BUDDY GUY
Here is a roundup of major arts events taking place around New Jersey, through Aug. 6.
MUSIC
• Legendary bluesman Buddy Guy will turn 90 on July 30, and then on July 31, he will be at Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, for a 9 p.m. show.
He will also be at BergenPAC in Englewood, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m., with Taj Farrant opening; and The State Theatre in New Brunswick, Aug. 8 at 8 p.m.
Guy — who released an album on his 89th birthday titled Ain’t Done with the Blues — is scheduled to remain on the road until the end of October, with a sold-out tribute concert taking place at Radio City Music Hall in New York, Oct. 1, featuring Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Jon Batiste, Robert Cray and many others. It is titled “Buddy’s Got the Blues.”
• And speaking of legendary musicians … Herbie Hancock, 86, will perform at Prudential Hall at NJPAC in Newark, July 31 at 8 p.m. The keyboardist’s band will include trumpeter Terence Blanchard, bassist James Genus, guitarist Lionel Loueke and drummer Jaylen Petinaud.
On Aug. 19, The Hollywood Bowl will present “Herbie Hancock Celebrates Miles Davis,” in honor of the 100th anniversary of Davis’ May 26, 1926 birth; other participants will include Blanchard, Ron Carter, Christian McBride, Kenny Garrett and Marcus Miller. Hancock frequently performed with Davis in the ’60s and ’70s; he is featured on Davis albums such as E.S.P. (1965), Miles Smiles (1967), Sorcerer (1967) and In a Silent Way (1969).
YARN
• In the spirit of the now-defunct Black Potatoe Music Festival, the second annual Soulstice Music & Arts Festival will present 25 bands on multiple stages, July 31 and Aug. 1-2 at The Red Mill Museum in Clinton. Performers will include Yarn, The Bobby Syvarth Band (featuring fiddler Tim Carbone), Joe Cirotti, The Dirty Strings Band and The Advantures of Matte Black.
The festival is co-presented by The Pattenburg House (located nearby, in Asbury) and The Peace Love Music Movement, which describes itself as an organization that “supports independent musicians, small venues, and local culture by producing live events that celebrate authenticity, diversity, and artistic freedom.”
There is no admission charge for July 31, when The Spare Tire Band and Charlie Don’t Surf will perform, and a documentary about last year’s inaugural Soulstice Music & Arts Festival — which featured groups such as Jimmy Leahey & GMG, the Larry Keel & Jon Stickley Duo, and The C.C. Coletti Band — will be shown. Aug. 1-2 will be ticketed.
• Original Beach Boys member Al Jardine, who toured with Brian Wilson (who died last summer) until Wilson was no longer able to, will lead the Pet Sounds Band that Wilson put together — including Wilson’s longtime music director Darian Sahanaja, Jardine’s son Matt on guitar and vocals, and others — at The Twilight Concert Series at Jack Curtis Stadium at Cooper River Park at Pennsauken, Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. This is a free show, postponed from July 16 because of extreme heat and poor air quality on that day.
CIMAFUNK
• Two New Orleans-based artists — the high-energy, funky Cimafunk and the charmingly retro Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars — will team up for a free, outdoor show in the Horizon Sounds of the City Series at the Chambers Plaza at NJPAC in Newark, June 30 at 5 p.m. Poet Daniel Letona will also give a reading.
Born Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez, Cimafunk adapted his stage name from cimarróns, a term for escaped Cuban slaves who formed communities of their own when that country was under the control of Spain (roughly 1500-1900). He started performing in Cuba around 2010, moved to New Orleans in 2022, and has received three Grammy nomination in the Latin Rock/Alternative Album and Global Music Performance categories.
The Sally Baby in Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars is the nickname of frontman Salvatore “Sally Baby” Geloso. Check out a video by them, below.
• The long-running, New Orleans-based Rebirth Brass Band — best known for their anthem “Do Whatcha Wanna” (see video below) — will give a free performance in the Soundcheck Series at Wellmont Arts Plaza in Montclair, Aug. 4 at 6 p.m.
• Since Jimmy Buffett’s death in 2023, his backing group The Coral Reefer Band has continued to perform songs he wrote, and songs he liked to cover, under the leadership of guitarist Mac McAnally, with McAnally splitting the lead vocals with Scotty Emerick, Will Kimbrough and other band members. They will perform at The PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, Aug. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
JAMES MADDOCK
• Singer-songwriter James Maddock will perform in the free, outdoor Summer Concert Series at The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, July 30 at 6 p.m. The series will run through Aug. 20, and will take place at the Klose Amphitheater outside the museum, which is on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch.
Lawn chairs or blankets are recommended for the shows. Also, since they will take place on Thursdays and the Center is open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, you can see the museum beforehand. (While the shows are free, regular museum admission will be required for those who are interested.)
• The new organization Jersey Shore Light Opera will launch with a production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore,” July 30-31 and Aug. 1 at 7 p.m., and Aug. 2 at 3 p.m. at The Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College in Toms River.
“It will feel very bright and new, but at the same time, we are keeping to the traditions of what this show is all about,” said JSLO founder and executive director Francis Rella in a recent NJArts.net interview.
• Percussionist Little Johnny Rivero, a longtime member of the late Eddie Palmieri’s band who has also worked with many other prominent Latin jazz artists, will present a show titled “Tribute to Our Legends of Jazz & Latin Jazz,” Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Back Deck series at The Morris Museum in Morris Township.
“¡Festejo!” will begin on Aug. 6.
THEATER/MUSIC
• The Two River Theater in Red Bank will present “¡Festejo! Celebrating Latine Stories Onstage” — an annual festival formerly known as “Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras)” — from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9.
The festival will start with a “Kick Off Celebration,” outside the theater at 5 p.m. Aug. 6, featuring music by Chilean guitarist Erick Avila, food and more.
There will then be play readings, inside, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. and at various times Aug. 7-9, plus a concert, featuring the New York-based band Jarana Beat, whose songs are inspired by Mexican folk and Afri-Amerindian music, Aug. 8 at 8 p.m.
All events are free.
THEATER
• The Plays-in-the-Park series at The Stephen J. Capestro Theater at Roosevelt Park in Edison, which has already presented “1776” and “All Shook Up” this summer, continues, July 29-31 and Aug. 1 and 3-8 at 8 p.m., with the 1950 musical “Guys and Dolls,” featuring Frank Loesser-written songs such as “Luck Be a Lady,” “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” “A Bushel and a Peck” and “Adelaide’s Lament,” as well as the great title song.
• Magnolia Productions will present the New Jersey premiere of Emily Breeze’s “Are the Bennet Girls OK?” from July 31 to Aug. 8. On her website , Breeze describes the work as “A retelling of (Jane Austen’s) Pride & Prejudice, exploring the relationship between the Bennet sisters and their mother as they navigate the increasingly desperate world of marriage market economics, while they wait for Mr. Bennet to die. An irreverent retelling in modern language, complete with uncomfortable truths about how and why people end up together.”
Michael Winslow, left, with Steve Guttenberg, in “Police Academy.”
FILM/COMEDY
• Michael Winslow, who co-starred in the “Police Academy” comedies — which made use of his uncanny ability to generate a broad range of sound effects using only his voice and body — will answer questions about the 1984 series-launching “Police Academy” film following a 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5 screening of it at SModcastle Cinemas in Atlantic Highlands, and also do some of his standup comedy.
FAMILY
• Among the many attractions of The New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm & Horse Show, taking place at The Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta from July 31 to Aug. 8, will be agricultural displays, bull riding, demolition derbies, monster truck shows, professional wrestling, pig racing, a petting zoo, carnival rides, and food vendors. Also, Battle of the Bands, line dancing, baking, handicraft and Queen of the Fair competitions. And music by The Irish Harpers (Aug. 3, 7:30 p.m.); Fearless: The Taylor Swift Experience (Aug. 4, 7 p.m.); The Jersey Tenors (Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m.); and The Nerds (Aug. 8, 7:30 p.m.).
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REVIEWS
“Allan Rohan Crite: Neighborhood” at Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick. (Through July 31)
“Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” presented by Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey at F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre at Drew University, Madison. (Through Aug. 2)
“Mala Aria,” presented by Premiere Stages at Kean University, Union. (Through Aug. 2)
“Faig Ahmed: Textiles of Consciousness,” presented by Princeton University Art Museum at Art @ Bainbridge. (Through Aug. 2)
“Henri Matisse: Beyond Color” at Morris Museum, Morris Township. (Through Aug. 9)
“In Conversation: Will Wilson” at Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit. (Through Aug. 23)
“Salvador Jiménez-Flores: Raíces & Resistencias” at Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton. (Through Aug. 1, 2027)
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