top of page

RiverTowne Players are ecstatic to welcome back the
incomparable Ben Sparrow for his annual Summer Jazz concert!

A North Carolina native and graduate of East Carolina University, saxophonist Ben
Sparrow has been active on the South Florida music scene for well over a decade. His
performance credits include The Drifters, the North Carolina Symphony, Under The
Streetlamp as well as Brazilian jazz artists Phill Fest, Nanny Assis, & Isac Jamba. Ben
has appeared at numerous festivals and concert series including the Palm Beach
International Jazz Festival, Jazz Fest Pompano Beach, Fiesta Sunset Jazz in the
Dominican Republic, and the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago. In July
2025, Ben will be performing at Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City as a member of
the Brazilian big band Gafieira Rio Miami.


This year’s concert is truly special, featuring Grammy-nominated pianist Ernest Turner, 

whose career spans two decades of collaborations with

jazz and pop icons like Delfeayo Marsalis, John Legend, and Raphael Saadiq. They will

be joined by Thomas Taylor Jr., one of the most sought-after drummers in the
Southeast, and Christopher Law, an accomplished bassist and graduate student at
Peabody Institute in Baltimore. New Bern singer John Van Dyke will add his soulful
vocal stylings to the mix, completing an extraordinary ensemble!


This year's program features a myriad of diverse compositions, ranging from Fats Waller's 'Jitterbug Waltz,' to the Cuban bolero, 'Tres Palabras' and Duke Ellington's immortal 'It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing.' Whether you're a lifelong jazz aficionado or exploring the genre for the first time, this
evening promises to be a world-class experience, right in the heart of New Bern.

Ernest Turner, Keyboards * Ben Sparrow, Sax * Thomas Taylor Jr, Drums * Christopher Law, Bass * John Van Dyke, Vocals 
bottom of page