The free Monday night jazz concerts hosted by the West Michigan Jazz Society boast renowned artists from across the region, from Mike Frost to Mary Rademacher Reed. See the full lineup.
For the second year in a row, the West Michigan Jazz Society will set up its popular, free Monday night jazz concerts at Ah-Nab-Awen Park in downtown Grand Rapids.
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Starting June 6 with the Northview High School Jazz Band, the summertime Jazz in the Park series every week will spotlight renowned jazz artists from across the region, including Mike Frost, Terry Lower, Greenbrook, Gustavo Cortinas, Mack Avenue Jazz Band, Mary Rademacher Reed and Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra.
It’s the 16th season for the Monday night series, which last year moved from its traditional location in John Ball Park near John Ball Zoo on the city’s West Side to Ah-Nab-Awen Park in front of the Gerald R. Ford Museum. The move was made partly because rental rates rose for the John Ball Park bandshell and because the city offered to sponsor the series at Ah-Nab-Awen.
Jazz society officials said they “jumped” at the chance to move the series downtown because it gave musicians a chance to play for more folks and offered the potential to showcase jazz for a younger audience “in a prime downtown location.”
When the weather was conducive, last year’s series drew sizable crowds for the Monday concerts that feature the downtown skyline as a backdrop. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets to the concerts.
In addition to featuring the multi-award-winning Northview High School Jazz Band led by Greg Walls, the first show on June 6 will boast presentation of the first Bruce Early Jazz Educator Award to Max Colley Jr., the much-respected and influential longtime director of bands for Northview Public Schools.
This year’s series – highlighting bands from Detroit to Muskegon – also features the society’s 2016 jazz musician of the year, pianist Terry Lower from Battle Creek, who will perform on July 11 with singer Edye Evans Hyde, saxophonist Jim Hayward and drummer Larry Ochiltree. See the full schedule above.
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