Riverview Jazz Secures $15,000 Grant to Bring Avant-Garde Musician Tim Berne to Jersey City
Riverview Jazz, a Jersey City-based non-profit dedicated to world-class straight-ahead and Latin jazz, has been awarded a $15,000 grant from Chamber Music America (CMA). The funding is designated for two upcoming performances by esteemed avant-garde jazz musician, composer, and educator Tim Berne.
The grant is provided through a Chamber Music America Presenter Consortium for Jazz grant in collaboration with Pet Shop Jersey City. This initiative is a component of the Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project and is funded by the Doris Duke Foundation.
Performance Schedule and Lineups
The grant will support two distinct events in late May:
- Tuesday, May 26: Tim Berne will lead the Tim Berne 4 at Pet Shop in Jersey City starting at 8:00 p.m. This ensemble includes John Hèbert, Gregg Belisle-Chi, and Tim Angulo.
- Saturday, May 30, 2026: The Tim Berne 6 will perform at 2:00 p.m. On the RWJBarnabas Plaza Stage as part of the annual Jersey City Jazz Festival. This group will feature Tom Rainey, Gregg Belisle-Chi, John Hèbert, Hery Paz, and Aurora Nealand.
While tickets are required for the Pet Shop performance, admission to the Jersey City Jazz Festival is free.
Pushing Musical Boundaries
Tim Berne is recognized for his specialization in improvised music, creating a style that balances compositional rigor with fluid group improvisation. His work is described as a blend of new voices and ideas, where hypnotic rhythms and long melodies meet jagged dissonances and textural shifts. His performances often feature a lush blend of clarinets and saxophones, layered with percussion, accordion, and guitar.
Bryan Beninghove, Founder and Executive Director of Riverview Jazz, highlighted the significance of the funding and the artist’s contribution. “Tim Berne is a visionary artist that is constantly pushing the boundaries of music and sound,” Beninghove said. “Thanks to this wonderful grant from Chamber Music of America, we are able to present these innovative sounds to our audience at our annual Jersey City Jazz Festival. Thank you CMA!”
About the Organizations
Chamber Music America is a national network of ensemble music professionals founded in 1977. The organization supports the chamber music community through funding programs, consulting services, and its quarterly publication, Chamber Music magazine. Its membership spans a wide range of musical traditions, including musicians, educators, and artist managers.
Riverview Jazz operates as a non-profit organization producing year-round jazz events in Jersey City, including the Jersey City Jazz Festival, to bring the community together through music.
As these performances approach, the grant may allow Riverview Jazz to further expand the reach of avant-garde music within the community, potentially increasing the visibility of improvised jazz during the city’s annual festival celebrations.
