Photos: Facebook
HARLEM, NY, July 9, 2025 – New Yorkers know it’s summer when the City’s parks and outdoor spaces come alive with the sound of Jazzmobile’s 60th annual Summerfest series, which premieres on stages throughout the city’s five boroughs with an outstanding roster of nearly 30 jazz stars and emerging talents from July 9 to September 12. Jazzmobile’s much anticipated return provides audiences with another year of exceptional musical performances that reflect New York City’s dynamic diversity, from straight-ahead, Latin, post-bop, blues, swing stylings and genres and beyond.
Highlights from the 60th anniversary lineup include bassists Ron Carter, Paul West, Mimi Jones; vocalists Allan Harris, Charenee Wade, Christie Dashiell, Antoinette Montague, Lynette Washington; trumpeters James Zollar, Jeremy Pelt; drummers/percussionists Terri Lyne Carrington, Bobby Sanabria, Winard Harper, Darrell Green; saxophonists Donald Harrison, Camille Thurman (also a vocalist), T.K. Blue, Patience Higgins, Houston Person; pianists Danny Mixon, Amina Figarova; and more.
Jazzmobile continues its longtime Harlem residences at Grant’s Tomb on Wednesdays and at Marcus Garvey Park | the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater on Fridays. Summerfest also returns to Central Park for the annual Great Jazz on the Great Hill in Central Park, presented in partnership with the Central Park Conservancy, featuring The George Gee Swing Orchestra, Lezlie Harrison, Josh Evans, and others.In partnership with the City Parks Foundation| SummerStage and Jazzmobile’s Summerfest will present Terri Lyne Carrington “We Insist 2025’ with Christie Dashiell; and opening night of the Charlie Parker Festival with Ron Carter’s Great Big Band and vocalist April May Webb and S.O.A.R. at Marcus Garvey Park. Ms. Webb is the 2025 winner of the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition!
On Friday evenings in July, Jazzmobile with the Classical Theater in Harlem invite the audience to enjoy an evening of jazz and theater at Marcus Garvey Park. Following the JZM concert CTH will present a brilliant performance of MEMNON.
Over the years, SUMMERFEST has remained a free concert series thanks, in part, to generous donors such as: The Mellon Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, The New York State Council on the Arts, the Harlem Community Development Corporation, West Harlem Development Corporation, George and Joyce Wein Foundation, television partner PIX11 and Steinway & Sons.
All SUMMERFEST concerts are free, weather permitting and subject to change. On Wednesday evenings, depending on availability, concerts may be moved to the Interchurch Center 61 Claremont Avenue.
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2025 SUMMERFEST60 SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 | 7:00-8:30 pm
PAUL WEST & THE BETHUNE BIG BAND
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST., HARLEM
FRIDAY, JULY 11 | 7:00-8:15 pm
ALLAN HARRIS: THE POETRY OF JAZZ CD RELEASE CONCERT
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
THE RICHARD RODGERS AMPHITHEATER
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST., HARLEM
SATURDAY, JULY 12 | 3:00-4:30 pm
ANTOINETTE MONTAGUE with DANNY MIXON & FRIENDS
500 MACDONOUGH ST.BLOCK ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL PARTY, BROOKLYN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 | 7:00-8:30 pm
WINARD HARPER & JELI POSSE
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR. & WEST 122ND ST., HARLEM
FRIDAY, JULY 18 | 7:00-8:15 pm
CRAIG HARRIS BAND
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
THE RICHARD RODGERS AMPHITHEATER
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST., HARLEM
WEDNESDAY JULY 23 | 7:00-8:30 pm
JEREMY PELT QUARTET
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR. & WEST 122ND ST, HARLEM
FRIDAY, JULY 25 | 7:00-8:15 pm
CHARENEE WADE “Songs of 3 Divas: Anita Baker, Phyllis Hyman, Roberta Flack
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
THE RICHARD RODGERS AMPHITHEATER
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST., HARLEM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 | 7:00-8:30 pm
CAMILLE THURMAN & DARRELL GREEN QUARTET
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR. & WEST 122ND ST, HARLEM
FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 | 7:00-8:30 pm
AMINA FIGAROVA SEXTET
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
THE RICHARD RODGERS AMPHITHEATER
5th AVE. & WEST 124TH ST., HARLEM
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 | 6:00-7:30 pm
Rain Date, Sunday August 3
LYNETTE WASHINGTON & FRIENDS
SNUG HARBOR CULTURAL CENTER | SOUTH MEADOW
1000 RICHMOND TERRACE, STATEN ISLAND
TUESDAY, AUGUST 5 | 7:00-8:30 pm
“NATIONAL NIGHT OUT”
1. JAMES ZOLLAR QUARTET at DIZZY GILLESPIE MURAL
WEST 135th STREET, HARLEM
2. PATIENCE HIGGINS QUARTET
MORNINGSIDE AVENUE,
WEST 125TH STREET
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6 | 7:00-8:30 pm
HOUSTON PERSON QUARTET
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR. & WEST 122ND ST., HARLEM
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8 | 7:00-8:30 pm
MIMI JONES & FRIENDS
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
THE RICHARD RODGERS AMPHITHEATER
5th AVE. & WEST 124TH ST., HARLEM
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9 | 3:30-7:00 pm
THE GEORGE GEE SWING ORCHESTRA
LEZLIE HARRISON, JOSH EVANS and SURPRISE guests.
GREAT JAZZ ON THE GREAT HILL
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY | A HARLEM WEEK EVENT
THE GREAT HILL IN CENTRAL PARK
CENTRAL PARK WEST & 106TH ST., HARLEM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13 | 7:00-8:30 pm
LATIN JAZZ NIGHT with BOBBY SANABRIA & FRIENDS
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR. & WEST 122ND ST., HARLEM
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15 | 7:00-8:30 pm
TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON: “WE INSIST 2025!” with CHRISTIE DASHIELL
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
THE RICHARD RODGERS AMPHITHEATER
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST., HARLEM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20 | 7:00-8:30 pm
T.K. BLUE QUARTET
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST., HARLEM
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 | 7:00-9:00 pm
RON CARTER’S GREAT BIG BAND
APRIL MAY WEBB & S.O.A.R (winner of 2025 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition)
CHARLIE PARKER JAZZ FESTIVAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY PARKS FOUNDATION, SUMMERSTAGE and JAZZMOBILE | SUMMERFEST 60
MARCUS GARVEY PARK
THE RICHARD RODGERS AMPHITHEATER
5TH AVE. & WEST 124TH ST., HARLEM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27 | 7:00-8:30 pm
NEA JAZZ MASTER AND CHIEF DONALD HARRISON, JR. QUARTET
GRANT’S TOMB
RIVERSIDE DR & WEST 122ND ST., HARLEM
MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON.
ABOUT JAZZMOBILE:
Jazzmobile was founded by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Dr. Billy Taylor, Philanthropist and Arts Administrator Ms. Daphne Arnstein with NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath in 1964. It is the oldest not for profit organization created with a mission just for Jazz. Jazzmobile’s mission is to present, preserve, promote and propagate America’s classical music Jazz.
For 60 years Jazzmobile has been presenting world class musicians and clinicians, further developing the pioneering free quality jazz programs started by its founders. They are SUMMERFEST (NYC’s longest running jazz festival), which has brought free programs to underserved neighborhoods in all five boroughs, on city streets and in city parks; SJW|Saturday Jazz Workshops, which have provided theory classes and performance training from young students to emerging performers for over 50 years training “the next” generation of jazz artists be they professionals or hobbyists. For the non-musician,Jazzmobile offers “Jazz in The First Person,” a series of lecture demonstrations designed to introduce jazz as a music appreciation course for toddlers to seniors. Jazzmobile’s education programs were all designed to be mobile, and like the core performance programs are free to students and audience making them also accessible to underserved communities.
Similar organizations, large and small, continue to emulate the core programs – Jazz at Lincoln Center, the (former) Thelonious Monk Institute, The Jazz Program at the Kennedy Center (co-founded by Dr. Billy Taylor) to name just three. Over the years Jazzmobile and its programs have toured nationally and internationally, thanks to corporate and government support.
Jazzmobile has plans to move into its new offices in the National Urban League Center on West 125th Street later this year. The new location will enable the organization to continue to grow capacity, expand its core and new education and performance programs. Jazzmobile is alsoone of the art and culture organizations in residence at the Victoria Theater Center. Both are in Central Harlem on West 125th Street. www.jazzmobile.org
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