COURT HOUSE – The Middle Township PAC announces the final concert for the summer season for Linda Gentille and The Jersey Shore Pops on Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. This final performance ends an extremely successful second summer concert season for the Pops. This concert, “Jersey Gold” will tribute the great musical stars from New Jersey including Frank Sinatra, Frankie Valli, Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, Ricky Nelson and Bruce Springsteen. Special guest vocalists in this concert include Jim Yester, lead singer of the popular 60” vocal group, “The Association” and Broadway singer Jacklyn Buckingham.
Buckingham is making her debut with the pops and is a 2008 Graduate of Montclair State University with a B.A. in Theater and a minor in Musical Theater. She has performed in numerous musicals including Les Miserables, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The World Goes Round and Cabaret. She is currently a member of the Shaken Not Stirred Players whose ‘Broadway By Request’ show has wowed audiences around the area and recently performed to a sold out audience at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut.
Also making his pops guest artist debut is Jim Yester, of “The Association” who was the founding member and original lead singer of the successful singing group: The Association. Yester started his career in 1960 with his brother Jerry and performed throughout California as The Yester Brothers. While fulfilling service obligations with the US Army in Germany, he toured Germany and France for 1½ years entertaining troops with a folk-comedy trio called The Yester Years. They won many commendations and lifted the spirits of many troops stationed far from home.
In 1965 Jim returned to LA and formed the popular group The Association. In 1966 the group earned their first gold record for Along Comes Mary. In 1967 The Association was voted the number one vocal group in the USA. 1967, Cherish became the second gold record for The Association and Windy the third gold record. In 1968, Never My Love became the group’s fourth gold record. The Association had the distinguished honor of outperforming The Beatles and became the number one group of the year. They performed on over 50 major television shows in a period of four years. Jim still performs over 50 concerts a year with the famous vocal group.
The Jersey Shore Pops is a big band orchestra with string section, modeled after the orchestras of the Frank Sinatra era which featured a string section along with the big band sounds. The orchestra was founded by entertainer and conductor Linda Gentille in 2009. The orchestra features 25 of the finest New Jersey musicians either born or based in New Jersey. The orchestra has been compared to the Philly Pops because like Nero, Gentille is also a pianist conductor and arranger. More and more Philly Pops fans have become season ticket holders for the Jersey Shore Pops because of the reasonable ticket prices and free and convenient parking offered by the venue of the Middle Township Performing Arts Center.
The Pops is the resident orchestra of the Middle Township Performing Arts Center in Middle Township which is the most successful and prestigious performing venue in Cape May County, NJ. The performing arts center, located in the center of the county, is a 1000 seat state of the art facility which was built 10 years ago. Jersey Shore Pops has become the most popular show at the theater since it started in 2009 and is the first orchestral series to be held at the PAC. Kay Aspell, Managing Director of the center says,” Gentille is a household name down here at the shore and has been for years since she performed at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City for Donald Trump. As a piano soloist she was the biggest draw for us here at the PAC and now with the Jersey Shore Pops orchestra, she is the hottest ticket in town. People say she is better than Nero and has more stage charisma! We are so excited that this has been such a success. Our patrons can’t wait for the 2012 season show announcements. ”
Some of the talented Jersey Shore Pop’s orchestra members include Clifford Buggs, (Trumpet), renowned trumpet soloist and former leader of the Coast Guard Band in Cape May, John Drechen, Band Director at Lower Cape May Regional High School (Trumpet), Andy Laslasis (Bass), Ray Deeley (Percussion) Angela Guido, Ted Blohm and Jim Tangney (Trombone), Paul Butler, Cindy Yenloevich , Christopher Kobik and Walter Palmer on Saxaphone, Clarinet and Flute. The newly added string section includes: Susanne Di Vincenzo, Briana Saddler, Sandy Miller, Susan Elsayed, Amina Elsayed, Amy Cave, Mary Jo Zahradnik and Edward Lin. The musicians reflect a collaboration between the Pops and the Atlantic Youth String Orchestra.
Clifford Buggs the lead trumpet, is also the assistant musical arranger to Gentille. Buggs recently retired from the Coast Guard in Cape May, New Jersey where he led the Coast Guard Military Band for many years. Buggs stated, “ I was looking for a musical opportunity that would keep me sharp after retiring from the Coast Guard. The timing was perfect for me to join the Jersey Shore Pops in 2009 and I haven’t looked back since. I admire and respect Gentille for her dedication to the orchestra and her vision to create something new and exciting at the Shore. When most orchestras were downsizing, she was upsizing and that takes guts! I like many other members of the orchestra, feel this is the start of something big. It is amazing to see the theater filled each show with people who love the music and Gentille’s showmanship. With her musicianship and charisma, she is a combination of Nero and Liberace that no one has ever seen before. When we perform, it is not just a concert but a high energy and entertaining show.”
When not conducting the orchestra, she performs on luxury cruise lines, including Princess, Oceania, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. . Gentille says, ”I have always admired and been a fan of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops and was approached by our home theater in Middle Township to put together a big band pops orchestra. My great grandfather Albert Deal was an orchestra leader and conductor and I thought it was time to follow along in his footsteps. I have been arranging music for many years and this is the first time I am able to hear the arrangements with a large big band ensemble. It is the most challenging, yet exciting endeavor for me and the musicians are fantastic”
This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The funds were administered by the Cape May County Culture and Heritage Commission, under the authority of the County Library Commission, for the Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Individual tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. A special discounted church/club group rate is available for 20 or more at only $20 a ticket. To purchase tickets for the Jersey Shore Pops, call BP Ticket Office at 800-838-3006 . Tickets can be ordered online at www.JerseyShorePops.org. The box office at the PAC is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM- 4:00 PM for walk in ticket purchases and is located at the Middle Township High School , Exit 10 (GSP).
Photos: Pops special guest artists Jacklyn Buckingham and Jim Yester of The Association” Conductor Linda Gentille and the Jersey Shore Pops Orchestra receive a standing ovation at their last concert Aug. 20, 2011 at the Middle PAC.