Great Jazz on the Great Hill Returns to Central Park
Lineup features Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band,
Christian Sands, and Matthew Whitaker
Lezlie Harrison, Singer/WBGO 88.3 FM Announcer, to Serve as MC
New York, NY – Great Jazz on the Great Hill returns to Central Park at 106th & Central Park West, on Saturday, August 10, 3:30 – 7:00 pm. Featuring three jazz piano masters, the annual event is presented by Jazzmobile Summerfest 2024, Central Park Conservancy, Harlem Week, New Heritage Theatre Group and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. This year features Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band, Christian Sands and Matthew Whitaker, with Lezlie Harrison, vocalist/WBGO on-air announcer, as the day’s MC.
The public is encouraged to bring chairs, blankets, snacks and plenty of water to this swinging and jazzy picnic in the park. And don’t forget your dancing shoes!
Philadelphia-based, pianist, composer, bandleader Orrin Evans brings his City of Brotherly Love, post-bop piano and his Captain Black Big Band to the Hill. With over 25 albums as a leader, Evans’ Big Band’s releases from 1997 to 2019, include their self-titled debut, Mother’s Touch, Presence and The Intangible Between. Those albums combine the sonic weight and grandeur of a large ensemble, with the swing-at-the-speed-of-light fluency of a small combo. Under Evans’ expert leadership, the Big Band will provide impassioned jazz for the head and the heart. As an added treat, Harrison will make a guest appearance to sing with Evans and the big band.
Mentored by pianist, educator and Jazzmobile co-founder Dr. Billy Taylor, the Connecticut-born pianist and five-time Grammy nominee Christian Sands has been an in-demand sideman, as evidenced by his work with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride and Dee Dee Bridgewater. An American Pianists Association Jazz Fellowship Awards Finalist in 2015, Sands’ forthcoming release, Embracing Dawn, includes straight-ahead jazz, neo-soul and trap style beats. Recently awarded France’s Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Minister of Culture, Sands will lead his quartet in an afternoon of impressive and impressionistic improvisation on the Hill.
The 23-year-old organist, keyboardist, composer and Hackensack, NJ native Matthew Whitaker is one the most inventive and expressive masters of the Hammond B3 organ of his generation. Whitaker has worked as a sideman to numerous jazz stars including Roy Ayers, NEA Jazz Master Regina Carter, James Carter and D.D. Jackson, and he’s appeared on many TV shows, from 60 Minutes and The Today Show to Ellen. Whitaker returns to Central Park with a quicksilver organ quintet, performing music from his new CD, On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute, a soulful shout-out to organ giants Jimmy Smith, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joey DeFrancesco, Charles Earland and gospel maven “Twinkie” Clark.
Lezlie Harrison, the statuesque vocalist, curator and WBGO 88.3 FM on-air host of Come Sunday and co-host of Singers Unlimited, serves as MC for the event. Harrison co-founded The Jazz Gallery, one of New York City’s most acclaimed jazz venues and worked with jazz luminaries including Roy Hargrove, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Johnny O’ Neal and Grady Tate. Her albums, Soul Book, Vol. 1, and Let Them Talk, released in 2020 and 2023, showcase her mastery of jazz, R&B and blues genres.
The Great Hill is steep but accessible by ramp. There are no escorts to the Hill. For ramp access, enter the Park at West 108th Street and Central Park West and take the south path up to Great Hill.
The event is weather permitting. Refreshments will not be sold. The performance lineup is subject to change.
The Central Park Conservancy is a private, not-for-profit organization that manages Central Park and is responsible for raising the Park's annual operating budget. The Conservancy’s staff of more than 400 is responsible for all aspects of the Park’s stewardship, from day-to-day maintenance and operations to continued restoration and rebuilding projects. Additionally, the Conservancy operates the Park’s visitor centers, provides public programs, and serves as a resource for other NYC parks and for public-private partnerships around the world. For more information, please visit centralparknyc.org.
Jazzmobile’s annual Summerfest 2024 features a myriad of jazz performances throughout the city’s five boroughs, with nearly 30 jazz stars and emerging talents from July 2 to September 20. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Jazzmobile. Founded in 1964 by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, pianist Dr. Billy Taylor, and philanthropist and arts administrator, Ms. Daphne Arnstein, Jazzmobile is the first U.S. not-for-profit arts and cultural organization created just for Jazz featuring performances, workshops, master classes, lecture demonstrations, and arts enrichment programs.
For more information, contact (212) 466-2242 or visit www.centralparknyc.org/greatjazz or www.Jazzmobile.org and (212) 866-4900.
Philadelphia-based, pianist, composer, bandleader Orrin Evans brings his City of Brotherly Love, post-bop piano and his Captain Black Big Band to the Hill. With over 25 albums as a leader, Evans’ Big Band’s releases from 1997 to 2019, include their self-titled debut, Mother’s Touch, Presence and The Intangible Between. Those albums combine the sonic weight and grandeur of a large ensemble, with the swing-at-the-speed-of-light fluency of a small combo. Under Evans’ expert leadership, the Big Band will provide impassioned jazz for the head and the heart. As an added treat, Harrison will make a guest appearance to sing with Evans and the big band.
Mentored by pianist, educator and Jazzmobile co-founder Dr. Billy Taylor, the Connecticut-born pianist and five-time Grammy nominee Christian Sands has been an in-demand sideman, as evidenced by his work with Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride and Dee Dee Bridgewater. An American Pianists Association Jazz Fellowship Awards Finalist in 2015, Sands’ forthcoming release, Embracing Dawn, includes straight-ahead jazz, neo-soul and trap style beats. Recently awarded France’s Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Minister of Culture, Sands will lead his quartet in an afternoon of impressive and impressionistic improvisation on the Hill.
The 23-year-old organist, keyboardist, composer and Hackensack, NJ native Matthew Whitaker is one the most inventive and expressive masters of the Hammond B3 organ of his generation. Whitaker has worked as a sideman to numerous jazz stars including Roy Ayers, NEA Jazz Master Regina Carter, James Carter and D.D. Jackson, and he’s appeared on many TV shows, from 60 Minutes and The Today Show to Ellen. Whitaker returns to Central Park with a quicksilver organ quintet, performing music from his new CD, On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute, a soulful shout-out to organ giants Jimmy Smith, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joey DeFrancesco, Charles Earland and gospel maven “Twinkie” Clark.
Lezlie Harrison, the statuesque vocalist, curator and WBGO 88.3 FM on-air host of Come Sunday and co-host of Singers Unlimited, serves as MC for the event. Harrison co-founded The Jazz Gallery, one of New York City’s most acclaimed jazz venues and worked with jazz luminaries including Roy Hargrove, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Johnny O’ Neal and Grady Tate. Her albums, Soul Book, Vol. 1, and Let Them Talk, released in 2020 and 2023, showcase her mastery of jazz, R&B and blues genres.
The Great Hill is steep but accessible by ramp. There are no escorts to the Hill. For ramp access, enter the Park at West 108th Street and Central Park West and take the south path up to Great Hill.
The event is weather permitting. Refreshments will not be sold. The performance lineup is subject to change.
The Central Park Conservancy is a private, not-for-profit organization that manages Central Park and is responsible for raising the Park's annual operating budget. The Conservancy’s staff of more than 400 is responsible for all aspects of the Park’s stewardship, from day-to-day maintenance and operations to continued restoration and rebuilding projects. Additionally, the Conservancy operates the Park’s visitor centers, provides public programs, and serves as a resource for other NYC parks and for public-private partnerships around the world. For more information, please visit centralparknyc.org.
Jazzmobile’s annual Summerfest 2024 features a myriad of jazz performances throughout the city’s five boroughs, with nearly 30 jazz stars and emerging talents from July 2 to September 20. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Jazzmobile. Founded in 1964 by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, pianist Dr. Billy Taylor, and philanthropist and arts administrator, Ms. Daphne Arnstein, Jazzmobile is the first U.S. not-for-profit arts and cultural organization created just for Jazz featuring performances, workshops, master classes, lecture demonstrations, and arts enrichment programs.
For more information, contact (212) 466-2242 or visit www.centralparknyc.org/greatjazz or www.Jazzmobile.org and (212) 866-4900.
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Media Contacts:
Kat Brady | Central Park Conservancy
(212) 446-2241 | [email protected]
Carolyn McClair | Jazzmobile and Artist Interviews
(212) 721-3341| [email protected]
Kat Brady | Central Park Conservancy
(212) 446-2241 | [email protected]
Carolyn McClair | Jazzmobile and Artist Interviews
(212) 721-3341| [email protected]
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