Kingsborough presents free jazz concerts on summer nights

June 23, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Free jazz all summer long in Manhattan Beach? Sign us up!

Share this:

Hey Brooklyn, we’ve got the perfect way for you to spend your Saturday nights this summer. And it won’t cost you a thing!

On Stage at Kingsborough, the performing arts series at Kingsborough Community College in Manhattan Beach, is presenting a series of free outdoor concerts on Saturday nights during the month of July.

The shows take place at the Kingsborough Bandshell, located on the campus at 2001 Oriental Boulevard. And all of the concerts start at 8 p.m.

“Our summer concert schedule is tremendously exciting as we welcome some of the most acclaimed jazz artists in the country,” said Anna Becker, executive director of On Stage At Kingsborough. “Each concert will offer a very different experience, from Swing to Blues to The Great American Songbook to modern jazz, and all of them will provide a thrilling evening of music in the shadow of Kingsborough’s lighthouse by the sea.”

Here is the line-up of performers:

On July 5, Jeremy Davis & The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra will perform “The Great American Swagger,” a Big Band tribute to America and great American music. The concert will include patriotic tunes as well as songs such as “Coming to America,” “Route 66” and “Georgia.” Lauded as a cross between “Prairie Home Companion” and the “Dean Martin Variety Show,” this Savannah-based band plays New York City’s hottest night clubs, including The Blue Note.

On July 12, Grammy-nominee John Beasley’s MONK’estra will perform. MONK’estra is a 16-piece big modern jazz band that captures the spirit of Thelonious Monk. Beasley’s contemporary twist incorporates Big Band instrumentation, Afro-Cuban rhythms and modern jazz. Beasley was pianist-keyboardist for Miles Davis, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau and Barbra Streisand, and has played, composed or music directed for “Skyfall,” “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and “Godfather III.”

On July 19, singer Carole J. Bufford will perform with Grammy Award winners Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks. This award-winning show is a musical extravaganza that takes the listener back to the Roaring ‘20s, a time when flappers, vamps and sheiks were shimmying in gin joints to songs made famous by the likes of Sophie Tucker, Al Jolson, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith and more.

Carole J. Bufford is an award-winning vocalist who The New York Times deemed “a 21st Century Barbra Streisand.” Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks are the Grammy awarding-winning jazz age band of “Boardwalk Empire” fame. They have played the Rainbow Room, the Waldorf Astoria, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and in numerous feature films.

On July 26, Swingadelic with guest vocalist Gina Fox will take the stage. Swingadelic, known as New York City’s “little big band,” delivers the traditional Big Band and Great American Songbook music of Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack era. The band has released six CDs, including the Jazz Week chart-topping “The Other Duke,” and has played at Lincoln Center, and other famous venues.

Reservations are not necessary for the concerts. A limited number of seats are available, but fans are also encouraged to bring blankets and folding chairs.

In the event of inclement weather, the concerts will be relocated to the Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center.

For more information, call Onstage at Kingsborough at 718-368-5596 or visit www.onstageatkingsborough.org.