All This Jazz: A Free Monthly Concert Series at NJCDC’s Rogers Hall
June 9, 2026
Key Details at a Glance |
Free admission • Advance tickets required • Limited capacity |
Ticketed guests: Arrive by 6:45PM to guarantee entry (Doors open at 6:30PM) |
Unclaimed tickets released at 6:45PM to waitlist attendees |
Free parking: 59 Spruce St lot across from event venue [Google Maps Pin] |
Food & artisan wares available for purchase at our vendor marketplace |
Experience live jazz in the heart of Paterson – completely free of charge!
Every fourth Friday, NJCDC’s Rogers Hall comes alive with the sounds of New Jersey’s finest jazz musicians. All This Jazz is a free monthly concert series that brings the community together for an evening of world-class performances, local artistry, and shared experience in Paterson’s historic Great Falls Neighborhood.
About the Series
All This Jazz is a free, monthly jazz concert series presented by New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC), in partnership with Paterson-based community arts center and creative hub Prototype 237.
Hosted at Rogers Hall in the Great Falls Historic District, the series brings high-quality live jazz to Paterson — creating space for residents and visitors to gather, listen, and experience the music together.
Each event is designed to feel welcoming, accessible, and rooted in place, offering an opportunity to enjoy live jazz in a relaxed, community-centered setting.
What to Expect
Each All This Jazz evening features a full live performance alongside opportunities to linger, connect, and take part.
At each concert, you’ll find:
· A well-produced, two-hour live jazz performance
· A range of jazz styles, from traditional ensembles to jazz fusion, folk-jazz, and energetic sax-forward jazz
· Musicians from across New Jersey, including artists connected to William Paterson University’s acclaimed jazz program
· Food vendors and artisan vendors on site
· Admission is free to ensure broad community access.
Why Jazz in Paterson?
Jazz has long been part of Paterson’s cultural fabric, shaped by Black history, migration, and everyday community life. For generations, musicians developed their craft locally — in homes, churches, social halls, and neighborhood venues — before carrying that experience outward.
All This Jazz builds on that history by creating space for live performance today, keeping jazz present, visible, and shared.
Upcoming Dates & Tickets
🗓 Fourth Friday of each month
📍 Rogers Music Hall (32 Spruce St. Paterson, NJ)
🎶 Doors open at 6:30pm | Show starts at 7:00pm
Although admission is free, tickets are required to help manage capacity and ensure a comfortable experience for all attendees.
Important Note: Please arrive by 6:45pm to guarantee entry.
Because All This Jazz is free and space is limited, we ask ticketed guests to arrive by 6:45pm. After that time, we’ll release any unused tickets to guests on the waiting list who are present. If you don’t have a ticket, we encourage you to join the waiting list and arrive by 6:45pm. We’ll do our best to grant admission to as many guests as space permits.
Meet the Musicians
All This Jazz highlights both established and emerging jazz artists from across New Jersey.
Each month’s lineup reflects the range and evolution of jazz today — from traditional forms to contemporary and cross-genre approaches.
Featured performers include:
· Veteran bandleaders and sidemen with regional and national experience
· Educators and alumni connected to William Paterson University’s jazz program
· Working musicians actively shaping New Jersey’s jazz scene
Our Upcoming June Performers
Trumpeter Parker Cheek leads a quartet of emerging artists whose sound lives at the intersection of contemporary and modern jazz. Joined by Brook Mulugeta on keyboard, Ahmod Bradley on bass, and Chris Paredes on drums, the group explores Cheek’s original compositions while drawing inspiration from the rich traditions and evolving language of jazz.
All four musicians share roots at New Jersey City University, where they developed both their individual voices and collaborative chemistry. Cheek has been recognized as a rising talent through the New Jersey Jazz Society’s Rising Stars Concert Series and participation in the New Jersey Inter-Collegiate Jazz Band. Keyboardist Brook Mulugeta is completing his studies at NJCU and is a regular performer at Jersey City’s legendary Moore’s Lounge, while drummer Chris Paredes has earned recognition from the New Jersey Jazz Society and developed a style influenced by jazz, fusion, and neo-soul. Bassist Ahmod Bradley, a Paterson native and graduate of Rosa L. Parks School of Fine & Performing Arts, brings deep local roots and a strong foundation in both performance and musical collaboration.
As the quartet prepares for the release of Parker Cheek’s debut album, audiences can expect an evening that blends original compositions with jazz standards, showcasing a new generation of musicians carrying the music forward with creativity, energy, and respect for the tradition.
Past Performers
KOHLER, CHERTKOFF & RILEY
May 2026
With deep swing, soulful grooves, and decades of collective experience, Koehler, Chertkoff & Riley bring the timeless energy of organ trio jazz to the stage. Organist Kyle Koehler, guitarist Matt Chertkoff, and drummer Jonathan Riley each bring accomplished careers shaped by performances with some of jazz’s most respected names. Koehler has established himself as a standout voice on the organ through collaborations with Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Heath, and Bobby Watson, while Chertkoff’s critically acclaimed guitar work has earned him international recognition alongside artists including Billy Hart, Randy Brecker, and Houston Person. Riley, a veteran drummer and longtime New Jersey educator, has performed with Norah Jones, Ahmad Jamal, and Dave Stryker. Together, the trio blends tradition, improvisation, and modern artistry into a sound that is both rooted and electric.
MARIO GIORDANO TRIO
April 2026
Rooted in one of New Jersey’s strongest jazz traditions and shaped by a new generation of artists, guitarist Mario Giordano and his trio bring a thoughtful, expressive tribute to Miles Davis in celebration of his centennial. Joined by Avishai Seguel (bass) and Beckett Diehl (drums), the group reinterprets Davis’ music for a modern guitar trio — spanning the full arc of his career and tracing the evolution of one of music’s most influential artists. Moving through bebop, cool and modal jazz, post-bop, and funk, the set balances precision and freedom, staying true to the music while making it their own.
MIKE NOORDZY TRIO
March 2026
Bassist and composer Mike Noordzy leads this Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts-based trio with saxophonist Jeremy Leon and drummer Logan Bogdan through a set of standards and originals fueled by loose grooves and deep, unpredictable improvisation. Drawing from Noordzy’s wide musical world — spanning jazz, avant-garde, Afro-Cuban, and experimental projects — the trio balances tradition with risk, letting the music unfold in the moment.
NAOMI SMITH & THE STONE FLOWER APOSTLES
February 2026
Bassist and bandleader Naomi Smith leads Naomi Smith and the Stone Flower Apostles — featuring Glenn Merritt (keyboard) and Payton Teague (drums) — a trio grounded in deep listening, expressive improvisation, and a shared musical language. A recent graduate of William Paterson University’s Jazz Performance and Music Entertainment Industry program, Smith has spent the past decade performing across genres as a collaborator and side musician, now stepping forward with her debut project as a bandleader.
Looking Ahead: The Great Falls Arts Center
All This Jazz is part of a broader effort to expand access to arts and performance in Paterson.
NJCDC is leading the transformation of the historic First Presbyterian Church into the Great Falls Arts Center — Paterson’s first dedicated performing arts center, with a focus on youth development, creative expression, and community access.
As a regular live music series, All This Jazz helps build audiences, support artists, and establish patterns of participation that will carry forward as new cultural spaces come online.
Join Us
Whether you’re a longtime jazz listener or hearing it live for the first time, All This Jazz offers an easy way to spend a Friday evening with great music and good company.
Practical Information
LOCATION:
Rogers Hall
32 Spruce St.,
Great Falls Historic District, Paterson, NJ
(Behind the preschool playground, up the stairs near Burger King)
PARKING:
In lot at 59 Spruce St., directly across from NJCDC headquarters at 32 Spruce St. [Google Maps Pin]
Accessibility: The venue is ADA accessible. For specific access needs, please contact us in advance.
Questions?
📞 973-413-1460