Free jazz concerts on the lawn at Cranbury Park will begin with a performance by the Jim Clark Quartet from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 10. In addition to Clark on saxophone, the group features pianist Alan Eicher, whose fluid, virtuosic style is complimented by the swinging rhythm section of Jim Royle on drums and Dave Daddario on bass.
In case of rain the concert will be held in the mansion. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic and comfortable seating. There is no parking fee at Cranbury Park, which is on Grumman Avenue. The concert was arranged by the Norwalk Advisory Commission on the Arts and Culture in cooperation with the Norwalk Department of Recreation and Parks.
The Jim Clark Quartet plays jazz arrangements of popular American standards, also known as the Great American Songbook. A resident of Norwalk, Clark plays tenor sax with a vibrant sense of melody. The Jim Clark Quartet delivers “Outgoing, imaginative and entertaining jazz†according to the Silvermine Tavern, a regular venue for the JCQ.
Clark is comfortable in a wide variety of musical settings, having arranged for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, as well as pop and rock groups of various configurations. His on-line venture Realsax.com allows him to collaborate with artists and producers throughout the world, adding horn sections and sax solos to their recording projects via the internet. Through the Norwalk Jazz Connection, he provides authentic jazz for a wide variety of events.
“I love playing material from the Great American Songbook with a small jazz group,†says Clark. “It gives me a chance to reconnect with many of the marvelous melodies that I associate with great movies, Broadway shows, and the America of my parents and grandparents. I also enjoy the improvisational freedom that a small jazz group affords.â€
