Haddonfield might seem like a quiet town, but it has a little bit of jazz and a little bit of swing.
Once every other month on a Sunday afternoon, the Tri-State Jazz Society hosts a fun-filled, old-time jazz concert at the Haddonfield United Methodist Church. This month, on Feb. 15, Jerry Rife’s Rhythm Kings will play from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for the ticket price of $10 or $20.
“We want to make people aware that this kind of music is available to them. They might not know that we have this available in Haddonfield. It’s a very inexpensive Sunday afternoon for enjoyable music,” Dewaine Osman, vice president of Tri-State Jazz Society, said.
Tri-State Jazz Society, a non-profit formed in 1988, is dedicated to the preservation and live performance of traditional jazz including Dixieland, swing, ragtime and boogie-woogie. All concerts are open to the public and feature leading professional small jazz bands and soloists.
“It’s important to preserve the early music that gets kind of set aside decade after decade. It is one of our missions to hold these concerts to preserve this music for the people in this century and in this time,” Osman said.
The Tri-State Jazz Society, in its 26th year, began when a group of 20 people got together in Cherry Hill, all who missed the traditional jazz music. The group decided to organize the Tri-State Jazz Society, and their first concert was in June 1988.
“It was a very grassroots kind of thing,” Osman said.
Since then, it has continued to flourish, and now has a total of 331 members with an average of 150 to 200 people attending each performance.
“A lot of people really love it,” Osman said.
Their selections of bands include local, national and international groups. However, their emphasis is on local bands.
“We want to promote and help local bands. We think it is important to promote local artists,” Osman said.
Osman wanted to note that, not only do they have quality music and performers, but they also have ticket prices very low, so it’s an inexpensive and fun Sunday afternoon. Half-price admission is $10 and is available for first-time attendees and members. General admission is $20. High school and college students with IDs and children accompanied by a paying adult are free. These prices never change, despite the prices for bands going up.
The Tri-State Jazz Society, being a non-profit, uses the ticket costs to pay the bands, the venue and other items. The society is dependent on generous donors and concertgoers. Membership is $20 for the whole year, starting in June, but people are allowed to donate more. The Tri-State Jazz Society honors their donors who give $50 and more, not only by featuring them in their newsletter “The Strutter,” but also with a wine and cheese party after the last concert of their year. Those who attend get a little extra performance treat as well.
“We do it to do something more than them just being a donor and putting their name in our newsletter. We want to give them something more tangible as a way of thanks,” Osman said.
The society hosts performances at the Haddonfield United Methodist Church, and in Pennsylvania at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford. Usually, they hop between each venue every month so it is available to others throughout the tri-state area, though people come from all over.
Whether you’re a fan of traditional jazz, the Tri-State Jazz Society encourages residents and those around the area to come to the shows and enjoy live, old-time music for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
“If they enjoy Dixieland music, ragtime music, stride piano music, it’s available to them on a Sunday afternoon at an extremely inexpensive price. That is why they ought to come,” Osman said.
For more information on Tri-State Jazz Society, visit www.tristatejazz.org.
