Jazzfest to Honor Madison Mayor Holden

The New Jersey Jazz Society will honor Madison Mayor Mary-Anna Holden at Jazzfest 2011 on June 11 at the College of Saint Elizabeth.

Holden is being honored for her support for arts and culture in the region and will accept the award from Edward Kennedy Ellington II, the grandson of jazz great Duke Ellington.
 
Winard Harper Sextet, the Duke Ellington Legacy Band and clarinetist Ken Peplowski are some of the headliners at Jazzfest, now in its 35th year. Performances run from noon to 9 p.m. on the campus of the Morristown college on Route 124.

"This is the first time I've been honored for my artistic side," Holden said in an interview. "Usually I'm pigeon-holed in historic preservation. I'm looking forward to meeting Mr. Ellington and working to get Jazzfest back into Madison next year. At least this festival that attracts tip-top entertainment is close by. A warm night under the stars with some cool cats is just the ticket."

Other artists to appear include vocalist/guitarist Allan Harris and his Quartet, the Jay Leonhart Trio with Harry Allen and Joe Cohn, Emily Asher’s Garden Party and the Jazz Lobsters. Phillip Harper will join Winard for a rare Harper brothers’ reunion.
 
The festival also offers a variety of vendors, including food, hard to find jazz CDs, records, crafts and art. Tickets are $70 at the gate, but are available in advance for $55 online at www.njjs.org or by calling 1-800-303-6557.