By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

On a Friday evening in mid-October, the jazzy sounds of New Orleans echoed from a community in Tinton Falls.

Seabrook hosted 13-year-old jazz and blues piano prodigy Matt Wigler. The musician attracted a crowd of nearly 175 toe-tapping, headbobbing audience members from Seabrook and the surrounding community.

Rave reviews
“The show was enjoyable, and I had a great time,” says Luther Boyer, who lives at Seabrook. “I think Matt is very talented and unusually good for his age. He is a work in progress and has the potential for a great musical future.”

Wigler has jammed with jazz and blues greats such as Deanna Bogart, Buckwheat Zydeco, Tommy Castro, Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials, and Sir Mack Rice, among others.

“Seabrook is a very active community, and our residents love variety, which is why these performances are so successful,” says Director of Resident Life Gary Engelstad. “Some of the shows that Seabrook has to offer are also open to the public, providing them with an opportunity to be entertained right in their own backyard.”

Public performances
Seabrook will hold three public performances in November.

On Friday, November 9, Chris Groenendaal and his wife, Sue Anderson, will illuminate Seabrook’s auditorium with their dynamic performance. Groenendaal has played the role of Andre in The Phantom of the Opera for 860  performances with three major companies. Anderson has conducted and directed several successful Broadway and  national touring company shows. Tickets are $15.

On Saturday, November 17, Tom and Christine Cardaci, better known as “The Lighthouse Hunters,” will present a photographic slide show of U.S. and  Canadian lighthouses. Tickets are $3.