Violinist Joel DeWitt (left) presents a program of chamber duets at Middletown Library on Monday evening…while drummer John Gronert (right) is among the cats taking part in a February 19 jazz service at Lincroft Presbyterian. Â
The post-Valentine days and evenings offer discerning music lovers a chance to get all intimate with their preferred sounds — be it a chamber recital at the bibliotheque, or the return of a rather unique public-invited Jazz Service at a local place of worship.
This coming Monday, February 16 sees the Community Room of the Middletown Township Public Library welcoming back an artist who’s frequently made himself at home in that cozy venue, for the latest in a series of MTPL-produced classical music offerings. Violinist Joel DeWitt teams with pianist Brian Gilmore, for a 7 pm session spotlighting masterful duets by Mozart, Debussy and Prokofiev. It’s an hour-long program, for which no advance registration is necessary (and admission is of course fabulously free).
From violin virtuosity we transition to Verses, Vibes and Vittles — the playful name for an annual fundraiser concert hosted by Lincroft Presbyterian Church on the evening of Thursday, February 19. Scheduled to run from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, it’s billed as a night out for a good cause — the nonprofit Family Promise of Monmouth County, an organization that works with community agencies, faith-based services, churches and synagogues to assist homeless families.
Leading a five-piece jazz combo will be Lincroft Presbyterian’s Music Director, trumpeter John Morrison. He’s joined for the occasion by master keyboardist and composer Timothy Broege — as well as by drummer and Red Bank native John Gronert, whose affiliations extend from The Drifters and Darius Brubeck to Father Alphonse Stephenson’s Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea. Also in the mix will be guitarist Doug Clarke (a prodigy of the late great Sea Bright-based legend Tal Farlow) and bassist-guitarist Robert Marriner, himself at home in settings that range from doo-wop shows to the New Jersey Symphony.
Light refreshments and on-site nursery care will be provided by the church, and a free-will offering will be taken, with all proceeds dedicated to Family Promise. Call (732)741-8921 for more info.
