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Saturday, June 6, 8:00 p.m.
JAZZ: Alex Collins Sextet
If you're a jazz fan, you've undoubtedly attended Alex Collins' monthly JazzJams at the Puffin, where up-and-coming musicians are given an opportunity to jam with professionals and show their stuff. This time Alex’s trio really takes center stage to feature his compositions for sextet, which fuse jazz with more contemporary sounds. To his regular trio with Chris Brown on drums and Tom DiCarlo on bass, Alex presents a terrifically talented sextet with the addition of Todd Bashore on alto sax, Steve Carrington on tenor sax, and Yotam Silberstein on guitar. This concert also celebrates Alex’s receipt of a Masters Degree in Jazz Composition from the Manhattan School of Music.

$10 suggested donation.
Reservations highly recommended.

Sunday, June 7, 4:00 p.m.
JAZZ: Angelica Sanchez Quintet
Pianist/composer Angelica Sanchez emerged on the international scene in 1995 when she and her husband, the extraordinary saxophonist Tony Malaby, relocated from Arizona to New York City. In numerous collaborations with world-class musicians, Angelica has left her mark as an distinctive improvisational and compositional voice. Her debut recording Mirror Me was chosen as one of the “Best New Releases for 2003” in All About Jazz and made the top ten Jazz Times Magazine’s Critics Picks as well.

The Puffin concert, part of a tour in support of Angelica’s newest album, Life Between on Clean Feed Records, will feature the quintet’s amazing musical affinity with Angelica Sanchez (piano & compositions), Tony Malaby (saxes), Mark Ducret (electric guitar), Drew Gress (double bass) and Tom Rainey (drums) - all pictured above.

$10 suggested donation.
Reservations recommended.

Saturday, June 13, 8:00 p.m.
FILM: Black Maria Film & Video Festival
Selected short films from this year’s 28th Black Maria Festival winners of the Jury or Director’s awards that feed into the Academy Awards. The short films range from the events and people caught up in the Newark insurrection of 1967 to contestants vying to be the world champion matzo ball maker (Hold the Soup, pictured above) and the Best of Festival winner, Nora, a narrative/dance film about a Zimbabwean dancer that was shot in South Africa and has a n original soundtrack composed by Zimbabwean legend, Thomas Mapfumo.

This special evening will feature Q&As moderated by Festival founder/director, John Columbus, with the following filmmakers:
Faye Lederman & Jeremy Nacht - Hold the Soup
Chuck Schultz & Esther Podemski – 5 Days in July
Gregg Biermann – Utopia Variations

$10 suggested donation.
Seat reservations are available.

Saturday, June 20, 8:00 p.m.
JAZZ/WORLD: Richard Reiter Afro-Jazz Project
Emmy Award-winning composer Richard Reiter’s Afro-Jazz Project features Reiter (sax/flute), Mitch Schechter (keyboard), Josh Rubin (guitar), Takashi Otsuka (bass), Matt Patuto (drums), and Mark Turner (percussion) part concert, part drum circle in which percussion instruments are distributed for audience participation.

$10 suggested donation.
Indoors in case of rain. No seat reservations available.

Saturday, June 27, 8:00 p.m.
ART OPENING: Nature Photography Exhibition
The Teaneck Creek Conservancy’s wetland flora and fauna as captured by the Puffin’s 2008-2009 Art of Nature Photography workshops led by renowned local photographer, Rachel Banai. Methods to be discussed at the opening include close-up and macroscopic photography and the development of unique photographic collages.

Free and open to the public.

Sunday, June 28, 4:00 p.m.
OUTDOORS: Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot)
The Next Stage Ensemble returns with a fast-paced retelling of key scenes from Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. This adaptation, created especially for this Shakespeare Theater of NJ troupe, was developed by Director Jason King Jones, who began with the company as an intern in 1999. Recommended for ages 8 and up. (75 min.)

Free and open to the public. Indoors in case of rain.
Reservations not available for free events.