The 34th annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival returns August 28-30, closing out SummerStage’s 40th anniversary season with three days of free live jazz in the neighborhoods where Charlie “Bird” Parker played. The headliners alone — Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Joshua Redman, and Ravi Coltrane — would cost triple digits indoors. Here, they’re free on a park lawn.
- Friday, Aug 28: Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem — evening sets TBA
- Saturday, Aug 29: Tompkins Square Park, East Village — evening sets TBA
- Sunday, Aug 30: Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem — afternoon/evening sets TBA
- Cost: FREE — no tickets, no registration
- Headliners confirmed: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Joshua Redman, Ravi Coltrane, plus additional artists TBA
Ancillary free events (Aug 23-27):
- Aug 23 — Film screening: Sun Ra: Do the Impossible + James Stewart Quartet
- Aug 24 — Monday Night Jam hosted by the Jazz Foundation (National Jazz Museum in Harlem)
- Aug 25 — Eddie Allen Quintet
- Aug 26 — Jazz in the Garden: Xiomara Laugart
- Aug 27 — TSQ LIVE + Marcus Printup Quintet
Bring a blanket, arrive at least an hour early for Tompkins Square Park sets (the lawn fills fast), and make a day of it — both parks are surrounded by excellent food and the neighborhoods that shaped the music.