WESTFIELD – The Westfield Memorial Library located at 550 East Broad Street will celebrate Black History Month with a jazz quartet and a presentation by a renowned expert on Louis Armstrong.
On Tuesday, February 17 from 7:008:30 p.m., the Bradford Hayes Quartet will entertain audience members with an evening of jazz tunes. Mr. Hayes, a native of Dinwiddie County, Virginia, has been a force on the jazz scene for many years now.
He has performed at a number of clubs, colleges and concert halls that include Birdland (NYC), L’Entrepot (Paris, FRANCE) and the Beacon Theater (NYC). Mr. Hayes has performed in different musical settings with musicians such as Jimmy Heath, Al Grey, Cecil Payne, Nabaté Isles and Donald Braden, to name just a few His band has also shared the stage with the bands of Chico Freeman, Betty Carter, Joe Henderson, Max Roach, Marlena Shaw, Pieces of a Dream, and Hilton Ruiz among others. He recently performed a series of concerts in collaboration with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as well as a performance with Avant Garde Pianist Steve “Adegoke” Colson at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Mr. Hayes holds a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Music Education from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. He has also studied privately with George Coleman and Charles Davis. Bradford’s latest recording is entitled “The Jazz Life”.
On Saturday, February 21 from 2:00 to 4:00p.m., Ricky Riccardi presents, “Stomp Off, Let’s Go: the Early Life of Louis Armstrong.” Author and Armstrong expert Ricky Riccardi tells the enthralling story of the iconic trumpeter’s meteoric rise to fame. Beginning with Mr. Armstrong’s youth in New Orleans, Mr. Riccardi transports readers through his musical and personal development, including Mr. Armstrong’s initial trip to Chicago to join Joe ‘King’ Oliver’s band, his first to New York to meet Fletcher Henderson, and his eventual return to Chicago, where he changed the course of music with the Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings.
While this period of Mr. Armstrong’s life is perhaps more familiar than others, Mr. Riccardi enriches extant narratives with recently unearthed archival materials, including a rare draft of pianist, composer, and Mr. Armstrong’s second wife Lillian ‘Lil’ Hardin Armstrong’s autobiography.
Mr. Riccardi similarly tackles the perceived notion of Mr. Armstrong as a ‘sell-out’ during his later years, highlighting the many ways in which his musical style and personal values in fact remained steady throughout his career. By foregrounding the voices of Armstrong and his contemporaries, Stomp Off, Let’s Go offers a more intimate exploration of Mr. Armstrong’s personal and professional relationships, in turn providing essential insights into how he evolved into one of America’s most beloved icons.
Mr. Riccardi is Director of Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum, and author of What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years and Heart Full of Rhythm: The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong.
In2022,hewonaGRAMMYAward for Best Album Notes for The Complete LouisArmstrong Columbia and RCA Studio Sessions 1946-1966. He has delivered lectures on Armstrong at venues around the world and has taught Armstrong courses for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Swing University and at Queens College, CUNY. Mr. Riccardi has a degree in Jazz History and Research from Rutgers University.
Other presenters and organizations will be at the library in mid-February as well. ASK, the Aging Services Kiosk will have a table at the library on Tuesday, February 17 from 10:00a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This is a dropin event held in The Gallery area of the first floor. Hosted by the Union County Division of Aging and Disability Resource Connection, this event does not require registration or appointments.
In a one-on-one consultation, a specialist will answer questions for seniors and their caregivers about: Pharmaceutical Assistance, Home Energy Assistance/USF,Cooling Assistance, Home Care, Delivered or Congregate Meals, Medicaid Eligibility, Social Security, Caregiver Relief Programs and Transportation.
On Wednesday, February 18 between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m., the ongoing Women’s Support Group for Cancer will be held in the Local History Room on the second floor. Facilitated by Meredith Shufeld Perrone, LCSW, the group is a safe, welcoming space for women whose lives have been touched by cancer. Whether in treatment, living with chronic or metastatic cancer, or navigating survivorship, women don’t have to walk this journey alone.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of experience in healthcare, Ms. Shufeld Perrone specializes in oncology. She has worked across both inpatient and outpatient cancer care settings, giving her a deep understanding of the medical and emotional challenges individuals and families face. Registration for this support group is required.
The Mental Health Practitioners Book Club will meet on Thursday, February 19 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is open to local area mental health practitioners, including but not limited to: social workers, psychologists, and nurses. This book club meets monthly and members rotate picking books. The February reading will be: Tell Me Who YouAre by Louisa Luna. Practitioners interested in joining this book club must email the Community Liaison, Jack Serzan, at jserzan@wmlnj.org.
Crafterdark will be held on Thursday, February 19 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Crafters are encouraged to bring whatever project they are currently working on to join a group of fellow crafters for fun, encouragement and inspiration. Whether the project is knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, drawing etc., as long as it’s portable, it is welcome. No registration is required.
For more information and to register for programs, visit the library’s website at wmlnj.org.
