‘Piano in the Parlour Series' will raise money

HACKETTSTOWN - A holiday performance by Bill Mays and Jay Leonhardt will take place on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 4 p.m., as part of Centenary Stage Company’s “Piano in the Parlour Series.” A veteran of such notable New York venues as Birdland, The Blue Note, Iridium, The Village Gate, and more, Mays has been hailed as “one of the masters of color and touch among today’s pianists” (JazzTimes). As a pianist, he has worked with Andrea Bocelli, Rosemary Clooney, Al Jarreau, Barry Manilow, Aretha Franklin, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Mel Torme, Dinooe Warwick, and Andy Williams, among many. A former musical director for Sarah Vaughan, Mays is a also a composer and arranger and has contributed to the recordings and libraries of such jazz greats as Phil Woods, The Woody Herman Band, Shelly Manne and Bud Shank. Called “the ‘Fred Astaire’ of jazz” by JazzTimes magazine, Leonhart has thrice been named “The Most Valuable Bassist in the Recording Industry” by the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, and has recorded with such jazz greats as Marian McPartland, Jim Hall, Urbie Green, Chuck Wayne, Phil Woods and Gerry Mulligan. Music critic Christopher Loudon calls Leonhart “a craftsman so seamlessly smooth that casual observers often fail to grasp the immensity of his talent,” and hails his underappreciated talent as a vocalist as well. Spearheaded by CSC Board Chairman Ed Coyne, the Piano in the Parlour series has been made possible in part through donations made by CSC patrons to restore the century-old Steinway grand piano. Additional funds for restoration came from the Van Winkle Trust for the maintenance of musical instruments at Centenary College. The Steinway “stage platform” was donated by Paul Simone and Vienna Piano in Hackettstown, who also provides technical support for the instrument. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door, and can be purchased by calling 908-979-0900.