A Celebration of the Trailblazers Of Jazz Comes To The Bickford Theatre, 2/26

Dan Levinson and his all-star band celebrate the music of those early days of jazz at the Bickford Theatre for one night only on Monday, February 26th at 7:30 pm. Entitled Dan Levinson's Jazz 101: The Trailblazers of America's Original Art Form, the concert features the music of King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Jelly Roll Morton, The New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Clarence Williams, Eddie Condon, Duke Ellington and more.

It was February 1917 when the Victor Talking Machine Company recorded two songs by five musicians from New Orleans called the "Original Dixieland Jass Band." The record became a hit and the music which became known as jazz swept across the country.

And now, 101 years later, Dan Levinson and his ensemble will take you back to that exciting first decade of jazz with an evening of the red-hot music that propelled a nation into The Jazz Age. Joining the popular clarinetist will be Mike Davis on cornet, Jim Fryer on trombone and tuba, Dalton Ridenhour on piano, Joanna Sternberg on bass, and Steve "Spoons" Torrico on the vintage drum set.

Levinson has become one of the most prolific musicians in jazz today, appearing or recording with a who's who of top artists including Dick Hyman, Mel Torme, Wynton Marsalis, Vince Giordano, and Randy Reinhart. Last fall, Dan was honored with the Hot House Jazz Magazine Fans Decision Award as Best Clarinet and he has appeared on more than 60 CDs.

"This concert is an opportunity for us to perform the groundbreaking musical masterpieces from the decade following the release of the first jazz phonograph record," said Dan Levinson. "We'll be playing Kid Ory's 'Ory's Creole Trombone,' King Oliver's 'Dipper Mouth Blues,' Clarence Williams' 'Cakewalking Babies,' which featured two budding jazz icons named Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton's 'Black Bottom Stomp,' Louis Armstrong's 'Potato Head Blues,' Duke Ellington's 'Black and Tan Fantasy' and other early jazz classics that paved the way for what has been called 'the only original American art form'."

Tickets for Dan Levinson's Jazz 101 are $18 in advance and $20 at the door with Morris Museum members enjoying a discount. 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.