Scott Grimaldi - Woodwinds, Arranger & Composer

Scott Grimaldi's debut album, The Color of Midnight features the artist on an array of saxophones and other woodwinds; he is also the producer and arranger.  Although labeled as an instrumental smooth jazz album, some tracks have an unmistakable R ‘n’ B vibe.  Scott composed three of the tracks and has assembled an impressive group of the best vocalists and musicians to bring The Color of Midnight to reality. After years of not so gentle nudging from legendary record producer, Tony Camillo, for whom Scott played in the studio since the 80’s, Scott finally got his chance to break out his own unique sound on this amazingly innovative project and groundbreaking album, one that cannot be defined by a single musical genre.

The Color of Midnight contains fresh new arrangements of classic hits from Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Henry Mancini, Peter Cetera, Michael Jackson and R. Kelly, combined with Scott’s original compositions Batteries Not Included, I Promise & The Color Of Midnight.  The work identifies his high-energy signature sound.  A fan of jazz can hear the musical influences of David Sanborn, Tom Scott, Hubert Laws and Chicago.

From a gifted, musical family, Scott’s formal music training began with guitar lessons at 8 years old.  A few years later, he gravitated towards the flute in the school band and thus began his serious studies with all of the woodwinds.  In high school he mastered the bass guitar and studied woodwinds with jazz legend, Lenny Hambro while playing on the weekends with his parents’ popular club date band.  After graduation, Scott attended Berklee College of Music, Boston, Mass. Within three years, he was sought after to work professionally on the road as an arranger/woodwinds player for a touring show band.  After a two year stint, Scott returned to NJ to pursue work as a musician in the fields of recording, performances and as an arranger for song writer, Bill Giant. During that time, Scott studied privately with legendary teachers Adolph Sandole and Danny Trimboli and received a B.M. degree from the Manhattan School of Music, NY, NY.

For over two decades, Scott has performed with popular and iconic stage acts that include Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, The Manhattan Transfer, Vanessa Williams, Frank Sinatra Jr., Rosemary Clooney, Linda Eder, The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, The Temptations, Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Duprees and Etta James. His performance work includes several Broadway musicals including “Steel Pier”, “Kiss Of The Spider Woman” and “Me And My Girl”.

As a recording studio musician, Scott was a regular at Venture Sound Studios, playing for Grammy award winning record producer, Tony Camillo.  He played for T.C. Records recording artists that include Freda Payne, The Dramatics & The 5th Dimension and produced Sandy Sasso’s “Mixed Grill”. His musical credits span television, film, and advertising.

In addition, Scott was a recognized industry expert in the field of music copyright infringement.  His transcriptions were utilized by the iconic artists of the 80’s and 90’s, including Janet Jackson, R. Kelly, Billy Joel, Madonna and Aerosmith. His publishing  credits include “The Rolling Stones Singles Collection”, “Phil Spector, Back To Mono” and “Sam Cooke’s Night Beat”.

In the field of music education, Mr. Grimaldi is the co-director of the Jazz program at Princeton High School, Princeton, NJ, and continues to lead his students to national recognition annually.  Scott is also a former Adjunct Professor of the Fine Arts Dept. at Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY, from 1989-2012.  . His passion for developing his own protégés has led to enormous achievements for his private students, including top chair positions in Regions & All-State Bands/Orchestras, NJ Youth Symphony, NJPAC Jazz For Teens, as well as acceptances at the top conservatories in the nation.

 His numerous talents and versatility in many aspects of the music industry have converged to give rise to the production of this new classic of smooth jazz, R & B, The Color of Midnight, the most talked about break out album in the genre in years. 

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Italian American Festival presents Bobby Rydell

Mercer County Park, 1638 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, New Jersey

With a career starting as a 1950’s teen idol, to the present where he pays homage to both jazz and The Great American Song Book, Bobby Rydell’s recording career earned him 34 Top 40 hits, placing him in the Top 5 artists of his era (Billboard Magazine). Bobby’s hits include million selling singles Volare, Wild One, We Got Love, Kissin’ Time, Swingin’ School, Wildwood Days, and Forget Him, selling a combined total of over 25 million records. In 1963, Bobby starred with Ann-Margret in the iconic movie “Bye Bye Birdie.” When the producers of “Grease” wanted to pay tribute to the era in which the popular musical was set, they named the high school where most of the action took place “Rydell High” in his honor. Bobby Rydell tours the nation, backed by full orchestras for large venues or a trio for intimate gigs, enthralling audiences with selections from The Great American Song Book by such composers as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Richard Rogers and more. His 2010, re-released album, "Bobby Rydell Salutes the Great Ones/Rydell at the Copa" was released to overwhelming critical praise for his artistic treatment of these great standards. In 1995, his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania named the street he was born “Bobby Rydell Boulevard.” Wildwood, New Jersey also has a street named for Bobby in appreciation for Bobby’s massive hit, “Wildwood Days.” Bobby also performs regularly in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. For over 30 years, Bobby has also performed in over 700 shows in the must-see production called “The Golden Boys.” 

The Hotel Excelsior Orchestra

Thompson Park Gazebo, Forsgate Drive, Jamesburg, New Jersey

I'll be performing with The Hotel Excelsior Orchestra, playing repertoire from the Tin Pan Alley & Hot Sweet Jazz time period of the late 19th century and early 20th century.  

Evita, Newsies & The Addams Family

Plays In The Park, 1 Pine Drive, Edison, NJ

I'll be performing in three iconic Broadway productions this summer, playing various woodwind instruments in the Pit Orchestra: Evita runs from June 19, 2019 through June 29, 2019. No performance Sunday, June 23, 2019. Newsies runs from July 10, 2019 through July 20, 2019. No performance Sunday, July 14, 2019. The Addams Family runs from July 31, 2019 through August 10, 2019. No performance Sunday, August 4, 2019.