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TagsHistoric past comes alive at Jazz by the Sea Summer Concerts
BY SUZANNE CLOUD
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
It was one of those perfect moments: The natural setting sun colliding into the garish casino glitter, scattering and then ricocheting off the burnished tenor saxophone of Joe Lucato as he soloed on the Jimmy Smith tune "Minor Chant."
Dunes spotted with fluttering sea oats in a gentle breeze were the pinkish backdrop to the blistering band as they gruffly laid down "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," and landed into a silky duet of "Makin' Whoopee," soulfully sung by Lolita Treadwell and organist Dan Fogel. It was almost too much for the senses to take in.
Nestled on the Atlantic City boardwalk at Missouri Avenue is a bandstand where you can see and hear some of the best jazz musicians around in a summer setting that beats anything inside the gaming joints.
The Jazz by the Sea Summer Concerts are happening at the famous Chicken Bone Beach where African-Americans came to enjoy the surf after the beachfront hotels racially shut them out for most of the first half of the 20th century.Henrietta Shelton, founder of the Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation, started these concerts 13 years ago.
"I was raised in Atlantic City and we used to come here when I was young. I saw Sammy Davis Jr. and Sarah Vaughan right here. Whenever they worked the Kentucky Avenue nightclubs, they'd come to this beach to relax and have fun."
After the historic Kentucky Avenue nightclub district was stupidly bulldozed by the Casino Reinvestment and Development Authority to build a shopping center in 1996, the mayor decided that some part of the vibrant history of the city had to be protected, so he designated Chicken Bone Beach a historical landmark in 1997.
Since then Ms. Shelton has worked tirelessly to keep the past alive.
"When you look at Atlantic City now, you don't see the rich African-American experience. But back in the day, the black community was so dynamite. Everybody flocked here – entrepreneurs, entertainers, businessmen – because of what was created here. It was phenomenal! And our kids know nothing about this, so we wanted to tell the story of black Atlantic City."
As the sun finally set behind the mammoth casinos, the stage lights came up to give a cool summer night glow to the leader of the next band-the legendary saxophonist Bootsie Barnes.
He brought with him some powerhouse musicians, which included the just-out-of-high-school drummer Justin Faulkner (who's been making the jazz circuit with Branford Marsalis), bassist Lee Smith (the proud father of bassist Christian McBride), pianist Lucas Brown and trumpeter Dahoud El-Bakara.
They opened with a Kenny Dorham hard bop composition, "Short Story," pouncing on an audience ready to have their senses stretched. Bootsie never let them go until the end of the evening when the listeners, black and white, young and old, finally took a breath and reluctantly tuned back in to the usual boardwalk vibe for their trip home.
Henrietta Shelton is a one-woman show in that she is not only the moving force behind the concerts, but also seems to do almost everything else to get the music on the stage.
"Bally's and Caesars have helped us a lot, but this year, we wouldn't have had the concerts if the Atlantic City Free Library hadn't stepped in."
Other past sponsors like the N.J. Council of the Arts and Comcast have ponied up some money, but it has been a struggle.
"I need volunteers and a grant writer. So many things need doing, but I'll keep going because it's important to remember. I always say to the young people, ‘If you don't remember Chicken Bone Beach, just ask your grandmother and watch her smile.' "
The Jazz by the Sea Concert Series, located at Kennedy Plaza on the boardwalk, is ongoing every Thursday throughout the summer. The rest of this season features guitarist Monnette Sudler on July 16; pianist Orrin Evans on August 6; saxophonist Tia Fuller on August 13; and pianist Helen Sung on August 20.
The concerts start at 7 p.m. and go until 10 p.m. Visit www.chickenbonebeach.org or call 609-841-6897 for more info. The best part is that the perfect moment is free. Just bring your ears.
Suzanne Cloud PhD; Writer/Editor/Researcher can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
