JazzNights is a series of house concerts begun in 2002 by Mary Wisnovsky and Maitland Jones. Over the years, we have hosted some of the best jazz musicians in the world. We would be pleased to have you join us; just browse the website and contact us if you are interested. Reservations by email to: mjjr@princeton.edu. 

JazzNights (108)

       Nate Radley (guitar) and Gary Versace (piano)

 On Sunday, December 8th at 4 pm JazzNights will present this great duo. The event will be held in the Hockaday/Jones Barn at 78 Moores Mill Mt. Rose Road, Hopewell, NJ 08525. Directions are posted on our website. We are asking for a contribution of $50 per person. As always, we offer about two hours of great music, good snacks, and an open bar. Please email your reservation to mjjr@princeton.edu. You can either send me a check at the address above or pay at the door. Please do not use my defunct NYU email address. If you reserve but can’t make it, PLEASE let me know by email so we can give away your reservation to someone on the wait list.

Last February 19th I was at the Zinc Bar to hear a group headed by Adam Nussbaum with one of my favorite bassists, Jay Anderson. Also in the group were pianist Gary Versace and guitarist Nate Radley, both of whom had played as sidemen in earlier JazzNights concerts. Adam and Jay were great, of course, but I was especially taken by the interplay between Radley and Versace. No surprise; I found out through talking to them afterward that they had played together often and even had a duo CD out in 2023. “Snapshots,” SteepleChase SCCD 31947.

Well, perhaps you know I am a superfan of duets. There is transparency – you can hear everything. And there is no net, “nowhere to run, nowhere to hide” as Martha and the Vandellas would have it. The result is our next JazzNight. 

 Nate Radley is an Associate Professor at Berklee in Boston, and has played with many of my favorite musicians: Marc Mommaas, Ingrid Jensen, Kris Davis (if you haven’t heard this brilliant young pianist, run, don’t walk to do so - got to get her to JazzNights), and Jon Gordon. Though certainly a jazz musician, he’s also fond of country music, and often plays with such groups. There are tunes by both Coltrane and Willie Nelson on “Snapshots” for example.

“Guitarist Nate Radley has one thing that all musicians would kill for: he makes you want to listen.”

                Ken Micallef, JazzTimes

 Gary Versace is not only a pianist, but a brilliant organist and an absolutely astonishing accordionist. You can catch him on that instrument on many of the Maria Schneider Orchestra’s tracks. Gary’s latest CD “All For Now” got a nice 4 star review from Downbeat. He remains in Maria’s Orchestra as pianist, gracing the chair once held by the late Frank Kimbrough - and that’s quite a compliment

 “...endlessly inventive…[he] really has an extraordinary talent.”

      Marian McPartland, Piano Jazz

So, please join us in the barn next December 8.