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Deacon John	Deacon John, Jimmy Vivino	Deacon John, Jerry Vivino, Nikki Armstrong	Deacon John & Jerry Vivino	Jerry Vivino
Bryan Lee of Ed Alstrom's Acid Cabaret	Ed Alstrom's Acid Cabaret	Larry Garner	Larry Garner	J Wormsworth, Jimmy Vivino, Bob Putignano, Ed Alstrom, Mayor John Rosellini, Deacon John, Nikki Armstrong, Jerry Vivino, Mike Merritt, Jasmine Lim

They say that three’s the charm. Not by me. In this case four is the charm in this 4th year of an ever-growing Jazz & Blues Festival in Towaco/Montville NJ! Begun 4 years ago by Mayor John Rosellini; who had the foresight to enlist the aid of Montville resident, Ed Alstrom of Ed Alstrom’s Acid Cabaret band - this event packs a wallop. What a wonderful idea to give the Community a totally free day of music!

The last 2 years it has been produced and hosted by the New York Blues & Jazz Society under the creditable leadership of Bob Putignano, winner of the Keeping the Blues Alive award and noted DJ on WFDU radio.

On this beautiful, sunny and mild October day those ‘in the know’ made it out for an entire day of great live music, crafts, food and fun. Hosted by Bob Putignano and graciously Emceed by the lovely Nikki Armstrong (Musician’s Liaison for the NY Blues & Jazz Society) we all sat down for a ride.

Opening the show was Ed Alstrom with an eclectic blend of Blues, Jazz & Broadway that started things off with a bang and kept everyone’s toes tapping, mixing original music with some well-known tunes. With Sue Williams, awesome on bass, and Don Guinta, a monster on the drums, Ed showed his virtuosity while clearly having a great time himself.

Next up was a trip down New Orleans way beginning with Bryan Lee, at first glance looking like a gentle Santa (but dressed in black and wearing shades)! Bryan quickly dispelled this illusion by breaking into some raunchy kick-butt New Orleans Blues that had us all checking our pulses. Bryan has that special kind of voice that brings you right down to the Delta, out into the Bayou, and then gives you a big Mason jar of moonshine!

Following Bryan we were honored to have Larry Garner grace the stage. If you haven’t picked up his CDs yet, get yourself out there and buy some! Larry’s voice and performance runs the gamut from mellow to throaty to wailing. Garner’s performance was some of the best Blues you are ever going to get, right here in the little township of Montville, NJ. Garner was vibrant, animated, and profoundly talented.

Back again for the second year in a row was The Jerry Vivino Quartet, whose well known saxophones lit up the stage along with his brother, Jimmy Vivino and some special guests on the horns. Jerry’s show ranged from time-honored standards like ‘Caledonia’ through to his original Jazz compositions that rival anything else out there. Jerry had the audience singing along, hootin’ and hollerin’ altogether for a very electrifying performance.

Rounding out the evening was New Orleans’ own Deacon John Moore. Deacon John exemplifies everything alive, romantic, and magical about New Orleans and it certainly radiates through in his music. To watch Deacon John on stage you would think that he’s about 30 years old; maybe. This man has more energy in his 60s than I think I’ve ever had. He was dancing all over the stage, jumping off stage to dance with the ladies, hopping back up, and kept on dancing - never missed a note! This guy is a consummate professional performer. A veritable legend in the Blues arena, Deacon John is in a class by himself. To be able to sit up close and personal and see someone of his caliber was a real treat.

I can’t believe that this Festival won’t outgrow the space it has been held in the last 4 years. The talent that’s coming through this wonderful Township of Montville at the Towaco Train Station is too amazing for this event not to explode. Better get there while it’s still free.

L.C. Marchand