Dee Dee Bridgewater to kick off 50th year of Jazz in the Garden at Newark Museum

MARK HIGASHINO

Dee Dee Bridgewater performs at the Newark Museum on June 19

A special evening concert will kick off the 50th season of the Newark Museum’s Jazz in the Garden series. Three-time Grammy winner Dee Dee Bridgewater will perform June 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s Alice Ransom Dreyfuss Garden. Featured with her will be trumpeter Theo Croker, grandson of Doc Cheatham.

The series will then continue with six Thursday afternoon shows, each beginning at 12:15 p.m. The performers will be:

July 2: Gary Bartz, saxophone (quartet)
July 9: Akiko, organist (tri0) at Newark Museum.
July 16: David Gibson, trombone (quintet)  at Newark Museum.
July 23: Cocomama, Latin jazz octet  at Newark Museum.
July 30: José James, vocals (quartet)  at Newark Museum.
Aug. 6: Eric Reed, piano (trio)  at Newark Museum.

There will also be a panel discussion, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m., on “50 Years of Jazz in Newark,” with Vincent Pelote (director of operations at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers) and former Star-Ledger writers Barbara Kukla and Guy Sterling, followed by a jam session led by singer Cynthia Holiday.

Tickets are $35 ($25 for museum members) for Bridgewater, $3 (free for children and museum members) for other events. You are allowed to bring your own lunch to the afternoon shows, though food will also be available for purchase.

Visit newarkmuseum.org.