The dwindling days of summer are the city’s best live-music window, and Gothamist critic Hank Shteamer handpicked August’s standout shows — in parks, backyards, and on a riverboat. The debut Brooklyn Jazz Festival lands at Prospect Park’s LeFrak Center on Aug. 8 with Jason Moran, Chris Potter, and a rising generation of bandleaders; the free Charlie Parker Jazz Festival returns Aug. 28–30 to Marcus Garvey Park and Tompkins Square Park with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Ravi Coltrane, and Kassa Overall; indie darlings Deerhoof and Water From Your Eyes turn the Liberty Belle into a floating art party Aug. 5 (sold out, but there’s a waitlist); cult art-punk trio Parts & Labor reunite at TV Eye Aug. 7–8; Clipping celebrates the 10th anniversary of “Splendor & Misery” at Knockdown Center Aug. 13; and MoMA PS1’s Warm Up closes its season Aug. 28 with TDJ and keiyaA. The full list also covers a free Toody Cole set in Union Pool’s backyard and Ted Leo & the Pharmacists’ ABC No Rio fundraiser in Tompkins Square Park. Most shows are outdoors or low-cost, and the park jazz festivals are free — pick a night, show up early, and get one last taste of summer’s soundtrack before the fall.
August Concerts in NYC: Bands on a Boat, in a Backyard, and in Parks
Gothamist handpicks the best August NYC concerts — free jazz festivals in Prospect and Marcus Garvey parks, a Deerhoof boat cruise, punk reunions, and more.