60th Annual Jazzmobile Summerfest | July 5th

JAZZMOBILE CELEBRATING ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY
JAZZMOBILE SUMMERFEST 2024,
NEW YORK CITY’S LONGEST RUNNING JAZZ CONCERT SERIES,
FEATURING PERFORMANCES IN EVERY BOROUGH CONTINUES!

HARLEM, NY, July 29, 2024 – New York City’s parks and outdoor spaces come alive with the sound of jazz in the summer, courtesy of Jazzmobile’s annual Summerfest 2024 series, which premieres on stages throughout the city’s five boroughs with an outstanding assemblage of nearly 30 jazz stars and emerging talents from July 5 to September 20. Jazzmobile’s much-anticipated return provides audiences with another year of exceptional musical performances that reflect New York City’s dynamic diversity – from straight-ahead, Latin, post-bop, blues, swing stylings and genres beyond.

Highlights from this summer’s lineup are big band performances by The Jimmy Heath Big Band and Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band; pianists Christian Sands, Matthew Whitaker (piano and organ), Orrin Evans and Danny Mixon; trombonist Craig Harris; drummers/percussionists Warren Smith and Winard Harper; saxophonists Camille Thurman, Antonio Hart, Donald Harrison and Houston Person; trumpeters Jon Faddis and Jeremy Pelt; bassist Paul West; and vocalists Lezlie Harrison, Antoinette Montague and Allan Harris.

Jazzmobile resumes its longtime Harlem residences at Grant’s Tomb on Wednesdays and at Marcus Garvey Park on Fridays. Summerfest also returns to Central Park for the annual Great Jazz on the Great Hill, presented in partnership with the Central Park Conservancy, featuring vocalist and WBGO-FM announcer Lezlie Harrison as host with Matthew Whitaker, Christian Sands and Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band.

In partnership with the SummerStage | City Parks Foundation, Jazzmobile is presenting a Centennial tribute to Max Roach – M’Boom with Horns led by former band member Bobby Sanabria Jay Hoggard with very special guests original band member Warren Smith, Jimmy Owens and an All-Star Band. Jazzmobile also co-presents the return of the Charlie Parker Festival with bassist/composer Christian McBride and Wallace Roney, Jr. at Marcus Garvey Park.

In September, Jazzmobile returns to Marcus Garvey Park with the John Coltrane Festival. Jazzmobile will also celebrate jazz at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens and at the Dizzy Gillespie Mural in Harlem. For updates go to www.jazzmobile.org.

SUMMERFEST has remained a free concert series thanks, in part, to generous donors including The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, The New York State Council on the Arts, the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, the William “Billy” Taylor Estate, the Public Welfare Foundation, the Harlem Community Development Corporation, West Harlem Development Corporation, Con Edison and Steinway & Sons.

All SUMMERFEST concerts are free, weather permitting and subject to change. On Wednesday evenings, depending on availability, concerts may be moved to the Interchurch Center at 61 Claremont Avenue.

2024 SUMMERFEST SCHEDULE

EARLIER THIS MONTH

FRI JULY 5 | 7-8:15 PM
ALLEN HARRIS
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

WED JULY 10 | 7-8:30 PM
JIMMY HEATH BIG BAND
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST.
HARLEM

FRI JULY 12 | 7-8:15 PM
CRAIG HARRIS QUINTET
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

SAT JULY 13 | 4-5:30 PM
ANTOINETTE MONTAGUE AND DANNY MIXON
500 MacDONOUGH ST. BLOCK PARTY
BROOKLYN

WED JULY 17 | 7-8:30 PM
PATIENCE HIGGINS QUARTET
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST.
HARLEM

FRI JULY 19 | 7-8:15 PM
DANNY MIXON QUARTET
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

WED JULY 24| 7-8:30 PM
WINARD HARPER & JELLI POSSE
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST.
HARLEM

FRI JULY 26 | 7-8:15 PM
PATIENCE HIGGINS QUARTET
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

UP NEXT

WED JULY 31| 7-8:30 PM
HOUSTON PERSON QUARTET
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST.
HARLEM

FRI AUGUST 2| 7-8:30 PM
AMINA FIGAROVA SEXTET & THE MATSIKO WORLD ORPHAN CHOIR
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

SAT AUGUST 3 | 3-4:30 PM | RAIN DATE AUGUST 4 | 3-4:30PM
Multi-Grammy Nominated
BOBBY SANABRIA NONET
SNUG HARBOR CULTURAL CENTER
1000 RICHMOND TERRACE
STATEN ISLAND

WED AUGUST 6| 7-8:30 PM
JAAMBO WITH BABA DON EATON
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
PRESENTED WITH THE 32ND POLICE PRECINCT AND THE NEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUP
DIZZY GILLESPIE MURAL
ON WEST 135TH ST. | NEAR ADAM CLAYTON POWELL, JR. BOULEVARD
HARLEM

WED AUGUST 7 | 7-8:30 PM
BRIANNA THOMAS QUARTET
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST.
HARLEM

FRI AUGUST 9| 3-7:00 PM
STATE SENATOR CORDELL CLEARE 2ND ANNUAL AFRO-LATIN JAZZ CELEBRATION
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

SAT AUGUST 10 | 3:30-7:00 PM
GREAT JAZZ ON THE GREAT HILL
PRESENTED WITH THE CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY, A HARLEM WEEK EVENT
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUP, THE GREATER HARLEM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
FEATURING LEZLIE HARRISON, MATTHEW WHITAKER, CHRISTIAN SANDS AND ORRIN EVANS & THE CAPTAIN BLACK BIG BAND
GREAT HILL, CENTRAL PARK AT 106TH ST.
MANHATTAN

WED AUGUST 14| 7-8:30 PM
WILLIE VILLAGES & THE JOE CUBA SEXTET
A HARLEM WEEK EVENT
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUP
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST.
HARLEM

FRI AUGUST 16 | 7-8:30 PM
MAX ROACH CENTENNIAL TRIBUTE OF M’BOOM WITH HORNS
FEATURING FOUNDING M’BOOM MEMBER WARREN SMITH, FORMER M’BOOM MEMBER BOBBBY SANABRIA PLUS JAY HOGGARD, JIMMY OWENS, PATIENCE HIGGINS, CAMILLE THURMAN, CRAIG HARRIS AND MORE, PLUS THE KOJO MELCHE’ RONEY EXPERIENCE
PRESENTED WITH SUMMERSTAGE | CITY PARKS FOUNDATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUP
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

SAT AUGUST 17 | TIME TBA
ANTHONY HERVEY QUARTET
3:00-4:30 PM
LOUIS ARMSTRONG HOUSE MUSEUM
34-56 107TH STREET
QUEENS

WED AUGUST 21| 7-8:30 PM
HOLDING TO ANNOUNCE ARTIST
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST.
HARLEM

THUR AUGUST 22 | 7-8:30 PM
JEREMY PELT QUINTET
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

FRI AUGUST 23 | 7-9:30 PM
THE CHARLIE PARKER FESTIVAL
PRESENTED WITH SUMMERSTAGE | CITY PARKS FOUNDATION |
CHRISTIAN McBRIDE BIG BAND | WALLACE RONEY, JR. QUARTET
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

WED AUGUST 28| 7-8:30 PM
NEA JAZZ MASTER, “BIG CHIEF” DONALD HARRISON
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST.
HARLEM

FRI AUGUST 30 | 6:30-9:00 PM |CONCERT & FILM
MULTI-GRAMMY NOMINATED BOBBY SANABRIA MULTIVERSE BIG BAND
AND FILM PRESENTED BY IMAGENATION, DETAILS TO FOLLOW
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

FRI SEPTEMBER 20 | TIME TBA
JOHN COLTRANE TRIBUTE CONCERT
PRESENTED WITH STATE SENATOR CORDELL CLEARE
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW HERITAGE THEATRE GROUP & MUJIB MANNAN
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST.
HARLEM

ABOUT JAZZMOBILE: Jazzmobile was founded by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Dr. Billy Taylor, Philanthropist and Arts Administrator Ms. Daphne Arnstein with NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath in 1964. It is the oldest non-profit organization created with a mission just for jazz. Jazzmobile’s mission is to present, preserve, promote, and propagate America’s classical music jazz.

For 60 years Jazzmobile has been presenting world-class musicians and clinicians, further developing the pioneering free quality jazz programs started by its founders. They are SUMMERFEST (NYC’s longest-running jazz festival), which has brought free programs to underserved neighborhoods in all five boroughs, on city streets and in city parks; SJW|Saturday Jazz Workshops, which have provided theory classes and performance training from young students to emerging performers for over 50 years, training “the next” generation of jazz artists, be they professionals or hobbyists. For the non-musician, Jazzmobile offers “Jazz in The First Person,” a series of lecture demonstrations designed to introduce jazz as a music appreciation course for toddlers to seniors. Jazzmobile’s education programs were all designed to be mobile, and like the core performance programs, are free to students and audience making them also accessible to underserved communities.

Similar organizations, large and small, continue to emulate the core programs – Jazz at Lincoln Center, the (former) Thelonious Monk Institute, The Jazz Program at the Kennedy Center (co-founded by Dr. Billy Taylor) to name just three. Over the years, Jazzmobile and its programs have toured nationally and internationally, thanks to corporate and government support.

Jazzmobile will move into its new offices in the National Urban League Center on West 125th Street scheduled to open by 2025. The new location will enable the organization to continue to expand its core and new programs such as online education and performance programs. Jazzmobile will also be one of the art and culture organizations in residence at the Victoria Theater Center. Both are in Central Harlem on West 125th Street. www.jazzmobile.org

Carolyn McClair Public Relations