This Asbury Park music legend likes what he sees at Springwood Park, West Side
Asbury Park music legend Leon Trent likes what he sees when he’s standing on stage at the city's Springwood Park.
“It brings back good memories and it makes me very appreciative of my community,” said Trent, who will perform with Al Torre as the Waterfront Duo at the park's Music Mondays series on July 15. Ms. G and Da Guyz are also on the bill.
Trent was in the top line city group the Broadways in the 1960s, and a young Bruce Springsteen opened for them. Since then, Trent has been a solo act, a member of Waterfront in various combinations, and he recently collaborated with another city legend, Nicky Addeo.
“Sometimes I find myself riding down there if I have to go to the store or something like that,” Trent said. “Just for the nostalgia, being from a kid 6 years old on up, this was my world and it was a good world. It was a good place for a kid if you had the right support system, somebody who really cared about you and made sure you knew right from wrong, made sure you got an education, and made sure you learned the good rules of life and give respect to other people.”
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Springwood Avenue was formerly a vibrant center of music in Asbury Park, where greats like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Fats Waller, Sonny Greer, Lenny Welch, Bobby Thomas of the Orioles, Clarence Clemons and more either came up in or played the avenue’s clubs.
The Broadways, with Billy Brown, Ronald Coleman, Robert Conti, Dennis Anderson and Trent, played there, too, when they were the stars of the city.
Riots during the Fourth of July weekend in 1970 tore apart the city and left Springwood Avenue in ruins. The clubs that were not burned down were later bulldozed by the city. More than 40 years later the city built Springwood Park on a then-largely barren avenue, and it’s become a neighborhood hub with a concert stage.
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Trent is pleased that people are rediscovering the history of Springwood Avenue and the West Side of Asbury Park. The rich cultural history was all but lost for decades.
The Turf Club, 1200 Springwood Ave., the last remaining club on the strip, is undergoing a renovation after near ruin thanks to the Asbury Park African-American Music Project, partly with revenue from its summer series, Tuesdays at the Turf.
The next show is 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, with Kym Still and Reggie Harris at the Blackbird Commons, 131 Atkins Ave. All Tuesdays at the Turf Club shows are there this summer.
Trent's pal Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa donated $100,000 to the restoration of the Turf Club last fall.
“It’s good to see people who are from back in the day, and who appreciate the music and remember the music," Trent said. "The good music doesn't get that much exposure anymore.”
Tent and Torre deliver the “good music.”
“It’s songs that I like and songs that bring back memories because that’s what it’s all about,” Trent said.
Go: Waterfront Duo with Leon Trent, with Ms. G and Da Guyz, 6 p.m. Monday, July 15, Springwood Park, 126 Atkins Ave., Asbury Park, free; asburyparkmusiclives.org.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park music legend likes what he sees at Springwood Park
