Summer Music and More Free Concert Series Returns to Nassau Park Pavilion
Reported on Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Pictured Above: Rini will perform on Saturday, July 27th. Photo Credit: Contributed.
West Windsor Arts announces its 2024 lineup of three concerts featuring local talent, a variety of genres and family activities.
NEWSROOM POST: PRINCETON JUNCTION, NEW JERSEY
West Windsor Arts is once again presenting its “Summer Music and More” series of three free concerts at Nassau Park Pavilion (behind Panera Bread) in Princeton. The series offers three distinct concerts, representing different genres of music, in a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. Each event also features art activities that both kids and adults will enjoy.
“Summer is a great time to kick back, hang out with friends and family, and enjoy live music. It’s what the West Windsor Arts’ “Summer Music and More” Concert Series is all about,” says Aylin Green, Executive Director of West Windsor Arts.
Save the dates for these three uniquely different concerts at Nassau Park Pavilion, with modern cellist Dan Kassel opening for each performance.
Pictured Above: El Noordzo performed on July 13th. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Afro-Cuban Surf-Jazz
El Noordzo
Saturday, July 13, 2024
(Rain date July 14)
5 to 7:30 pm
Indian Jazztronica
Rini
Saturday, July 27, 2024
(Rain date July 28)
5 to 7:30 pm
Blues
The Dukes of Destiny
Saturday, August 10, 2024
(Rain date August 11)
5 to 7:30 pm
Pictured Above: Dukes of Destiny is set to perform on August 11th. Photo Credit: Contributed.
The series will kicked off on Saturday, July 13, with El Noordzo, following a performance by Dan Kassel. El Noordzo will perform their instrumental, psychedelic, Afro-Cuban surf-jazz interpretations of classic rock, punk and alternative songs. The trio has been thrilling audiences in the tri-state area since 2013. They released two records of original music on Nacht Records in 2015, their self-titled debut and the infamous Shark Funeral Songbook. Band leader Mike Noordzy teaches privately at Rutgers University, Middlesex College, Hudson Music Studios and Speak Music Conservatory. Mike also composes music for film and runs the experimental music label Nacht Records. He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in jazz performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. Expect the unexpected when El Noordzo comes to town!
Next up on Saturday, July 27, is a performance by New Jersey–based, Chennai-born singer, composer and violinist Harini “Rini” Raghavan, who will perform her own version of Indian Jazztronica. Shifting South Asian classical elements toward pop and jazz sensibilities in a refreshing, organic way, Rini draws from her formal training in Carnatic music and work at Berklee College of Music. She leads a group of acclaimed NYC-based musicians from different countries who add their unique musical influences to create “a powerful contemporary Carnatic/electronic fusion sound,” as described by Rolling Stone India. Rini received a 2023 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, is a part of the 2023 Grammy-nominated record “Shuruaat” by the Berklee Indian Ensemble and is the 2023 Global Music Awards Silver Medalist for her song “Magizhini.”
The series closes on Saturday, August 10, with The Dukes of Destiny, who have been playing the blues together since 1985, when the original five members would play in a rambling three-story house in Philadelphia. After a couple of other musicians joined in, they decided to take the act on the road as The Dukes of Destiny, a name they got from a matchbook cover urging the reader to “Be the Captain of Your Own Destiny.” There have been changes over the years, but today they are led by dynamic harmonica player and singer John Colgan-Davis with Adam Darer on keys, Richard Ray Adler on guitar and vocals, Mike Blair on bass, and Mike O’Rourke on drums. The Dukes continue to present an exciting mix of powerful original songs and unique arrangements of blues and soul standards. They remain Philadelphia’s longest-lived and best-loved blues band.
“We are really excited to be bringing our popular music series back for another year. We’ve been staging summer concerts at the Nassau Park Pavilion for several years, featuring a variety of musical genres. People look forward to them, and so do we!” says Green.
Music will begin at 5 pm with Dan Kassel’s opening sets, and the featured performances will begin at 6 pm. All concerts are free and open to the public!
For more information about the summer music series, and other events at West Windsor Arts, visit: https://
About West Windsor Arts Council
The West Windsor Arts Council offers art and cultural events, workshops, and classes for all ages and in all disciplines at the West Windsor Arts Center and in the community. For more information, call 609.716.1931 or visit westwindsorarts.org.