Montclair Public Library Celebrates Opening of The Peter Bodge & Seed Artists Jazz Library with Free Concert Featuring James Brandon Lewis
Montclair, NJ — September 10, 2025 — The Montclair Public Library (MPL) and Seed Artists are proud to announce The Peter Bodge & Seed Artists Jazz Library, a landmark cultural resource for the community and a platform for future programming. The opening celebration will take place on Sunday, October 12, at 4:00 pm, with a free outdoor concert on the library plaza—indoors in the event of rain.
The concert features an extraordinary trio: tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, recently named DownBeat magazine’s Artist of the Year; Seed Artists founder and renowned drummer Pheeroan akLaff; and adventurous bassist Jeong Lim Yang.
Montclair has long been recognized as a “jazz town”—home to an outsized number of significant musicians and, in recent years, to the Montclair Jazz Festival. Since 2016, Seed Artists and MPL have partnered to bring innovative jazz and creative programming to the community. In 2019, the partnership launched another national first: the induction of the nation’s first Jazz Laureate, the pioneering modern drummer Andrew Cyrille. Seed Artists continues to champion the public library as a vital free resource for education and culture.
The new Jazz Library honors the life and work of Peter Bodge, an educator, musician, and artist who led much-loved listening sessions at MPL. Built from his personal collection of over 600 jazz books amassed over decades, the Jazz Library is both a tribute and a gift, and through the interlibrary loan system will be accessible to readers throughout New Jersey. Beyond serving as a valuable research archive, it will also serve a jumping-off point for concerts, film screenings, lectures, art exhibits, and youth programming at the MPL, and collaborations with creative partners across the tri-state area.
Peter, who died on September 5, believed in sharing jazz as a living artform and a community resource. Through this library, his vision becomes part of Montclair’s cultural fabric, available to everyone.You can help to fund future jazz programming at the MPL through https://gofund.me/ddcb8c1e2.
Event Details
- What: Opening Celebration of The Peter Bodge & Seed Artists Jazz Library
- When: Sunday, October 12, 4:00 pm
- Where: Montclair Public Library lawn (indoors in case of rain)
- Cost: Free and open to the public
For more information, please visit https://montclairlibrary.org/, or Chris Napierala of Seed Artists at (646) 338-9926.