Atlantic City Weekly

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As the summer weather settles in a little early this year, residents and visitors alike are looking to get out of the house or hotel and take in some early-evening ocean breezes. And fortunately, southern New Jersey usually provides a stirring outdoor soundtrack as a number of free outdoor concert series are gearing up in the area.

The first to launch is the Somers Point Beach Concert series at William Morrow Beach on Bay Avenue. The series, aided by the folks who bring you the Tony Mart’s series of concerts, has become a haven for big name blues and jazz acts. The series presents concerts 7pm Fridays, as well as a July 4 concert, through Sept. 10.

Friday, June 18, the series opens with blues singer Janiva Magness and her band.

Magness was voted the “BB King Entertainer of the Year” in 2009 and the latest of her six CDs is The Devil Is an Angel Too. The CD is earning rave reviews and placing high on album charts, making Magness an impressive opening act for the series.

The series follows up Magness with local favorites the Billy Walton Band (June 25) and the Bob Campanell Band with Danny Eyer (July 2).

The July 4th concert is the Jeremiah Hunter Band. Acts to look out for later in the summer include Bryan Lee and Blues Power, July 16, Joe Louis Walker featuring Murali Coryell, Aug. 6, and The David Maxwell Band Aug. 13.  

Speaking of jazz, The Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation comes back to Kennedy Plaza in Atlantic City for free Thursday evening concerts for the 11th consecutive year. Each concert features two artists or groups and starts with an opening act at 7pm and a main act from 8-10pm.

As usual, the foundation has put together a pretty good line-up. The series begins July 1 With Ralph Peterson Jr., with Steve Cain opening. Other acts include Avery Sharpe, July 8, local fave Hassan Abdullah opening for John Blake Jr. July 15 and the series finale, N.Y.C.’s Finest Jazz Band, an offshoot of the N.Y.P.D. Band, Aug. 12. Check chickenbonebeach.org for the full schedule.

Kennedy Plaza is also the home of the 3rd annual International Series, which presents a wide array of ethnic-based bands and performers on Wednesday evenings. The series is presented by the Atlantic City Free Public Library and Atlantic City.

The 90-minute shows begin at 7pm and run from July 7 to Aug. 25.

A good example of the types of entertainment you can see in the series is embodied by NARU Korean Contemporary Performing Arts, the opening act in the series July 7. The group is dedicated to promoting Korean culture. Their show includes the sul-jang-go (hourglass-shaped drum), and fan, sword, Shaman ritual and drum dances. Through the course of its schedule, the series will highlight Japanese, Latin, African, Russian, Caribbean and Indian culture. Call 345-2269, ext. 3115 or visit acfpl.org.

In Atlantic City, the 2010 Summer Concert Series at Gardner's Basin kicks off June 26 with The Original Sugar Hill Gang and Kurtis Blow along with The Cason Express, B.A.D. and the Bob Sterling Band. The concerts run from 1pm to dusk and will also include Heatwave,  Plena Libre,  Eddie Morgan, and Tru on July 10; Russell Thompkins and the Stylistics,  INCA Tribute Band,  In The Meantime, Angela Burton and Passion on Aug 7; and The Dramatics, Jackie Greggs, Motown Groove, Lana Forrester and Friends on Aug 28.See more information here.

Another beloved traditional outdoor concert series is the Rhythm in the Park series at Egg Harbor Township’s Tony Canale Park of  Dogwood Ave. Like Somers Point, the concerts are held at 7pm Fridays beginning July 2 to Aug. 20. There is also a special  Wednesday concert on July 14 featuring the Cumberland County College Wind Symphony & Jazz Band.

The majority of the concerts feature some of the shore area’s favorite summer groups such as The Tidal Wave Band (July 2), the Rubber Souls (July 9) and Suite Inspiration (Aug. 13). Local jazz man Howard Isaacson plays Aug. 6.

Go to www.ehtgov.org for a full schedule.

In Cape May County, few summer concert series can match the Wildwoods, which offers music at outdoor venues five nights a week.

On Mondays, concerts are offered at 7:30pm on the outdoor deck of the Crest Pier Recreation Center, 5800 Ocean Ave., Wildwood Crest. The series runs from June 20 to Aug. 30 and features Michael James or The Star Band on alternating weeks.

Wednesday features concerts at the Centennial Park Amphitheater, 6700 Ocean Ave. at Fern Rd., in Wildwood Crest. The 7:30pm concerts feature several local bands and run June 30 to Aug. 25.

The Centennial Park Amphitheater also features a weekend concert series, with performances mostly on Saturdays at 7:30pm (with some Friday and Sunday dates, including Sunday July 4) running from July 2 to Aug. 28. The series features a number of tribute bands such as the B Street Band (Springsteen) July 2, Bennie and the Jets (Elton John) July 31 and Storm Front (Billy Joel) Aug. 7.

North Wildwood’s Lou Booth Amphitheater concerts, 2nd and Ocean aves., also return on Thursday and Saturdays July 3 through Sept. 4 at 8pm. The series is one of the Wildwoods most popular and features a host of bands and acts from Shirley Austin Reeves (former lead singer of the Shirelles) on July 3 to Beatlemania on Spet. 5.

Finally, Sunday nights belong to the Fox Park Amphitheater, Ocean and Burke Aves. Concerts are at 7:30pm and kick off July 4 with Changes in Latitudes, a Jimmy Buffet Tribute band. Concerts run to Sept. 5. For a full schedule of Wildwoods concerts go to wildwoodsnj.com.