A Morristown Jazz & Blues Fest like no other… Sept. 18

Rob Paparozzi brings it home at the 2019 Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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The old adage “the show must go on” will be put to the test for the 10th anniversary Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival, on the historic Morristown Green this Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.

How many music festivals, after all, feature a vaccination tent?

(Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson COVID shots will be offered until 4 pm. Walkups are welcome, or call ahead at 973-292-6626.)

Last year’s festival was scrubbed; no vaccines were available yet. This one was pushed back by a month, as organizers kept an anxious eye on the Delta variant.

As of Thursday, New Jersey’s transmission rate was 1.05,  indicating a slight spread. But Mayor Tim Dougherty, the festival’s founder, believes the outdoor venue and New Jersey’s high vaccination rate  (72 percent for ages 18-65, according to the Mayo Clinic) bode well.

“We hope that everyone is vaccinated before the festival this year,” Dougherty said in a statement last month. “We look forward to a great, safe day of music.”

“We all need this, to heal our souls,” said headliner Rob Paparozzi, who will front his Juke Joint band.

“We want everyone to have fun this Saturday so we’re asking folks to be careful and diligent in taking ‘social distance’ precautions, even though we are outdoors. Bands work in the public and travel a lot. We we all decided to get vaccinated, especially since we are in that ‘senior’ category!” said the Linden native.

He has performed with retooled versions of Blood Sweat & Tears and The Blues Brothers, and worked or recorded with everyone from B.B. King to Bruce Springsteen.

Backstage personnel will be required to show proof of vaccination, or a recent negative test. Performers will forego the usual buffet meals, and will be encouraged to clear out after their sets.

There have been other challenges, too. Key members of the mayor’s festival team are gone.

Co-promoter Linda Smith and Frank Vignola backstage at the 2019 Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Co-promoter Linda Kiger Smith and Michael Fabrizio, who helped launch the event as CEO of the Morristown Partnership, both passed away this summer from non-COVID illnesses.

Jazz guitar great Bucky Pizzarelli, a performer at nearly every Morristown Jazz & Blues Fest since 2013, was an early victim of COVID-19.

Smith, Fabrizio and Pizzarelli all will be honored on Saturday.

Michael Fabrizio of the Morristown Partnership and Mayor Tim Dougherty share a light moment in 2014, at the first breakfast meeting of Morristown Women in Business. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Morristown town Attorney Vij Pawar, who handled the festival’s legal matters, has left to accept a state judgeship. And Phil Fielding, another longtime member of the festival committee, has moved to Seattle.

Raising money in a pandemic also has proven difficult. The festival is funded entirely by corporate contributions, which are down by about half.

Despite these hurdles, promoter Don Jay Smith is optimistic.

“I think we did very well. We have a great lineup. I think musically, it’s going to be a terrific festival,” said Smith, soldiering on for the first time without his wife, Linda.

Bucky Pizzarelli signs a poster at the 2016 Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival, for promoters Linda and Don Jay Smith. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Bucky Pizzarelli signs a poster at the 2016 Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival, for promoters Linda and Don Jay Smith. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Over their decades together, the Smiths learned each other’s business roles, just in case either one got sick. Nobody anticipated breast cancer. Coping with Linda’s death has been very hard, Don Smith said.

“She was certainly very worried about how I was going to manage without her. I think that’s why she held on as long as she did,” he said.

‘HE WAS A GENTLEMAN’

The free day of music starts at noon with Swingadelic.  At 2 pm, the Frank Vignola Trio pays tribute to Bucky Pizzarelli.

Drummer Winard Harper leads his Jeli Posse at the 2014 Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“He was a gentleman, above all things. A true gentleman,” said Vignola, who estimates he played more than 500 gigs with Pizzarelli since 1997.

Vignola treasures memories of their sets together at the Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. And he’s delighted to perform live again, after months of giving online guitar lessons to pay the bills during the pandemic.

After the Bucky tribute, Winard Harper & Jeli Posse take over at 4 pm. Louis Prima Jr. and the Witnesses bring their high energy to the 6 pm slot.

Louis Prima Jr. and his band at the 2017 Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. Photo by Jeff Sovelove

At 8 pm, the stage belongs to Rob Paparozzi’s Juke Joint.  Paparozzi delivered a crowd-pleasing Woodstock tribute in 2019.

He has lost some music business friends to COVID-19, including Pizzarelli, with whom he recorded on occasion. He also has warm memories of Linda Smith, a promoter who “really understood the needs of the artist, and went out of her way to make sure every detail was taken care of before performance time.”

Like many musicians, Paparozzi had to reinvent himself during the pandemic, teaching and recording from home via Zoom, FaceTime and Skype. Investing his stimulus money in home recording gear, he did a project for Joe Bonamassa’s label.

“We sent all the proceeds to touring musicians in need,” Paparozzi said.

SINGIN’ THE BLUES: Blue Lou Marini, left, and Rob Paparozzi of the Original Blues Brothers Band. Photo courtesy of Rob Paparozzi.

In addition to bringing soulful vocals this weekend, Paparozzi plays a sizzling harmonica.

He promises a dynamic mix of blues and jazz, “with a touch of New Orleans, Stax and Dixieland.”  John Korba, George Naha, Sue Williams and Frank Pagano will back him.

They’ll be joined by a special guest: Saxophonist Blue Lou Marini, fresh off a James Taylor tour. Marini has been a band member for Saturday Night Live, and has played with Paparozzi for 20 years in the Original Blues Brothers Band.

So the music roster, full of favorites from prior years, is solid.

And there’s another bright spot:

The National Weather Service predicts a picture-perfect late-summer day. Look for sunshine, temperatures around 80 degrees, and the hint of a breeze.

The 10th annual Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival runs from noon to 10 pm on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, on the Morristown Green. Admission: Free. Bring a lawn chair or beach blanket.

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