Centennial Celebration of Recorded Jazz Comes to Bickford Theatre in Morristown

At the 'Jass' Band Ball: A Centennial Celebration of Recorded Jazz featuring Dan Levinson's Roof Garden Jazz Band comes to the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum for one night only on Monday, February 20th at 8:00 pm.

Events were in turmoil in February 1917. The world was on the brink of World War I, the Russian Revolution was brewing, and the British Army was about to defeat the Ottoman forces in Baghdad. In New York City, the Victor Talking Machine Company recorded two songs by five musicians from New Orleans called the "Original Dixieland Jass Band" led by cornetist Nick LaRocca. The record that they made has been widely credited as the first commercially released jazz recording and it became a hit, taking the country by storm and captivating an entire world.

And now, 100 years later, Dan Levinson's Roof Garden Jass Band will take you back to that historic moment in time with an evening of those earliest jazz tunes that exalted a war-weary nation and propelled it into a wild, hypnotic jazz-induced frenzy. Joining the popular clarinetist will be Mike Davis on cornet, Jeff Barnhart on piano, Matt Mussleman on trombone and Kevin Dorn on Drums.

"This concert will provide a rare opportunity to hear the tunes that laid the foundation for jazz which is one of our country's true original art forms," said Dan Levinson. "We will be playing many ODJB tunes including 'Livery Stable Blues,' 'Clarinet Marmalade,' 'The Sheik of Araby,' 'Tiger Rag,' and 'Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me.' The intimate Bickford Theatre is a perfect place for jazz."

Tickets for Dan Levinson's Roof Garden Jazz Band are $17 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets may be purchased online at morrismuseum.org, by phone at (973) 971-3706, or in person at the Bickford Theatre Box Office. The Morris Museum's Bickford Theatre is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, NJ, and offers free parking and full accessibility. Box office hours for phone sales are Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Walk-up hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.