To everyone’s joy, summer has finally arrived: loud splashes at the beach, barbeque pits ablaze, Harlem strolls, and weekly nights at Jazzmobile Summerfest.
New York’s favorite free festival (Marcus Garvey Park, 124th Street & Fifth Avenue) kicks off on July 5 with the intoxicating honey-coated voice of Allan Harris, beloved for his reflective warm tones of Nat King Cole, deep timbre of Billy Eckstine, and Eddie Jefferson’s fast-paced scat. Then there’s Harris’s originality: an enthralling voice that brings it all together with his native Harlem swing. He will be joined by pianist John DiMartino, saxophonist Irwin Hall, bassist Jason Clotter, drummer Willy Rodriguez, and violinist Alan Grubner.
Recently, more people are acknowledging the presence of Black artists in country music, but Harris has been playing guitar and performing country western songs before his creation of “Cross That River” in 2006, which is his musical expression of the Black American West. Harris has become a household name in his Harlem community and as far away as Europe, where he has attracted a strong fan base.
Regardless of what Harris sings, standards, originals or western, it will be a moving journey. Show time is 7 p.m.–8:15 p.m.
Jazzmobile, the city’s longest-running jazz festival since 1964, will offer a string of exciting jazz musicians now through September 30 (Fridays at Marcus Garvey Park and Wednesdays at Grant’s Tomb, 122nd Street & Riverside Drive). The Jimmy Heath Big Band, under the musical direction of alto saxophonist Antonio Hart (Heath’s protégé), comes to Grant’s Tomb on July 10, 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m. NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath noted, “The big band is our symphony orchestra, it’s the biggest sound we get in jazz. You can take a small duet or trio or quartet out of a big band, but the reverse is impossible.”
The inventive trombonist and composer Craig Harris demolishes the concept of genres with every performance. He connects funk, blues, jazz, and sounds he’s experienced from Harlem to Africa. It’s all there, dance, shout, holla. He appears on July 12 at Marcus Garvey Park, 7 p.m. The following day, July 13, the engrossing vocalist Antionette Montague and pianist Danny Mixon step out of Harlem for an afternoon Brooklyn Block Party (500 McDonough Street), 4 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
For a complete schedule, visit jazzmobile.org