Outdoor Lunchtime Jazz Concerts Return This August To Brooklyn Borough Hall

Published by Office of the Brooklyn Borough President on

Partnering with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Jazz Foundation of America, Borough President Antonio Reynoso brings back popular free series

BROOKLYN, NY (July 21, 2022) Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso today announced the return of the popular outdoor, free, lunchtime jazz concerts in Columbus Park in Downtown Brooklyn. Partnering with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Jazz Foundation of America, and supported by EmblemHealth, local jazz artists will perform every Tuesday in August between 12:00PM and 1:30PM. Performers will include Eric Wyatt (August 2nd), Steve Cromity (August 9th), Willie Martinez (August 16th), and Patsy Grant (August 23rd).

“We said that this would be the summer New York City comes alive again after the pandemic, and we’re seeing that right in front of our eyes with all the music and community events taking place across our beautiful Brooklyn, including our Borough Hall jazz concerts,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “It’s been a pleasure to work with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and the Jazz Foundation of America to bring back this beloved series, featuring all homegrown, Brooklyn jazz artists. We hope you come spend your lunchtime with us Tuesdays in August.”

“We’re so excited to be partnering with the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office and the Jazz Foundation on this series of lunchtime Jazz concerts,” said President of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership Regina Myer. “Being able to highlight Brooklyn’s homegrown talent right here in Downtown Brooklyn is such a privilege, and I hope everyone comes out to enjoy the music and our great outdoors. To be back after two years of being unable to stage this series is a great sign that Brooklyn – and NYC – is back.”

“In the course of 30 years of helping greats of jazz and blues music nationwide, the Jazz Foundation of America has gotten to know Brooklyn through the endless stream of brilliant musicians who are a product of the borough,” said Executive Director of Jazz Foundation of America Joe Petrucelli. “We are so pleased to be partnering with Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership on this lunchtime series, which will put some superlative local talent on stage right in the heart of Brooklyn. It’s an ideal way to create new, meaningful work opportunities for fantastic musicians, in a unique and celebratory setting.”

The lineup for the series is as follows:

Eric Wyatt

Tuesday, August 2 | 12PM – 1:30PM

Wyatt is a tenor, alto, and soprano saxophonist born in Brooklyn. Son of Charles Jolly Wyatt and godson of Sonny Rollins, Wyatt grew up around Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dexter Gordon, Gary Bartz, Big Nick Nicholas, Gilley Coggins, Wilber Ware, and Dizzy Gillespie. He has toured internationally and has played with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, Jeff Tain Watts, Roy Hargrove, Bob Crenshaw, Al Foster, Rufus Reid, Warren Wolf, Wallace Roney, and Steve Jordan.

Steve Cromity

Tuesday, August 9 | 12PM – 1:30PM

Brooklynite Steve Cromity Steve is a talented singer with a bebop style who has worked many top NYC jazz establishments such as the Lenox Lounge, Birdland, and Smoke, and with great musicians including James Weidman, Eric Wyatt, and Craig Haynes. “A talented singer with impeccable diction and an ear for great songs.” – All About Jazz

 

Willie Martinez

Tuesday, August 16 | 12PM – 1:30PM

Willie Martinez is a world class drummer/percussionist and vocalist who has worked with artists like Chico O’Farrill, Benny Powell, Hilton Ruiz, Ray Santos, Steve Turre, and George Cables. He has played everywhere from CBGB to Carnegie Hall and held a long-running monthly show at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe with his band La Familia. He was recently named “New Yorker of the Week” by NY1 for his weekly outdoor concerts, which enlivened his Brooklyn neighborhood throughout the pandemic. His Latin Jazz Collective is comprised of some of the most accomplished leaders in the genre. Their music exhibits the timeless marriage of Afro Caribbean rhythms and the harmonic vocabulary and improvisational spirit of jazz.

Patsy Grant

Tuesday, August 23 | 12PM – 1:30PM

A soulful song interpreter admired among her musician peers, Patsy Grant has long been an inspiration to those in the know. Cherished in the Brooklyn jazz world for her many spirited performances at spots like Brownstone Jazz and 966, she always brings wonderful musicians and builds a strong rapport with each audience.

More details about the series can be found here.

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