The Tedeschi Trucks Band kicks off the free summer music season in Central Park on May 18 (photo by Mark Seliger)
To us, the sounds of a New York City summer is the cacophony of free music lilting from parks across the five boroughs, with just about everything under the sun, from folk, pop, punk, and rock to classical, show tunes, opera, and twee. Below is a day-by-day look at who’s playing where through July, including SummerStage, Summer on the Hudson, various programs in Bryant Park and Madison Square Park and on Governors Island, River to River, the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, the Riis Park Beach Bazaar, Hot Summer Nights at Kingsborough Community College, the Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival, NY Phil in the Parks, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech, Seaside Summer Concerts in Coney Island, Summer Sessions at Brookfield Place, the Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series in Wingate Field, Fulton Stall Market, the Washington Square Music Festival, and Celebrate Brooklyn! Keeping watching this space for more series and the August lineup as they are announced.
Thursday, May 14
Celebrate Brooklyn! Dance Parties: Classic Soul Funk, with Sonny Knight & the Lakers and the Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez, Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00
Sunday, May 17
Summer on the Hudson: Mamapalooza Outdoor Extravaganza, Pier 1, Riverside Park, 12 noon – 5:00
Monday, May 18
New Music in Bryant Park: Chris Dingman and Waking Dreams & New Morse Code, Upper Terrace Steps, Bryant Park, 5:30
SummerStage: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Spirit Family Reunion, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00
Wednesday, May 19
Summer on the Hudson — Make Some Noise: A Celebration of Women and Music, Crabapple Grove North, Riverside Park, 5:00
Thursday, May 21
Summer on the Hudson: Locomotive Lawn Live, Locomotive Lawn in Riverside Park South, 10:30 am
Celebrate Brooklyn! Dance Parties: Electro Soul, with Jamie Liddell, Fixed, and Brooklyn United Marching Band, Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00
Saturday, May 23
Fulton Stall Market: Vaadat Charigim, Little Water Radio interview and performance, South Street Seaport, 4:30
Sunday, May 24
Eleventh annual Family Festival, Governors Island, 12 noon – 4:00
Monday, May 25
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: Computer Magic, Heavenly Beat, Nicholas Nicholas, Double Trouble Double Dragon DJs, Tribe Society, Toy Cities, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
New Music in Bryant Park: Duo Yumeno & Robin Verheyen Quartet, Upper Terrace Steps, Bryant Park, 5:30
Thursday, May 28
Summer on the Hudson: Locomotive Lawn Live, Locomotive Lawn in Riverside Park South, 10:30 am
Celebrate Brooklyn! Dance Parties: Latin Jazz, with Poncho Sanchez, Bobbito Garcia, and Salsa Salsa Dance, Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00
Friday, May 29
Summer on the Hudson: Sweet Spot Festival, West Harlem Piers Park, 3:00 – 9:00
Friday Freshen Up: Kelly Zullo, West Harlem Piers Park, Riverside Park, 6:00
Saturday, May 30
Rite of Summer Music Festival: John Brancy and Peter Dugan, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 1:00 & 3:00
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: Iron Chic, Soda Bomb, Somerset Thrower, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
Sunday, May 31
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: Laura Stevenson, Slingshot Dakota, Vagabon, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
Monday, June 1
New Music in Bryant Park: Duo Scorpio & Alexis Cuadrado Group, Upper Terrace Steps, Bryant Park, 5:30
Tuesday, June 2
Summer Sessions: Body Language, Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place, DJ 5:00, live music 6:30
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival: Pete Molinari, City Winery back parking lot, 155 Varick St., 5:30
SummerStage: Lyricist Lounge featuring Scarface, Red Hook Park, 7:00
Chaka Khan will feel for you at Celebrate Brooklyn! opening night on June 3
Wednesday, June 3
SummerStage: Troy Ave, Phony Ppl, hosted by Hot 97s Ebro, Laura, and Rosenberg, Red Hook Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Chaka Khan, Prospect Park Bandshell, 8:00
Thursday, June 4
Summer on the Hudson: Locomotive Lawn Live, Locomotive Lawn in Riverside Park South, 10:30 am
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: Bobby Rush, MetroTech Commons, 12 noon
SummerStage: The Felice Brothers, the Barr Brothers, Red Hook Park, 7:00
Friday, June 5
SummerStage: Lemon Andersen, #LoveHustle featuring DJ Reborn & J. Keys, Red Hook Park, 7:00
Saturday, June 6
SummerStage: Blue Note Jazz Festival, with Meshell Ndegeocello, Roy Hargrove, and Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: Dead Stars, Tribe Society, Toy Cities, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
Fulton Stall Market: Mahogany, Little Water Radio interview and performance, South Street Seaport, 4:30
Celebrate Brooklyn! Creole for Kidz! Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience, Prospect Park Bandshell, 4:00
Angelique Kidjo will make spirits rise in Central Park on June 7 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Sunday, June 7
SummerStage: Angelique Kidjo, Emmanuel Jal, and Rich Medina, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: Cheap Girls, Young Statues, Young and Heartless, Soda Bomb, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
SummerStage: Brooklyn Family Day featuring Unlocking the Truth, Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, Black Girls Rock, and DJ Diamond Kuts, Red Hook Park, 4:00
SummerStage: World’s Fair Anniversary Festival featuring Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Hollis Brown, and Damien Escobar, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, 4:00
Monday, June 8
New Music in Bryant Park: Music From China & Ben Wendel Group, Upper Terrace Steps, Bryant Park, 5:30
Tuesday, June 9
Summer Sessions: Margaret Glaspy, Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place, DJ 5:00, live music 6:30
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival: Pete Molinari, City Winery back parking lot, 155 Varick St., 5:30
Thursday, June 11
Summer on the Hudson: Locomotive Lawn Live, Locomotive Lawn in Riverside Park South, 10:30 am
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: Andra Day with the Kate Davis Band, MetroTech Commons, 12 noon
SummerStage: Duck Down Twenty-Year Anniversary BBQ featuring Boot Camp Clik & Friends, Kirk Knight & CJ Fly of Pro Era, Chelsea Reject, and Statik Selektah, Betsy Head Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Krosfyah featuring special guests Lead Pipe & Saddis / Something Positive, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Friday, June 12
SummerStage: Horace Brown, Jeff Redd, DJ Chuck Chillout, and DJ Mell Starr, Betsy Head Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Esperanza Spalding Presents: Emily’s D+Evolution, José James, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Saturday, June 13
Big Apple Barbecue Block Party: Reed Turner Band (1:00), Shook Twins (2:45), Andrew Combs (4:30), Madison Square Park
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: The Rooks, Douglas and the Goodharts, Nikhil P. Yerawadekar, Low Mentality, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
SummerStage: Lettuce, the Soul Rebels, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 3:00
SummerStage: Nuyorican Poets Café featuring Elaine Del Valle’s Brownsville Bred, Betsy Head Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Lucius, Luke Temple, Pavo Pavo, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:00
Sunday, June 14
Big Apple Barbecue Block Party: Whiskey Shivers (1:00), Nikki Lane (2:45), Jonny Fritz (4:30), Madison Square Park
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra and DJ Mickey Perez, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
SummerStage: Brooklyn Family Day with Martha Redbone and Ebony Hillbillies, Betsy Head Park, 4:00
SummerStage: DJ Fulano and screening of Annie (Will Gluck, 2014), Betsy Head Park, 7:00
The Metropolitan Opera will visit six parks this summer
Monday, June 15
New Music Festival, Upper Terrace Steps, Bryant Park, 4:00 – 10:00
SummerStage: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series featuring Janai Brugger, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard, and pianist Dan Saunders, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00
Tuesday, June 16
Summer Sessions: Banda Magda, Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place, DJ 5:00, live music 6:30
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival: Bhi Bhiman, City Winery back parking lot, 155 Varick St., 5:30
SummerStage: Yiddish Soul featuring Cantorial and Chassidic Music virtuosos, including Avraham Fried, Netanel Hershtik, Yanky Lemmer, Joseph Malovany, Lipa Schmeltzer, Zusha, music director Avremi Gourarie, and music supervisor Zalmen Mlotek, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00
Washington Square Music Festival: Stanley Drucker, Joseph Anderer, and Richard Woodhams perform works by Leopold Mozart, Frederico Busoni, Jean Francaix, and Maurice Ravel, Washington Square Park, 8:00
Wednesday, June 17
SummerStage: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series featuring Janai Brugger, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard, and pianist Dan Saunders, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00
SummerStage: Lyricist Lounge featuring Biz Markie and Masta Ace, Herbert Von King Park, 7:00
NY Phil Concerts in the Parks: All-American Program with Joshua Bell, conducted by Alan Gilbert, Great Lawn, Central Park, 8:00
Thursday, June 18
Summer on the Hudson: Locomotive Lawn Live, Locomotive Lawn in Riverside Park South, 10:30 am
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: Erica Campbell, MetroTech Commons, 12 noon
River to River: R2R BASH, block party with Somi and family-friendly activities, North End Way, Battery Park City, 5:00
SummerStage: Taana Gardner, Johnny Kemp, and DJ Yoda, hosted by TC Izlam, Herbert Von King Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! eighth blackbird with special guest Will Oldham, the Bill Frisell Trio with special guest Sam Amidon, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
NY Phil Concerts in the Parks: Charles Dutoit Conducts Petrushka, with soloist Renaud Capuçon, Prospect Park, 8:00
Saturday, June 20
Rite of Summer Music Festival: House of Waters, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 1:00
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: Cvnt Mafia, Sadar, DJ Volvox, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
Fulton Stall Market: Freedy Johnston, Little Water Radio interview and performance, South Street Seaport, 4:30
SummerStage: Jungle and Ibeyi, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! DanceBrazil, Forro in the Dark, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Sunday, June 21
River to River: Annual Bang on a Can Marathon, with Asphalt Orchestra, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Crossfire Steel Orchestra Inc, Vicky Chow, Nels Cline, Corey Dargel, Dither, Gong Linna, Grand Band, Tomoko Kuroki, So Percussion, Bobby Previte, Third Angle New Music, and others, Winter Garden at Brookfield Place, 12 noon – 10:00 pm
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: A Village Raid, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
SummerStage: Brooklyn Family Day with Laurie Berkner, Something Positive, and Brooklyn United Marching Band, Herbert Von King Park, 4:00
SummerStage: The Bullitts + DJ Spinna, with screening of They Die By Dawn (Jeymes Samuel, 2013), Herbert Von King Park, 7:00
Monday, June 22
NY Phil Concerts in the Parks: Alan Gilbert Conducts West Side Story, with soprano Julia Bullock, Cunningham Park, 8:00
Tuesday, June 23
Summer Sessions: Julia Easterlin, Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place, DJ 5:00, live music 6:30
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival: The Ballroom Thieves with Driftwood, City Winery back parking lot, 155 Varick St., 5:30
Naumburg Orchestral Concerts: The Knights — Opening Concert 2015, Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, 7:30
NY Phil Concerts in the Parks: Alan Gilbert Conducts West Side Story, with soprano Julia Bullock, Van Cortlandt Park, 8:00
Washington Square Music Festival: Works by André Caplet, A Poe, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Bela Bartok, Washington Square Park, 8:00
River to River: Krai, by Olga Bell, Pier 15, free with advance RSVP, 8:30
Tuesday, June 23, 9:30
and
Sunday, June 28, 6:00
River to River: R2R Living Rooms with C∆N-D + DRELLA, Vbar Seaport, RSVP recommended
Wednesday, June 24
Mad. Sq. Music: Above Ground, with the Side Project, Madison Square Park, 12:30
SummerStage: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series featuring Kiri Deonarine, Ginger Costa-Jackson, John Moore, and pianist Dan Saunders, Queensbridge Park, 7:00
SummerStage: Judy Torres, Tony Touch, Crotona Park, 7:00
Mad. Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series, with Chris Potter Underground Orchestra, Madison Square Park, 7:00
River to River: “Render & Ritornello,” by Roomful of Teeth, Liberty Plaza, advance RSVP required, 8:00
Lucinda Williams will get reflective in Prospect Park on June 25
Thursday, June 25
Summer on the Hudson: Locomotive Lawn Live, Locomotive Lawn in Riverside Park South, 10:30 am
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: Al B. Sure!, MetroTech Commons, 12 noon
SummerStage: Lyricist Lounge presents the LOX, Crotona Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Lucinda Williams, Jason Walker, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Thursday, June 25, 4:00 (open dress rehearsal)
Friday, June 26, 4:00
Saturday, June 27, 2:00
Sunday, June 28, 2:00
River to River: Love of a Poet, by John Kelly, Arts Center, Governors Island, advance RSVP required
Friday, June 26
Friday Freshen Up: Leo Liebeskind, West Harlem Piers Park, Riverside Park, 6:00
SummerStage: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series featuring Kiri Deonarine, Ginger Costa-Jackson, John Moore, and pianist Dan Saunders, Jackie Robinson Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Paris Is Burning (Jennie Livingston, 1990), JD Samson, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Saturday, June 27
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: Old Gray, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
SummerStage: VP Records 35th Anniversary featuring Maxi Priest, Gyptian, Bunji Garlin & Fay Ann Lyons, and Massive B (Bobby Konders + Jabba), Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 3:00
Family Day: Magmanus, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 4:00
River to River: Benyoro, Los Crema Paraiso & Golem: Music from Mali, Venezuela, the Balkans, and Beyond, Fulton St. at Water St., advance RSVP required, 5:00
SummerStage: Nuyorican Poets Café featuring Jive Poetic, Jamaal St. John, and Pamela Sneed, Crotona Park, 7:00
Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series: Morris Day and the Time, Wingate Field, 7:30
Celebrate Brooklyn! Jason Moran’s Fats Waller Dance Party, and Butler, Bernstein & the Hot 9, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Sunday, June 28
Riis Park Beach Bazaar: Red City Radio, Gateway National Recreation Area, 2:00
Family Day: Magmanus, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 4:00
SummerStage: Catalan Sounds on Tour featuring Oques Grasses, La Iaia, Sílvia Pérez Cruz, and DJ Guillamino, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 3:00
SummerStage: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series featuring Kiri Deonarine, Ginger Costa-Jackson, John Moore, and pianist Dan Saunders, Crotona Park, 7:00
Tuesday, June 30
Summer Sessions: Superhuman Happiness, Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place, DJ 5:00, live music 6:30
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival: Women That Rock featuring Betty, the Liza Colby Sound, and Grace & Rachel, City Winery back parking lot, 155 Varick St., 5:30
SummerStage: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series featuring Kiri Deonarine, Ginger Costa-Jackson, John Moore, and pianist Dan Saunders, Clove Lakes Park, 7:00
Naumburg Orchestral Concerts: Ensemble le Poisson Rouge, Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, 7:30
Washington Square Music Festival: Works by Max Bruch and Ludwig van Beethoven, Washington Square Park, 8:00
Kat Edmonson will share the big picture on June 24 in Madison Square Park
Wednesday, July 1
Mad. Sq. Music: Above Ground, with Cathy Grier, Madison Square Park, 12:30
Mad. Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series, Kat Edmonson, Madison Square Park, 7:00
Wednesday, July 2
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: King Sunny Adé & His African Beats, MetroTech Commons, 12 noon
Saturday, July 4
Hot Summer Nights: The George Gee Swing Orchestra, featuring vocalists Hilary Gardner and John Dokes, with special guest Lindy Hoppers, Lighthouse Bandshell, Kingsborough Community College, 8:00
Festival of Independence: Prince Rama and Salt Cathedral, Fulton Stall Market, 207A Front St., South Street Seaport, 8:00
Sunday, July 5
Summer on the Hudson: Amplified Sundays Presents Banda Magda, Pier I, Riverside Park South, 7:00
Monday, July 7
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival: Anthony D’Amato, City Winery back parking lot, 155 Varick St., 5:30
SummerStage: Our Latin Thing, DJ Afro, St. Mary’s Park, 7:00
Washington Square Music Festival: New York Jazzharmonic, Washington Square Park, 8:00
Wednesday, July 8
Mad. Sq. Music: Above Ground, with Mr. Reed, Madison Square Park, 12:30
SummerStage: Compass, Systema Solar, Helado Negro, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 5:00
Mad. Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series, The Stepkids, Madison Square Park, 7:00
SummerStage: Ismael Miranda, St. Mary’s Park, 7:00
Thursday, July 9
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, MetroTech Commons, 12 noon
Broadway in Bryant Park, Bryant Park Lawn, 12:30
RiverRocks: Waxahatchee, Pier 84, Hudson River Park, 6:00
SummerStage: Cano Estremera, St. Mary’s Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Punch Brothers, Sarah Jarosz, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Friday, July 10
Celebrate Brooklyn! Bajofondo, Astro, Los Auténticos Decadentes, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:00
SummerStage: Nuyorican Poets Cafe featuring La Bruja with Patty Dukes, Reph Star, and Nene Ali, St. Mary’s Park, 7:00
Saturday, July 11
Rite of Summer Music Festival: Don Byron New Gospel Quintent, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 1:00 & 3:00
SummerStage: Vicentico, Ximena Sariñana, No Te Va Gustar, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00
SummerStage: Hip Hop Dance: From the Street to the Stage, with a Master Class led by Brandon “Peace” Albright, St. Mary’s Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! The New Pornographers, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Hot Summer Nights: From Ragtime to Jazz! Waldo’s Gotham City Band, Lighthouse Bandshell, Kingsborough Community College, 8:00
Sunday, July 12
SummerStage: Cesária Évora Orchestra, Mayra Andrade, Dino D’Santiago, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00
SummerStage: Family Day, with Mister G, Soul Street Dance, DJ ASHO, St. Mary’s Park, 4:00
SummerStage: Gerardo Contino y Los Habaneros and screening of Celia: The Queen (Joe Cardona & Mario de Varona, 2008), St. Mary’s Park, 7:00
Summer on the Hudson: Amplified Sundays Presents Ilusha Tsinadze, Pier I, Riverside Park South, 7:00
Tuesday, July 14
Lowdown Hudson Music Fest: O.A.R. and Ryan Bingham, Brookfield Place Waterfront Plaza, doors at 5:00
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival: Joe Pug, City Winery back parking lot, 155 Varick St., 5:30
SummerStage: The Chi-Lites, Queensbridge Park, 7:00
Naumburg Orchestral Concerts: Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, 7:30
George Clinton will make sure you get the funk on July 16 & 17
Wednesday, July 15
Mad. Sq. Music: Above Ground, Madison Square Park, 12:30
Lowdown Hudson Music Fest: the Wood Brothers and the Word, Brookfield Place Waterfront Plaza, doors at 5:00
Mad. Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series, The Family Crest, Madison Square Park, 6:00
SummerStage: NPR and WNYC’s Ask Me Another: Celebrating 30 Years of SummerStage, with Jonathan Coulton and host Ophira Eisenberg, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00
SummerStage: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Queensbridge Park, 7:00
Thursday, July 16
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, MetroTech Commons, 12 noon
Broadway in Bryant Park, Bryant Park Lawn, 12:30
SummerStage: Lyricist Lounge “Live at the BBQ” featuring Large Professor and Marley Marl, Queensbridge Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Vieux Farka Touré, Tamikrest, DJ Dakar, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Passport Thursdays – Caribbean: Braata Folk Singers, Pan! Our Music Odyssey (Jérôme Guiot, 2014)
Friday, July 17
SummerStage: Soul Inscribed & the Spinning Wheel by Baba Israel, Twists & a Bridge by Jennifer Cendaña Armas, Queensbridge Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926) with Live Score by Alloy Orchestra, and Ghost Train Orchestra, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Saturday, July 18
SummerStage: Freedom Party NYC: Special SummerStage Anniversary Theme, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00
SummerStage: Rashida Bumbray & Dance Diaspora Collective: RUN MARY RUN, with Master Class led by Jamel Gaines, Queensbridge Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Rhiannon Giddens, Joe Henry, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Hot Summer Nights: Big Band Dance Party! Sammy Miller & the Congregation, Lighthouse Bandshell, Kingsborough Community College, 8:00
Sunday, July 19
SummerStage: Family Day, with Wycliffe Gordon & Friends, B-Love’s Hip Hop Jazzy Groove, Karisma Jay & AbunDance, and a Master Class led by Samuel Coleman, Queensbridge Park, 4:00
SummerStage: Jorge Drexler, Diego Garcia, Danay Suárez,
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00
SummerStage: Pete Rock and screening of Time Is Illmatic (One9, 2014), Queensbridge Park, 7:00
Summer on the Hudson: Amplified Sundays Presents Delsonido, Pier I, Riverside Park South, 7:00
Tuesday, July 21
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival: Elephant Revival, City Winery back parking lot, 155 Varick St., 5:30
Naumburg Orchestral Concerts: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, 7:30
Wednesday, July 22
Mad. Sq. Music: Above Ground, with Mariachi Flor de Toloache, Madison Square Park, 12:30
Mad. Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series, Kiran Ahluwalia, Madison Square Park, 7:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Muscle Shoals All-Stars, Donnie Fritts and John Paul White, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:30
Seaside Summer Concerts: JT “The Voice Taylor, MCU Park, 1904 Surf Ave., Coney Island, 7:30
We Were Promised Jetpacks land in Hudson River Park on July 23
Thursday, July 23
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: The Jones Family Singers, MetroTech Commons, 12 noon
Broadway in Bryant Park, Bryant Park Lawn, 12:30
RiverRocks: We Were Promised Jetpacks, Pier 84, Hudson River Park, 6:00
Passport Thursdays – Taiwan: Taiwanese Music Ensemble of New York, Zone Pro Site: The Moveable Feast (Zung Pou Si, 2013)
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible with Wolfgang Flür/MusikSoldat, Jungle Fire, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:30
Seaside Summer Concerts: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, MCU Park, 1904 Surf Ave., Coney Island, 7:30
Friday, July 24
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Gaby Moreno, Hearst Plaza, 7:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors — Dorrance Dance: The Blues Project Revisited with Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:30
Celebrate Brooklyn! Jason Isbell, Dawn Landes, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Seaside Summer Concerts: Latino Music by the Sea with Eddie Santiago and N’Klabe, MCU Park, 1904 Surf Ave., Coney Island, 7:30
Saturday, July 25
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Lil Buck, Josie Roberston Plaza, 11:00 am
SummerStage: Bombino, Young Fathers, Fantastic Negrito, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Joyous Quartet, Josie Robertson Plaza, 3:00
SummerStage: Jose Virgilio Peña Suazo y la Banda Gorda, Highbridge Park, 7:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Randy Newman, Wycliffe Gordon and His International All Stars, Lil Buck, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Sylvan Esso, Porches, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Hot Summer Nights: Hot Jazz! The Bria Skonberg Quintet, Lighthouse Bandshell, Kingsborough Community College, 8:00
Sunday, July 26
SummerStage: Rock Steady Crew 38th Anniversary Concert, with Whodini, Big Daddy Kane, and more, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00
Summer on the Hudson: Amplified Sundays Presents River Whyless, Pier I, Riverside Park South, 7:00
Tuesday, July 28
Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival: David Wax Museum, City Winery back parking lot, 155 Varick St., 5:30
SummerStage: Mack Wilds hosted by Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg, Clove Lakes Park, 7:00
Wednesday, July 29
Mad. Sq. Music: Above Ground, with Underground Horns, Madison Square Park, 12:30
Mad. Sq. Music: Oval Lawn Series, New York Night Train SOUL CLAP & DANCE-OFF featuring DJ Jonathan Toubin with the Suffers, Madison Square Park, 6:00
SummerStage: Jellybean Benitez, DJ Street Tech, D-Train, Clove Lakes Park, 7:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: The Mavericks, Orkesta Mendoza, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:00
Thursday, July 30
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech: Theo Croker, MetroTech Commons, 12 noon
Broadway in Bryant Park, Bryant Park Lawn, 12:30
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Letieres Leite & Orkestra Rumpilezz with special guests Arturo O’Farrill and Steven Bernstein; Cyro Baptista’s Banquet of the Spirits, Forró in the Dark: The Music of John Zorn, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! The Musical World of Harmonium Mountain: Clifford Ross & the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Jeffrey Zeigler, Andy Akiho & Roger Bonair-Agard, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Friday, July 31
Friday Freshen Up: The War and Treaty, West Harlem Piers Park, Riverside Park, 6:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Afropunk @ Lincoln Center, with Vintage Trouble, The Triptych: Wangechi Mutu, LION BABE, the Skins, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Chargaux, Hearst Plaza, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Big K.R.I.T., Angel Haze, the D.R.E.A.M. Ring: FLEXN, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Lincoln Center Out of Doors — “Silent” Movie: Rocky Horror Picture Show (Jim Sharman, 1975), Damrosch Park Bandshell, 11:45
Saturday, August 1
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: La Casita tribute to Sonia Sanchez and Ntozake Shange, Hearst Plaza, 12 noon
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: A Celebration of the Life of Geoffrey Holder, with the panel discussion “The Life and Work of Geoffrey Holder,” screening of documentary Carmen and Geoffrey (Nick Doob, 2005) and rare archival footage, Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 1:00
SummerStage: Dr. John & the Nite Trippers, Amy Helm, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00
SummerStage: TKA, Flaco Navaja and the Razor Blades, Tony Touch, Clove Lakes Park, 7:00
Sunday, August 2
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Heritage Sunday — Opening Doors: Celebrating Immigrant New York, featuring Abdoulaye Diabaté and Super Manden, Boodoosingh Tassa Drummers, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Csűrdöngölő Folk Ensemble, and Ikhlaq Hussain, Hearst Plaza, 1:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: La Casita tribute to Sonia Sanchez and Ntozake Shange, Teatro Pregones, 2:00
SummerStage: Nação Zumbi, Nation Beat’s Carnival Caravan feat. Cha Wa, DJ sets by Vinil Pompéia, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00
SummerStage — Family Day: Little Club Heads, Sugar Free Allstars, Hopalong Andrew, Uptown Dance Academy, Clove Lakes Park, 4:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Ache: Lavagem da Rua, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:00
SummerStage: Felix Hernandez Rhythm Revue and screening of Get On Up, Clove Lakes Park, 7:00
Monday, August 3
SummerStage: Beautiful — The Carole King Musical: Songs in Concert, Scott Shea, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00
Tuesday, August 4
SummerStage: Tito Nieves, East River Park, 7:00
Wednesday, August 5
SummerStage: RATKING, Bishop Nehru, East River Park, 7:00
Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series: Ricky Dillard & New G, Wingate Field, 7:30
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Full Band Electric Counterpoint + Dither and friends, featuring Lee Ranaldo, Yo La Tengo and Mark Stewart; Matmos, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:30
Thursday, August 6
Passport Thursdays – Colombia: M.A.K.U. Sound System, Mateo (Maria Gamboa, 2014), Queens Museum
SummerStage: Caribou with guest Sinkane, East River Park, 7:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: We Like It Like That! A Boogaloo Celebration with Joe Bataan; Ray Lugo and the Boogaloo Destroyers with special guest Richie Ray and Pete Rodriguez; ABAKUÁ Afro-Latin Dance Company; DJ Turmix, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:00
Friday, August 7
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: denitia and sene., Hearst Plaza, 7:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors — Rock My Soul: The Fairfield Four and the McCrary Sisters, Junior Mambazo, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:30
Saturday, August 8
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Roots of American Music: Americanafest NYC, the Quebe Sisters, Sam Outlaw, Hearst Plaza, 2:00
SummerStage — 30th Anniversary DJ Celebration: Quantic, Gilles Peterson, Afrika Bambaataa, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 5:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited performed in its entirety by house band Watkins Family Hour house band, Shawn Colvin, Pokey LaFarge, and Aimee Mann & Ted Leo; Watkins Family Hour featuring Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek with special guest Fiona Apple and more; Justin Townes Earle, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:00
Sunday, August 9
SummerStage: Glass Animals, Taylor McFerrin, BattleFest League Dancers, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00
SummerStage — Family Day: INVINCIBLE: Michael Jackson Tribute, Marika Hughes & Bottom Heavy, East River Park, 4:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors — Roots of American Music: Americanafest NYC, An Evening with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:00
SummerStage: Felix Hernandez Rhythm Revue, screening of Our Latin Thing (Leon Gast, 1972), East River Park, 7:00
Monday, August 10
Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series: Reggae Night, with Freddie McGregor, Christopher Martin, and New Kingston, Wingate Field, 7:30
Tuesday, August 11
SummerStage: Rakim, DJ Tedsmooth, Marcus Garvey Park, 7:00
Wednesday, August 12
SummerStage — The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance and Music, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00
SummerStage: Mobile Mondays! Live with Roy Ayers, Marcus Garvey Park, 7:00
Thursday, August 13
Passport Thursdays – South Korea: Korean Traditional Music & Dance Center, Miss Granny (Hwang Dong-hyuk, 2014), Queens Museum
Monday, August 17
Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series: Old School Night, with Doug E. Fresh, Kurtis Blow, and Special Ed, Wingate Field, 7:30
Thursday, August 20
Passport Thursdays – South Africa: Azanian People’s Movement, Felix (Roberta Durrant, 2013), Queens Museum
Friday, August 21
SummerStage: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, with Oliver Lake Big Band, the King Solomon Hicks Trio, Michela Taps: Bird Lives!, Marcus Garvey Park, 6:00
Saturday, August 22
SummerStage: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, with Dr. Lonnie Smith, Andy Bey, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Camille Thurman, and Norma Miller, Master Class: Samuel Coleman at 2:00, music at 3:00, Marcus Garvey Park
Sunday, August 23
SummerStage: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, with Joe Lovano, Rudresh Mahanthappa: Bird Calls, Myra Melford, Michael Mwenso, Tompkins Square Park, 3:00
It’s easy to see why Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet from Stardom was such a critical and popular success, raking in more than five million dollars at the box office and winning an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Yes, it tells the story of a fabulous group of remarkably talented backup singers, including Darlene Love, Judith Hill, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Táta Vega, Claudia Lennear, Jo Lawry, Lynn Mabry, and David Lasley. Yes, there are some big-time superstars singing their praises, including Bette Midler, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Chris Botti, and Mick Jagger. And the music and inside tales are simply phenomenal, particularly the behind-the-scenes scoop on “Gimme Shelter,” which featured Clayton on the original record, while Fischer’s been singing it live onstage with the Stones for the last twenty-five years; surprising looks at Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and David Bowie’s “Young Americans”; Love discussing Phil Spector, “He’s a Rebel,” and cleaning houses; and Hill’s attempt to be both a background vocalist and the lead singer playing her own songs. (Sadly, Clayton was involved in a serious car accident this June and “has a long road of recovery ahead,” according to her website.)
