After decades of presenting Smooth Jazz in New York as a Producer for NY-based Marquee Concerts and as a Promoter, the founder of the CD101.9 Smooth Cruise is bringing live “Contemporary Jazz” and R&B to New Jersey. Rich Engel is a lifelong New Jersey and NYC resident who has been involved with Smooth Jazz in NY for decades. He is the original founder of the “Smooth Cruise,” a two-hour music saili
ng on the Hudson River, with a view of the New York City skyline. With the advent of COVID-19, the Smooth Cruise ended operations after the summer of 2019. Recognizing that approximately half of the passengers on the Smooth Cruise New York were making the trip from N.J. to see the top names in Adult Contemporary Jazz and R&B, it seemed apparent that a void existed. With too few venues in New Jersey offering live Grammy-winning Smooth Jazz and R&B artists, Engel founded Smooth Jazz New Jersey in 2020. The mission is to bring live nationally recognized contemporary Jazz and R&B music to venues in New Jersey.
