BLUE CURTAIN IS BACK: The summer concert series presents the Ali Ryerson/Peter Levin Quintet, shown here, on July 30, and the Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra on July 16.

Blue Curtain, a Princeton summer tradition, returns to the Pettoranello Gardens Amphitheater, Route 206 and Mountain Avenue, with two free concerts in July. The Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra performs July 16, and the Ali Ryerson/Peter Levin Quintet is on stage July 30. Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.

Grammy Award-winning pianist Palmieri is an arranger and composer with a unique take on salsa and Latin jazz. Named an NEA jazz master in 2013, he fuses the rhythm of his Puerto Rican heritage with the complexity of his jazz influences: Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, and McCoy Tyner.

The orchestra includes Raul Agraz (trumpet), Anthony Almonte (vocals), Jimmy Bosch (trombone), Jose Claussell (bongo), Luques Curtis (bass), Louis Fouche (alto saxophone), Nelson Gonzalez (tres guitar, coro), Leo Gruber (coro), Nadav Nirenberg (trombone), and Vicente “Little Johnny” Rivero (congas).

Jazz flutist Ryerson grew up in a musical family. Her father, Art Ryerson, was a renowned jazz guitarist who got his start with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, and later became a top studio player in New York City, recording with everyone from Louis Armstrong, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughan to Frank Sinatra. Ryerson has carried on the family tradition, becoming an international touring and recording artist, with performances ranging from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to the Blue Note in New York City and Japan; plus festival appearances worldwide. She has recorded and/or performed with Roy Haynes, Kenny Barron, Hubert Laws, Stéphane Grappelli, Art Farmer, and Wynton Marsalis, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.   

Keyboardist-arranger-composer Levin has performed and recorded with jazz and pop artists including Paul Simon, Annie Lennox, Charles Mingus, David Sanborn, Lenny White, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Chuck Mangione, and John Scofield. He worked for 16 years with Gil Evans, and eight years with jazz composer Jimmy Giuffre.

Concertgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, and blankets. In case of rain or extreme heat, the shows will move to PHS Performing Arts Center at Franklin Avenue and Walnut Lane. For more information, contact info@bluecurtain.org.