WHAT’S IN THIS EPISODE
- Christian McBride & the Montclair Jazz Festival: Eleven-time Grammy winner and festival artistic director Christian McBride joins us ahead of the 17th annual Montclair Jazz Festival, happening Saturday, August 15th at Lackawanna Plaza. We talk about putting down roots in Montclair with his wife, Jazz House Kids founder Melissa Walker, back in 2005, this year’s Smithsonian “Of the People” collaboration, the Miles Davis and Coltrane centennial tribute, and the full lineup.
- How We Use AI on This Show: Our World Cup reflection reel sparked some listener questions, so we’re pulling back the curtain on how we use AI to produce the show and run our newsroom — see our full editorial AI policy below.
- Madonna, Danceteria, and a Montclair Connection: Madonna’s new song “Danceteria” traces back to Montclair resident Rafe Gomez, who snuck into the real club as a teenager and now recreates its sound weekly on Twitch as “Danceteria Rewind,” reaching an audience of 60,000 around the world — including the story of the night he bought a young Madonna a drink.
- Around Town: Pig & Butter’s corrected opening date (Friday, Aug. 7), Deputy Township Manager Brian Scantlebury’s departure, two firefighter stories, and a frozen yogurt dispute at 16 Handles.
- Camps Still Open: A few spots remain at School of Rock and Montclair Ultimate Frisbee for the last weeks of summer — full rundown in our camps guide.
RESOURCES & LINKS
- Jazz Fest: Montclair Jazz Festival 2026: Lineup, Dates & Schedule (montclairpod.com)
- Profile: Christian McBride: Jazz Bassist, Montclair Profile (montclairpod.com)
- AI Policy: How We Use AI — our editorial AI policy (montclairpod.com)
- Danceteria: Catch Danceteria Rewind live on Twitch every Thursday night
- Camps: The Complete Guide to Summer Camps in Montclair, NJ (montclairpod.com) — including School of Rock Montclair and Montclair Ultimate Frisbee Day Camps
- Got a story, a correction, or a compliment? Reach us at hello@montclairpod.com