On Friday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m., a jazz concert at Ellarslie, Trenton’s City Museum will feature the Joe Baione Vibraphone Experience. The event kicks off the 2026 Trenton Makes Jazz series leading up to the museum’s 2026 Trenton Makes Jazz exhibition.

Ellarslie Mansion is located in Cadwalader Park. The 2026 exhibition will be presented in collaboration with the City of Trenton.

A native of Delaware, Baione grew up in a jazz-drenched musical environment nurtured by his parents, the clarinetist-saxophonist-educator Jim Baione and musician mother, Barbara Baione. Joe studied both music education and jazz performance, graduating from the University of Maryland E.S. in 1995. He is a band teacher by day and a band leader and performer at night.

“The relative rarity of vibraphonists in the history of jazz remains one of the musical genre’s true mysteries. Despite the natural beauty of the instrument’s sound and the historical importance and celebrated popularity of its most famous players – Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson – comparatively few artists have chosen to make the vibraphone their primary means of expression,” reads Baione’s website. “Fortunately, Joe Baione shows that the vibes and the mallets with which he plays them are in very good hands.”

Doors will open at 6 p.m. for the 6:30 concert. Along with music, attendees can have a bite and a beverage at the museum’s special jazz café seating. Admission to the concert is free, with reservations strongly encouraged by July 11 via ellarslie.org/jazz or (609) 989-1191.