In less than six weeks, the City of Cape May will be the stage for the inaugural edition of the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival, November 9-11. More than 100 internationally known musicians will perform more than 50 shows over the course of the Festival, with performances taking place in intimate club venues and on the Main Stage of the Cape May Convention Hall during this three-day event.
Headlining the Festival on the Main Stage at Convention Hall will be The Sun Goddess Tour starring Jazz legend and three-time Grammy Award Winner RAMSEY LEWIS AND HIS ELECTRIC BAND on Saturday at 7:30 PM and 9:30PM. Opening the Festival on Friday at 8:00 PM and 10:15PM will be Philadelphia native son and Grammy award winning jazz bassist, Christian McBride and his quintet - Inside Straight. And a very special and rare jazz session will take place on Saturday afternoon at noon when Chilean vocalist Claudia Acuna performs with her quartet followed by the 17-man strong Captain Black Big Band, led by jazz pianist Orrin Evans and featuring Nicholas Payton.
Club venues up and down Beach Avenue in Cape May will provide intimate settings throughout the three-day festival include: Boiler Room @ Congress Hall, CARNEY’S, Carney’s Other Room, Martini Beach, Sea Salt @ Ocean Club and Aleathea’s @ Inn of Cape May. Performing in the clubs will be world class artists like Nicholas Payton, Mark Murphy, Bobby Broom Deep Blue Organ Trio, the Pedrito Martinez Group, Henry Cole & Afrobeat Collective, Ben Williams & Sound Effect, The Stooges Brass Band, Antonio Sanchez Migration, Joe Krown Organ Trio, Marcus Strickland, and more.
Jazz is no stranger to the City of Cape May with a previous festival having run for 17 years. The November edition of the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival is the inaugural event of a planned series of festivals to take place bi-annually in the Nation’s Oldest Seaside Resort. Spy Boy Productions, producer of the Festival, is committed to bringing a world-class festival to Cape May, which is ideally situated on the east coast with easy access to all major cities. “Music has such a great capacity to bring people together, and the festivals that resonate with their audience seem to be able to bring out what is best in both the audience and the musicians,” stated Michael Kline, President of Spy Boy Productions.
