(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts' "Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon" series brings a century of jazz history to the stage this fall with a celebration of Louis Armstrong's groundbreaking Hot Five recordings, featuring trumpeter Andrew Stephens on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 3:00pm.
The Grunin Center has a longstanding commitment to celebrating jazz. “Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon” performances are selected with the guidance of two longtime jazz scholars and advocates: Ricky Riccardi, an award-winning jazz historian and director of research collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum, and Sanford “Sandy” Josephson, editor of Jersey Jazz magazine and vice president of publicity for the New Jersey Jazz Society. Their expertise helps inform the artists and repertoire presented as part of the series.
Riccardi, an Ocean County College alumnus, is the author of What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years and Heart Full of Rhythm: The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong. He has received two Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes, most recently in 2025 for Centennial: King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band and in 2022 for The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Studio Sessions 1946-1966.
Josephson is the author of Jazz Notes: Interviews Across the Generations and Jeru’s Journey: The Life and Music of Gerry Mulligan, and has written extensively about jazz for publications including American Way Magazine and the New York Daily News. He teaches jazz history through Rutgers University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and serves on the board of the Gerry and Franca Mulligan Foundation.
Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $17 for students. Tickets are available for purchase online or through the Grunin Center Box Office at 732-255-0500.
The November 8 performance marks the 100th anniversary of the first recordings by Armstrong’s Hot Five, the Chicago-based ensemble formed in 1925 with trombonist Kid Ory, clarinetist Johnny Dodds, pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong, and banjoist Johnny St. Cyr. The group’s recordings captured Armstrong’s innovative approach to improvisation and helped establish the trumpet as a leading voice in jazz.
Leading the centennial celebration is New York City-based trumpeter Andrew Stephens, head instructor of the Louis Armstrong House Museum’s trumpet program. Stephens holds a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and has performed with artists and ensembles including Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, the Hot Sardines, and the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra.
The Louis Armstrong Hot Five Centennial Celebration reflects the series’ approach to programming: exploring classic jazz repertoire and the musicians carrying its traditions forward.
Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon is made possible through support from the Wintrode Family Foundation and the New Jersey Jazz Society.
For 60 years, Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, has provided area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. OCC is an innovative academic leader offering affordable, student-centered, high-quality educational experiences that empower diverse learners to achieve their goals while enriching the communities we serve.
Grammy Award -winning producer and guitarist extraordinaire, John Pizzarelli salutes the legendary Tony Bennett celebrating over 60 years of unparalleled artistry. From Bennett’s ’50s pop hits like “Because of You” and “Rags to Riches” through his timeless classics of the ’60s such as “I Wanna Be Around” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” to his remarkable collaborations with Bill Evans, Pizzarelli’s trio will bring these iconic songs to life once again. The evening will also highlight Bennett’s incredible revival in the ‘90s while Pizzarelli weaves in personal anecdotes and stories that reveal the man behind the music.
Musician and historian Bobby Horton combines storytelling, musicianship, history, and a genuine love for the people who settled this nation, fought for our future, and created a new nation in Patriot Songs of the American Revolution.
Veronica Swift has established herself as one of her generation’s iconic voices in Jazz. Throughout her childhood, she toured nationally with her parents (Jazz musicians Hod O’Brien and Stephanie Nakasian), singing at renowned clubs and festivals such as Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Jazz Standard (NYC), Jazz Showcase (Chicago), and Telluride Jazz Festival. She recorded her first album at age nine, and since then has had a career spanning two decades, which saw a 2nd place win at The 2015 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition, a twice-a-year residency at Birdland Jazz Club, joining Chris Botti’s touring band, as well as touring with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and recording with Jeff Goldblum. Her 2021 album This Bitter Earth received a 5-star review and the cover of DownBeat magazine, and in 2024, she was honored with a French knighthood as Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters.
Concert pianist Lyndon Ji enjoys a diverse performing career in solo and chamber settings, with a particular enthusiasm for introducing lesser-known works to audiences of all backgrounds. This afternoon program will explore modernist French music from Fauré to Lili Boulanger to Murail, as well as the mystic sound world of Scriabin through a selection of études and the ineffable Fifth Sonata. Lyndon currently serves as staff pianist at Rutgers, Artistic Director of the Bay Area International Piano Competition, and appears in concert regularly throughout the East Coast.
BEATLES, ZEPPELIN, DOORS by Magical Mystery Doors is a tribute act that blends and layers the music of three legendary bands to create something new and unique for music fans everywhere.
