There aren’t many words to describe the iconic nonagenarian saxophonist Houston Person — his name says it all. While recording more than 75 albums, he has contributed his soulful tenor sound to such notables as Ron Carter, Bill Charlap, Lena Horne, Lou Rawls, Janis Siegel, Grant Green, and Dakota Staton, as well as a longtime collaboration with vocalist Etta Jones, among others.
With such a deep ocean of experience as a sideman and bandleader — one of America’s soul jazz architects — it’s odd that he has yet to be recognized as an NEA Jazz Master. As an elder force in shaping the core of this music while keeping it hip, the 91-year-old remains committed to the swing of it all.
The native of South Carolina, who has spent many years residing in Newark, N.J., travels across the bridge with his fiery tenor sax to Brooklyn’s Billie Holiday Theatre (1368 Fulton Street) on August 21 as part of its Summer Music Series.
The lineup will also include multi-percussionist, singer, and composer Hasan Bakr. With a shining career that spans five decades, Bakr’s music enlists the deeply rooted sounds of his ancestry of Gullah Geechee heritage (descendants of West Africa).
The schedule is rounded out with Brooklyn-based DJ and sound therapist Jahmedicine, known for his spoken words riddled with truth — take a listen to his singles “Equilibrium” and “Things Get Better” (from the Miracle of Existence): “Things get better when you get better/You going to live your truth or AI it?”
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jahmedicine has since built a reputation for creating atmosphere over spectacle, drawing from influences in jazz, hip hop, reggae, salsa, funk, Brazilian music, house, and R&B.
The Billie Holiday Theatre is more than just music; it represents a magnetic force at the forefront of Black arts of the now and artistic endeavors into Black futurism. For times and schedule, visit thebillieholidaytheatre.org or call 718-636-6951.
Atlantic City’s Missouri Avenue Beach, also known as Chicken Bone Beach, has the makings of a derogatory joke, and there were probably many during its heyday of segregation. The condescending name of the beach — located in the then-racially segregated section of the northside of Atlantic City, N.J. (between Missouri and Mississippi Avenues) — referenced the lunches brought by beachgoers who were not permitted by Jim Crow laws to eat in restaurants along the boardwalk or in the immediate area. It remained a “Blacks Only” beach until the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
By no coincidence, the Inkwell, or Town Beach in Oak Bluffs (Martha’s Vineyard), is the popular beach frequented by African Americans, beginning with the Great Migration of the late-19th century. In this instance, the local whites picked up on another harsh reference — “the Inkwell,” referencing the skin color of the beachgoers. In both Atlantic City and Martha’s Vineyard, the Black communities reclaimed their despicable nicknames as an emblem of resistance and pride. The Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation, founded by Atlantic City native Henrietta W. Shelton, installed a commemorative marker to mark Chicken Bone Beach in 2015.
The 26th Annual Jazz on the Beach concert series runs every Thursday through September 3, at Kennedy Plaza Stage on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Presented by the Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation, these free outdoor concerts feature local jazz openers at 7:00 p.m. and headliners at 8:30 p.m.
On August 20, the Amina Figarova Sextet takes to the coastal stage. The Azerbaijan-born pianist is known for her daring compositions of fusion blended with traditional jazz elements of world music. On August 27, the legendary singer Jean Carn takes the spotlight, encompassing her early days in the jazz spectrum with her former husband, pianist and composer Doug Carn, to her R&B days with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff (Philadelphia International Records) and beyond. The beach fest concludes on September 3 with the ever-busy pianist, composer, music producer, author, and radio host Bob Baldwin. He completed 11 albums in January 2026, subtitled the Urban Jazz Music Series. In 2000, he co-wrote and co-produced two songs on Will Downing‘s “All the Man You Need” album. Some of his albums were recorded under his own label, City Sketches.
For a more complete history, read “Chicken Bone Beach: A Pictorial History of Missouri Avenue Beach” (Sunbury Press, 2017) by Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks. For festival information, visit chickenbonebeach.org.
On August 21 at Marcus Garvey Park (124th Street and 5th Avenue), the Miles Davis centennial continues with The Voice of Miles: A Symphonic Celebration, a bold new show that transforms the acclaimed documentary “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool” into a bright concert experience. Through the show, pairing Davis’s original, isolated trumpet recordings with a live orchestra, audiences will experience the sound and story of the genius who reshaped jazz as never before.
Miles Davis, the epitome of cool, blazing the world with music only dreamers could comprehend. That distinctive raspy-gravel voice, Ivy League silk suits, Brooks Brothers, Saks Fifth Avenue. Those groovy flower generation bellbottoms, Afros, Black Power Tribute to Jack Johnson. Vote Miles in the Sky on the corner drinking Bitches Brew watching Black comedy in a silent way. Ssshhhh, it’s Tutu miles ahead water babies splash don’t lose your mind sorcerer someday my prince will come seven steps to heaven out of nowhere Nefertiti milestones Miles smiles kind of blue. Dig the definitive miles sketches of Spain filles de Kilimanjaro, the Miles Davis quintet collectors’ items.
The special Miles centennial at 7–8:30 p.m. is presented in partnership with Jazzmobile SUMMERFEST, Park Avenue Artists, and the Miles Davis Estate. For information, visit Jazzmobile.org.
