It would be dismissive to discuss Chicken Bone Beach Jazz at the Beach without first providing the infamous story about the origin of the beach’s name. It was a derogatory reference to Missouri Avenue Beach, a Black resort destination that was a racially segregated section near the Northside neighborhood of Atlantic City. The condescending name referred to the packed lunches brought by beachgoers who were not welcomed in many of the local dining establishments. Others perceived that these beachgoers left behind an abundance of chicken bones.
The Black community has now reclaimed the name as a park of historical endurance and pride. The beach is now home to jazz, local events, and sunbathing.
Absorb the culture of Atlantic City and its historical Chicken Bone Beach Jazz on the Beach concert series at Kennedy Plaza (between Mississippi & Georgia Avenues) on the Boardwalk. The free Thursday night concerts (7 p.m.), taking place Aug. 7 through Sept. 4, feature a unique mix of well-established artists and the best local musicians.
On Aug. 7, the opening artists will feature the Keith Hollis Quartet (Hollis, a pianist and organist formerly with Solomon Burke); the headliner from 8:30–10 p.m. is creative multi-instrumentalist Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few. On Aug. 14, the IDEA Youth Music Collective (7–8 p.m.) brings together young people from the Camden, N.J., area to explore the jazz artform. The headliners will be the Marel Hidalgo Organ Trio featuring legendary Pittsburgh drummer Roger Humphries, Hammond B-3 organist Pat Bianchi, and the native New Jersey young leader guitar Hidalgo (has already played with Billy Higgins and Radam Schwartz); 8:30 p.m.–10 p.m.
For the complete schedule, visit chickenbonebeach.org and visitatlanticcity.com.
Jazz is swinging all over the Big Apple, as the NoMad Jazz Festival makes its maiden voyage with a family-fun-filled weekend of exceptional live music in Madison Square Park (Madison Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street) on Aug. 9 and 10. Events jump off with a variety of entertaining programs as early as 9-10 a.m. with a walking tour of Tin Pan Alley and Beyond. Aug. 9 features the KongoNola Project at 10:30 a.m. and Goussy Celestin and her eight-piece AyitiBrass ensemble. The performance highlights the musical ties between New Orleans Second Line and Haitian Rara.
For kids, there’s a hands-on workshop where they create their own instruments from recycled materials and small percussion instruments, then join the band in a group jam session that captures the creative, participatory spirit of jazz.
A cross-section of creative sounds that will have leaves swaying in unison kicks off each day at 1 p.m.; the last concert ends at 8:15 p.m. Some of the artform’s high-flyin’ performers include pianist Dabin Ryu’s Trio with leading guitarist Joe Martin and drummer Johnathan Blake; Assase Yaa’s “Hear My Voice,” a fusion of West African oral storytelling and the deep soul of gospel — the truth, pain, and hope; the Roy Hargrove Big Band, with arrangements of a creative big band founded by its namesake innovator; the gospel soul of Lizz Wright; Brandee Younger, who’s taking the inventiveness of pioneer harpist Dorothy Ashby to higher heavens; and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, challenging the tradition for a more creative galaxy.
The live jazz shows were curated by artistic director Rio Sakairi of the Jazz Gallery, in partnership with the NoMad Alliance, Flatiron NoMad Partnership, and Madison Square Park Conservancy. Two days of exuberance; come for a few hours or bring a blanket and spend the day.
For a complete schedule, visit nomadjazzfestival.com.
On Aug. 9, get ready for Jazzmobile’s annual Great Jazz on the Great Hill concert (106th and Street Central Park West) from 3:30–7 p.m. Afternoon performances include a multi-cast of intergenerational artists like the young creative trumpeter and composer Wallace Roney, Jr., who is making a habit of converting new fans, from New York City jazz clubs to international venues. He has earned a reputation as an invigorating artist with a vibrant sound that plays inside the hard bop core through his own flavor of jazz landscapes. His early influence was his father Wallace Senior, his uncle Antoine Roney, Miles Davis, and Lee Morgan. When he’s not leading his band in new directions, he’s a member of Camille Thurman featuring the Darrell Green Quartet.
Josh Evans, somewhat older than Roney, is another young trumpeter bringing his own relevance to his horn. With creative regard for genres, he’s earned a reputation playing with such creative artists as Richard Muhal Abrams, David Murray, Freddie Redd, and Rene McLean. The native of Hartford, Conn., was under the tutelage of the legendary Jackie McLean, whom he also had the pleasure of playing with. As a big band leader, he composes outside of the average big band swing, preferring to take a more dynamic approach.
The celebrated elder statesman George Gee breezes into the park with his 17-piece orchestra. He was inspired early on by the legends Count Basie and Duke Ellington, leading him to form the retro 17-piece George Gee Swing Orchestra. His big band sound has been an electrifying force on the NYC jazz scene.
The day of music will be hosted by WBGO’s own Lezlie Harrison, who will also treat the audience to her soulful blues rendition of the Great American Songbook.
HARLEM WEEK 2025 (HW) is in full bloom. Harlem’s longest-running international summer festival enthralls the community of Harlem and all its visitors from now through Harlem Day on Aug. 17. On Aug. 10, HW rolls out its welcome mat for the AfriBembe Festival of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) as celebrates its 7th anniversary, at Grant’s Tomb (122nd Street and Riverside Drive).
For complete listings of Harlem Week activities, visit harlemweek.com.
The imaginative saxophonist and composer Joe Ford, who studied under the great Jackie McLean and Frank Foster, will be honored on Aug. 10 during the Sunday Serenade series at the Cutting Room (44 East 32nd Street), 3 p.m.–5:45 p.m. The resourceful artists called upon to celebrate “A Sunday for Joe” will include trumpeter Josh Evans, alto saxophonist Bruce Williams, pianist Benito Gonzalez, bassist Lonnie Plaxico, and drummer Kush Abadey.
Ford earned his reputation as a composer as leader of his ensembles, the Black Art Sax Quartet and his innovative big band called The Thing. He released “Today’s Night” on Blue Moon Records (1993), which featured bassist Charles Fambrough, pianist Kenny Kirkland, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts. Aside from engaging with a few of Ford’s original compositions, the band may interpret some of the tunes he played as a band member with Jimmy Owens, Lester Bowie, Idris Muhammad, Ronnie Burrage, and Freddie Cole.
Reservations are strongly suggested; call 917-882-9539.