The Caribbean Jazz Connection is led by drummer Jim Royle who has been crossing genres of Jazz and Caribbean Latin styles for years. They delight audiences wherever they go in the Islands or on the mainland. Royle, the consummate educator and artist has brought so many young and old alike into the joys of percussion, especially with Steel pans and Caribbean Jazz. The band features Jim’s former student and steel pan player Bryan Garbe, now an internationally acclaimed percussionist based in NYC, who grew up in Fairfield!

Coming up in our Family Festivities series… Ramblin’ Dan & The Freewheelin’ Band

Known as New York City’s favorite early childhood musician, Ramblin’ Dan has been bringing his infectious energy to families all across the Tri-State Area since 2009.

Adorned in his signature fedora, Ramblin’ Dan’s performances blend adult-friendly musical sensibilities with dynamic interaction for the kids. His ability to connect with audiences of all ages is truly a wonder to behold.

Named GOOP Magazine’s “Number One Choice for Children’s Parties,” Dan has performed thousands of concerts and parties and taught well over 10,000 early childhood music classes.

Expect your children to laugh out loud, bounce, bop, jump, dance, clap, tap, stomp, sing, and use their imaginations to become animals, travel the world—and even blast off into outer space!

Music in the Garden: Quantum Leap String Quartet

Sunday, August 3, 2025 (Rain date: August 10)

Garden Tour: 4:30 – 5:30 PM | Concert: 6:00 – 7:15 PM

Tickets:

• Garden tour only: $25 (plus fees)
• Concert only: $75 (plus fees)
• Full experience (tour + concert): $100 (plus fees)

Join Blau House & Gardens and the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra for an enchanting late afternoon and early evening surrounded by our woodland gardens. Begin with a tour of the gardens, then settle in among the flowers for a performance by the Quantum Leap String Quartet. Bring your own picnic to enjoy yourself anywhere before the concert—please leave no trace when you go.

Parking & Shuttle:

Park at Coleytown Elementary School (65 Easton Road) between 4 – 8 PM. Complimentary shuttle service to the gardens; handicapped parking available on-site (please contact hosts in advance).

Reserve your stop today: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/norwalksymphony/1368/event/1432338

For tickets and details, email info@norwalksymphony.org

Join the expedition visiting legendary Candy Man Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) in a splendiferous movie that wondrously brings to screen the endlessly appetizing delights of Roald Dahl’s classic book. Coated with flavorful tunes and production design that constantly dazzles the eye, this effervescent musical never fails to enchant the young and old. On a whirlwind tour of Willy’s incredible, edible realm of chocolate waterfalls, elfish Oompa-Loompas and industrial-sized confections, a boy named Charlie (Peter Ostrum) will discover the sweetest secret of all: a generous, loving heart. And You’ll rediscover the timeless magic of a delicious family classic.

Westport's darling, Melissa Newman - singer, artist, author, and actress- joins JazzFC's Artistic Director, Rabbi Greg Wall for another evening that will surely sell out!

Join us for a warm evening of hot Jazz at Westport's own Jazz Inferno! Melissa is a natural talent, and really makes every song she sings her very own. With a band like this, the evening is sure to be way over the top. This show always sells out so be sure and get reservations early!

Melissa Newman had a lucrative career singing jingles for companies like AT&T and Chevrolet. Locally she has performed at the Blue Lemon, Tengda, and Harvest in Westport,

with guitarist Tony Lombardozzi and bassist Phil Bowler. Melissa also makes, shows and sells ceramic and porcelain sculpture. Melissa was a featured artist in the recent major exhibit, “Layers Revealed” at The Norwalk Art Space. She lives in Westport with her husband and two sons.

And if that is not enough, we celebrate Melissa as an author! She has a new book out entitled "Head over Heels”, a love story in words and pictures.

Melissa Newman , vocals

Tony Lombardozzi, guitar

Phil Bowler, bass

Bobby Leonard, drums

Greg Wall, Sax

Don’t miss an unforgettable night with the incomparable Ana Gasteyer, live at the Playhouse on Friday, August 8 at 8:00 PM. Best known for her standout performances on "Saturday Night Live”, as well as roles in "Suburgatory", "American Auto", and on Broadway, Ana brings her signature blend of powerhouse vocals, sharp wit, and magnetic stage presence to this one-night-only event. From jazzy cabaret numbers to hilarious storytelling, she delivers a show that’s as entertaining as it is unforgettable. Reserve your spot now and experience the brilliance of Ana Gasteyer live!

In Songs From My Sala, Linedy invites you to step into her childhood home, as she takes you along this intimate, soulful journey from performing in her family’s living room to starring as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s first Latina leading lady to originate a role on Broadway. Feel the heartbeat of the Dominican Republic through the rhythms of her roots, as we vibe to the iconic anthems that have shaped her life. From humble beginnings as a bank teller to becoming one of Broadway’s brightest stars, Linedy’s path is a testament to perseverance, passion, and the power of following your dreams.

Jazz at the Post presents this dynamic group as part of our Thursday Night Summer Series.

During his twenty-plus year career, Will Goble has contributed to a number of musical communities, released two albums under his own name, and worked steadily alongside longtime collaborators. His first album, Some Stories Tells No Lies (2012), features his own trio (drummer Dave Potter and Pianist Austin Johnson) joined by trumpeter Marcus Printup and saxophonist Chad Eby. His second album, “Consider The Blues” was released in 2016 on OA2 Records (Origin Arts). Consider The Blues highlights Will’s growth as a composer and is bolstered by strong performances from Potter, pianist Louis Heriveaux, and saxophonist Gregory Tardy. Currently based in New Haven, CT, Will continues to perform as a sideman and bandleader. Along with Marsalis and Roberts, Will has appeared with Marcus and Joan Belgrave, Wessell Anderson, Vincent Gardner, Eric Reed, Gregory Tardy, Warren Wolf, Martin Bejerano, Nick Finzer, Eric Rasmussen, George Colligan, Lew Soloff, Etienne Charles, Michael Kocour, Fred Wesley, and many others.

An active educator, Will spent several years as faculty at Scottsdale Community College and Grand Canyon University in Arizona, and as a community teaching artist at The Nash, the performance and education home of Jazz In Arizona. Will also spent a year on faculty at Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh, NC, before relocating to New Haven, CT.

Hailing from Orange, CT/New Haven County, Ryan Sands has worked his way up to become one of the top young drummers in his field. His emphatic playing has landed him performances with Terell Stafford, Geoffrey Keezer, Wayne Escoffrey, Tamir Hendleman, Lucy Yeghiazaryan, and Jason Marsalis. He currently holds the drum chair for Christian Sands and Altus. Ryan has performed in the pit of the Ain’t Misbehavin, under the direction of Jeffrey Page, and worked on music for Dominique Morisseau’s Paradise Blue under the direction of Alphonso Horne.

As a professor he has taught for Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, CT, and iSchool of Music and Art in Shanghai. He currently teaches private drums at Yale University for their Yale Undergrad Jazz Collective and is a professor at Southern Connecticut State University.

Music in the Garden: Harmonia V Woodwind Quintet

Sunday, August 17, 2025 (Rain date: August 24)

Garden Tour: 4:30 – 5:30 PM | Concert: 6:00 – 7:15 PM

Tickets:

• Garden tour only: $25 (plus fees)
• Concert only: $75 (plus fees)
• Full experience (tour + concert): $100 (plus fees)

Join Blau House & Gardens and the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra for an enchanting late afternoon and early evening surrounded by our woodland gardens. Begin with a tour of the gardens, then settle in among the flowers for a performance by the Harmonia V Woodwind Quintet. Bring your own picnic to enjoy yourself anywhere before the concert—please leave no trace when you go.

Parking & Shuttle:

Park at Coleytown Elementary School (65 Easton Road) between 4 – 8 PM. Complimentary shuttle service to the gardens; handicapped parking available on-site (please contact hosts in advance).

Reserve your stop today: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/norwalksymphony/1368/event/1432338

For tickets and details, email info@norwalksymphony.org

In a special partnership with WPKN radio, we present Sambeleza!

Sambeleza derives its name from two words: samba, the national dance of Brazil, and beleza, Portugese for 'beauty'.

Guitarist Joe Carter's specialty is Brazilian Jazz, combining straight ahead and bebop styles of jazz with samba, bossa nova and Northeast styles of Brazilian music.

Vocalist Isabella Mendes, born in Sao Paulo, is a rising talent known for her sensitive interpretations of

standard bossa novas as well as the pop-tinged music of younger Brazilian

singers.

Comedian Vic DiBitetto — the “Italian Hurricane” — churns energy, honesty and humanity into nonstop laughter. He’s been called a cross between Rodney Dangerfield and Ralph Kramden. The bottom line is, DiBitetto leaves his audiences breathless with laughter.

He prowls the stage like a Tiger. He holds no hostages. He says what you are thinking but are afraid to say out loud. Oh…and he’s beyond hysterical!

Vic is currently a cast member of the Amazon Prime TV Series Gravesend.

You’ve never seen anything like Vic DiBitetto on stage. So see him on stage LIVE at Westport Country Playhouse!

BLUES ICON ANNOUNCES SHOW IN WESTPORT, CT!!

We are delighted to announce that Mark Naftalin & Friends are coming to VFW Westport on Saturday November 8th, 2025! Noted keyboardist, producer and radio host, Mr Naftalin rose to international renown as the keyboardist with the influential Paul Butterfield Blues Band, with whom he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

For this appearance, Naftalin's band of "Friends" features guitarist/vocalist Paul Gabriel (Blue In The Face, Paul Gabriel Blues Band, Connecticut Blues Society Lifetime Achievement Award); singing harmonicist Mark Zaretsky (Cobalt Rhythm Kings, The Chicago Dawgs/Finalist 2025 Connecticut Blues Challenge) and guitarist/vocalist JD Seem (Faster Things - Allman Brothers Tribute, Southern Fried, JDs Jam at The Granite).

Pathbreakers in the 1960s blues boom, the inter-racial Butterfield Band opened doors for blues masters like B.B. King and Muddy Waters, and Naftalin went on to record and/or concertize with a host of blues stars, including Michael Bloomfield, James Cotton, Lowell Fulson, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Percy Mayfield, Carla Thomas, Irma Thomas, Otis Rush, Big Mama Thornton, Big Joe Turner, and many others. 

Living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area, Naftalin produced more than 1,300 blues radio broadcasts on three FM stations and more than 30 blues festivals. His Blue Monday Party, a weekly blues show and dance in the Bay Area (1979-83) featured more than 60 blues artists and groups and was the scene of 86 live radio broadcasts and three TV specials. 

In 2002, Mark and his wife, Ellen, moved to Westport, which is Ellen's hometown. His monthly broadcast, The Mark Naftalin Show, is now in its tenth year on Bridgeport's WPKN (89.5 FM, streaming world-wide at wpkn.org). 

Advance Tickets are on sale NOW at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/buy-tickets-here/mark-naftalin-friends

The VFW Westport is located at 465 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT. 203-227-6796 https://vfw399ct.org