With a lot of help from many
musicians and patrons "Herman DeJong & Friends" on Tuesday
evenings at the 23rd Street Cafe was started in April of 1990. A core
group with an ever growing array of guests. After five years Herman
"retired" and now the weekly sessions are being run by drummer
'Big Jim" Dofton, one of the founding friends of the group.
Herman is a Holland born Architect and has
been involved in the Philadelphia Jazz scene for decades. The
"Vincent Kling Band" in the sixties, the "Reading
Terminals" in the eighties and in the nineties: Wednesday nights at
the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Second Sundays on Main Street in
Manayunk, Jazz Vespers at Gladwyne Presbyterian Church, Tuesdays at the
23rd Street Cafe and donations of Jazz to numerous benefits in the
Delaware Valley.
At this time Herman is focusing most of his
energy on his practice of designing Coastal Post & Beam Homes
including his oceanfront property in Delaware. A completion date
expected for the Summer ( 2001) and a vision towards promoting Jazz in
Delaware City, DE. (45 min. South of Philadelphia)
