Saturday
4:00 – 5:00 pm House Band
5:00 – 6:00 pm Jam

Come jam with us-

JAM Host AVP Community Engagement – NJPAC

As host of Newark’s beloved decade long NJPAC / Rutgers IJS Clements Place Jazz Sessions, she will bring the same spirit to the Bradley Beach Jazz Festival! Eyesha will host the 4–6 pm Jam Session featuring jazz notables Winard Harper, Mala Waldron, and Christopher Dean Sullivan—a true community engagement extension from NJPAC to the Jersey Shore of Bradley Beach. .

Winard Harper

Winard Harper is a master drummer and bandleader whose artistry embodies the spirit of jazz as both tradition and renewal. Born in Baltimore in 1962, Harper was a child prodigy whose rhythmic instincts were evident by the age of three. His path was sealed when, at eleven, he heard Clifford Brown and Max Roach’s “Jordu,” igniting a lifelong devotion to jazz and the percussive possibilities of the drum set.

Harper’s career took flight in the 1980s with Dexter Gordon and Johnny Griffin, before a pivotal four-year tenure with Betty Carter, where he honed his sense of showmanship and the art of jazz as entertainment. He later co-founded The Harper Brothers with his brother Philip, a group that became a defining voice of late-1980s and early-1990s hard bop, sharing stages with rising stars like Justin Robinson, Javon Jackson, and Stephen Scott.

As a leader, Harper has recorded acclaimed albums and directed ensembles that showcase his vision of jazz as a communal, spiritual force. His sextet and later his group Jeli Posse have performed at major venues including Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Yoshi’s, blending swing, world rhythms, and Afrocentric traditions into a vibrant sound. Inspired by mentors such as Max Roach, Art Blakey, Billy Higgins, Jackie McLean, and Cannonball Adderley, Harper has carried forward their legacy while mentoring a new generation of musicians.

Today, Winard Harper stands as a guardian of the jazz tradition and a messenger of its future, bringing audiences into the joy, power, and transformative energy of the music. His presence at this festival affirms jazz as not only entertainment, but as a living art form that uplifts, educates, and connects communities across the world.

Mala Waldron – Pianist

Mala Waldron (pronounced MAL-uh) is a New York City–born pianist, vocalist, and composer whose artistry carries forward one of jazz’s most storied legacies. The daughter of renowned pianist and composer Mal Waldron—best known for his classic composition Soul Eyes and collaborations with John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and Billie Holiday—Mala grew up surrounded by music. Her maternal grandmother, also a pianist from the Caribbean, introduced her to calypso, while her parents instilled in her a foundation of jazz, soul, and classical traditions.

Her first professional engagement came at age 15, playing keyboards and singing backup with the R&B band Liquid Pleasure, which was soon signed to RCA Records. Waldron went on to study African-American music at SUNY Old Westbury under mentors such as Makanda Ken McIntyre, Richard Harper, Warren Smith, and Amina Claudine Myers, earning her degree and deepening her immersion in jazz’s cultural roots.

Over the decades, Waldron’s career has taken her across the globe, with performances in Japan, France, Italy, Belgium, Russia, Belarus, and China, as well as on many of New York’s most prestigious stages, including the Iridium Jazz Club, Blue Note, Jazz Standard, BAM Café, and the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. She formed the Mala Waldron Quartet in 2002, a group that continues to perform internationally, bringing her compositions and arrangements of standards to audiences worldwide.

Her recordings reflect both personal history and artistic vision: Lullabye (a tribute to her godmother, Billie Holiday), He’s My Father (a duo project with Mal Waldron), and Always There, which established her as a distinctive voice in contemporary jazz. Critics have praised her sound as “richly crepuscular and emotive,” highlighting her ability to blend intimacy with powermalawaldron.com.

Today, Mala Waldron stands as a torchbearer of jazz heritage and a creator in her own right, weaving together the influences of her father’s avant-garde explorations, her Caribbean roots, and her own soulful sensibility. Her music honors the past while speaking directly to the present, ensuring that the Waldron legacy continues to resonate with new generations of listeners.

Christopher Dean Sullivan – Bass

Christopher Dean Sullivan is a renowned bassist whose artistry bridges jazz tradition and innovation, carrying forward the spirit of the music across generations and cultures. Born in Chicago and raised in Pittsburgh, Sullivan emerged from a vibrant jazz community that shaped legends like Ray Brown and Stanley Turrentine. His bass sound—authoritative, blues-inflected, and deeply rooted—has become a defining voice in ensembles throughout the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.

Over the course of his career, Sullivan has performed with an extraordinary roster of luminaries, including Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, Freddie Hubbard, Sheila Jordan, Christian McBride, Charli Persip, Irene Reid, Charles Gayle, Joe McPhee, Carl Grubbs, Jay Hoggard, Mala Waldron, Bobby Sanabria, and Della Griffin, as well as appearing in crossover projects with Janet Jackson. These collaborations reflect his versatility across hard bop, avant-garde, Afro-Cuban, and vocal traditions, affirming his role as a bridge between jazz’s storied past and evolving future.

Beyond performance, Sullivan is a respected educator and cultural leader, serving as Vice President of AFM Local 238-291 and teaching in programs such as TRANSART’s Music Futures initiative. Honored with multiple Congressional, Senate, and Municipal Arts Awards, he embodies jazz as a living, communal tradition—one that connects people, honors heritage, and opens doors to new possibilities.

Come jam with us ….

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