16th season, the Tesla Quartet performs regularly across North America and Europe, with recent highlights including their debut at New York’s Lincoln Center, a return to London’s Wigmore Hall, and performances at Stanford University’s Bing Concert Hall as winners of the prestigious John Lad Prize. Other recent international engagements include tours of Brazil, China, and South Korea. Notable festival appearances include the Banff Centre International String Quartet Festival; the Joseph Haydn String Quartet Festival at the Esterházy Palace in Fertőd, Hungary; the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival in Germany; and the Festival Sesc de Música de Câmara in São Paulo, Brazil.
The Tesla Quartet is Ross Snyder (violin), Michelle Lie (violin), Edwin Kaplan (viola), and Austin Fisher (cello).
Thursday, September 4 at 7:30pm - Mike Davis & The New Wonders. 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!
“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.
Thursday, September 11 at 7:30pm - Black Oak Ensemble. Praised for its “insightful, committed and masterful performances” (Classics Today 10/10) and “fierce eloquence” (London Times) The Black Oak Ensemble has established itself as one of the most innovative and exciting chamber ensembles on the international stage.
Recent international tours have taken the Black Oak Ensemble to Amsterdam, Geneva (a special performance dedicated to human rights), the Everlasting Hope Festival in Terezin, (in honor of composers persecuted and murdered by the Nazis during the occupation of Prague), Paris, Grenoble, Lyon, Rennes, Corsica, Serbia, Belgrade and Poland. In the summer of 2023, the ensemble collaborated with violinist Rachel Kolly and cellist Nadege Rochat for sold out performances at the Schubertiade in Fribourg, Switzerland.
In the U.S. they have appeared at the Newport Music Festival, RAVINIA Festival, Music at the Morgan, New York University, Chicago Cultural Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Latino Music Festival (Chicago), University of Oregon and many other venues.
The Black Oak Ensemble consists of violinist Desirée Ruhstrat and cellist David Cunliffe, members of the multi-GRAMMY-nominated Lincoln Trio, and violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli, a founding member of the ground-breaking, GRAMMY-nominated Spektral Quartet.
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.
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.
The Morris County Economic Development Alliance & Morris County Tourism Bureau receives operating support from the County of Morris and the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the NJ Department of State. The MCEDA & Morris County Tourism Bureau receives funding through a grant from NJ Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism.
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