Jazzed Up ; in North Jersey, the Venues Are Few but Fervent

Summary

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Two men tuned up their guitars in the back corner of the Glen Rock Inn. With no fanfare, the musicians sat down on two dining table chairs and begin plucking softly, building the layers of sound in a sweet, swinging rhythm, slow-cooking the music until they hit uptempo arpeggios and smooth licks. It was seven o'clock: dinnertime at the small family restaurant.

Glen Rock resident Chris Connolly was finishing up dinner with his two children, 5-year-old Megan and 2-year-old Quinn, when he noticed that they were interested in the music. He took them to the back of the room, where they stood mesmerized within inches of the guitars. Even when Connolly brought them back to the table for dessert, Megan took Quinn by the hand, and the two walked toward the music as if it were the song of the Pied Piper.

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Jazzed Up ; in North Jersey, the Venues Are Few but Fervent

"That's what makes it all worth it," whispered Shelly Rosenberg of Elmwood Park, who booked jazz guitar headliners Jack Wilkins and Howard Alden for this unheralded gig. "This is how you introduce kids to jazz."

For the past seven yea...

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