Jesse Hameen II Photo by Judy Sirota-Rosenthal

 Neighborhood Music School (NMS) invites the public to its free Spotlight Talk Series event, “The Journey of a Jazz Musician: From New Haven and Back Again - The Jesse Hameen II Experience,” on Thursday, March 31, 6:30 p.m. at NMS, 100 Audubon St., New Haven.  

Hameen will highlight some of his experiences as a drummer while playing professionally all over the world, from New York to Sweden to France, and with jazz greats including Hank Crawford, Charles Brown and Irene Reid – and many others! He will discuss his involvement in New Haven’s jazz scene, including reigniting the New Haven Jazz Festival several years ago, and what led him to develop the Jazz and Rock Studies program at NMS, where he’s been a beloved instructor for the past 18 years. 

Jesse says “It all began in New Haven, where I grew up living and breathing music. Once upon a time, the city boasted an impressive and happening jazz scene. New Haven prepared me for it all,” he says. “It used to be one of the meccas for jazz. There were a lot of clubs and musicians; it was one of the main stops that jazz artists made. I’m proud to talk about what New Haven did for me.”

The next Spotlight Talk Series event will be:

Aaron Jafferis - “Breaking and Entering: Hip-Hop, Theatre & Community”
Thursday, May 5, 6:30 p.m.

The Spotlight Talk Series is sponsored by Yale New Haven Health System. Complimentary refreshments provided by A Happy Life Coffee and Tony’s Square Donuts.

Cool Cats Jazz Brunch

The Branford Compassion Club hosts Cool Cats Jazz Brunch, a benefit emceed by News Channel 8 anchorman Darren Kramer, featuring the esteemed Jeff Fuller and the Premier Jazz Ensemble of the Neighborhood Music School.

The buffet brunch is Sunday, Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. at Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club, 2 Club Parkway. There is a donation of $45 a person. Reserve by Nov. 1 by email at bccspecialevents32@gmail.com or call 203-444-0653. For more information, visit www.branfordcompassionclub.org.

There will be wine basket raffles, silent auction theme baskets and the chance to enjoy one of the Shoreline’s best brunches, not normally available to the public, at the club, with its stunning views of the Thimble Islands to a soundtrack of sophisticated jazz. Proceeds benefit BCC’s mission to rescue, care for and adopt out homeless felines and for operating expenses at its Feline Rescue and Adoption Center, 2037 Foxon Road, North Branford.

If Sundays mean football, you can kick back over a great brunch with hip music and be home in time for kickoff. Whether a jazz aficionado or a neophyte curious about the great American music genre, you’ll enjoy the cool and laid-back vibe.

The Yale School of Music-trained Fuller, an award-winning bassist and composer, has been a fixture

around the New Haven jazz scene for decades. He has toured worldwide with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Mose Allison, “Papa” Jo Jones, Gerry Mulligan and Clark Terry. A faculty member at the Neighborhood Music School, and ACES Educational Center for the Arts, he gets to pick from the cream of the crop for the Premier Jazz Ensemble, composed of NMS students and faculty.

Kramer, the popular weeknight anchor of WTNH News Channel 8, gives generously of his time for charities and has a large and faithful following on Twitter, where he is a prolific Tweeter of both wry commentary and news postings.

Branford Compassion Club is an all-volunteer-run non-profit organization founded in 1997. Its shelter, which opened in 2011, celebrated its milestone 1,000^th cat adoption on Oct. 3.

Isabella Mendes Performs at New Haven Jazz Festival

Isabella Mendes at JazzHaven '15 from New Haven, Connecticut on Vimeo.

The 33rd Annual New Haven Jazz Festival continued on Saturday evening with some great performances. Opening for Karrin Allyson is Isabella Mendes, a graduate of our city's own Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) program.

Stay tuned for more great performances here on Nhv.Org! And be sure to visit Isabella's website to listen to her music and learn more about what makes New Haven the greatest small city in America.

On stage at #JazzHaven @INFONewHaven @dwscmt 6pm be here for a great performance. @INFONewHaven pic.twitter.com/kOuicR1UFC

— New Haven, CT (@NhvOrg) August 22, 2015

How Was The Music Last Night?

For those who braved the rain, we are happy to say that the show went on:

@NhvOrg The Green is dry and the show starts in a little less than 2 hours! We are thrilled to kick off a month of #jazz tonight.
— New Haven Jazz Fest (@NwHvnJazzFest) August 2, 2014

New Haven Jazz Festival Kicks Off Saturday

There will be Jazz on the New Haven Green on many of the Saturdays throughout the month. Here's a look at that schedule and a timeframe.