David Sancious Returns to Jersey Shore for Benefit Concert...

On Saturday, July 16th, David Sancious, an original member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and member of Sting's touring band in the early '90s will return to the Jersey Shore for the first time in many years to perform a benefit concert for SPARKS International at the intimate new Two River Theatre in downtown Red Bank, New Jersey. For one night, Sancious will play songs from throughout his lengthy career, speak about his music, and meet with fans following the show.

Sancious is widely considered to be one of the most talented keyboard and guitar players in all of music today. He first appeared in the music industry playing piano with Bruce Springsteen on his first two albums, 'Greetings from Asbury Park' and 'The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle', as well as on the title track of 'Born to Run'.

The incredible piano work on songs like 'New York City Serenade' were written and performed by Sancious, who also worked out string arrangements for songs. The name 'E Street Band' was actually taken from the name of the street in Belmar, New Jersey, where Sancious lived at the time.

In 1974, Sancious left the E Street Band to pursue his own songwriting and formed David Sancious & Tone, a jazz/fusion band which released several critically acclaimed albums in the 1970's. Sancious continued to hone his musicianship, and soon became one of the most sought after studio musicians in the business, appearing on over one hundred records. Sancious has recorded with some of the most notable talent in music including Peter Gabriel and Sting. In 1992, he once again collaborated with Springsteen, contributing to the 'Human Touch' album. Most recently, Sancious joined renowned guitarist Eric Clapton on his 'One More Car, One More Rider' world tour playing keyboards and guitar. Sancious is featured on the live album and DVD of the same name. In addition, Sancious also released multiple solo albums to critical acclaim, most recently '9 Piano Improvisations' and 'Cinema'.

Sancious' return to the Shore will benefit SPARKS International. SPARKS, a student-run international humanitarian group based out of Princeton University, stands for Students Providing Aid Relief and Kind Services, and the group's largest project is establishing a permanent facility to house the SPARKS Academy, an independent school meant to educate some of Afghanistan's brightest children. In a country devastated by a generation of war, the SPARKS Academy provides an enriching, educational environment that enables young Afghan boys and girls to receive a level of education that would otherwise be unobtainable in their country. Currently, the school, praised by Afghan president Hamid Karzai, is housed in a temporary facility while SPARKS raises additional funds to construct a permanent institution on land donated by the city of Kabul. All profits from this special show will go toward funding the SPARKS Academy in Kabul.

Tickets for the 7:30 P.M. performance are only $25 and can be purchased online through the Two River Theatre website (www.trtc.org), by phone (732-345-1400), or in person at the Two River Theatre box office located at 21 Bridge Ave., Red Bank, New Jersey - just a short walk from the New Jersey Transit train/bus station.

Where: Two River Theatre, 21 Bridge Ave., Red Bank, NJ (Just a short walk from NJ Transit train/bus station)
When: Saturday, July 16th, 2005 at 7:30 P.M.
Why: Benefit for SPARKS International and the SPARKS Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan
Tickets: $25 (Can be purchased online through the Two River Theatre website (www.trtc.org), by phone (732-345-1400), or in person at the Two River Theatre box office)

Important Links:

SPARKS: http://www.sharethespark.org
David Sancious: http://www.davidsancious.com
Two River Theatre: http://www.trtc.org