Chris Meyer
Brooklyn Bowl/Capitol Theatre co-owner, Peter Shapiro, in partnership with the City of New York, the Central Park Conservancy, and New York City Parks & Recreation have announced the first-ever Jazz & Colors event. Set to take place in NYC’s Central Park on November 10th, this free event will feature 30 jazz ensembles performing the same set of music in various locations around the park, against the colorful fall foliage of Central Park. The official press release gives the following information:
Jazz & Colors, New York City Parks & Recreation, and the Central Park Conservancy today announced that Central Park will host the first-ever Jazz & Colors event, a free public concert featuring 30 jazz ensembles performing against the stunning backdrop of Central Park’s fall foliage on November 10. New Yorkers, jazz fans and seasonal visitors will be able to create a personal concert experience as they explore some of the Park’s most beloved sites – from the Naumberg Bandshell to Duke Ellington Circle – in a self-guided musical tour. The inaugural Jazz & Colors event is produced by independent music and film entrepreneur Peter Shapiro, in partnership with the City of New York and the Central Park Conservancy.
The first Park-wide public arts program since Christo & Jeanne-Claude’s The Gates in 2005, Jazz & Colors will celebrate the musical tradition of jazz with a communal set-list of jazz standards that will be performed simultaneously at each of the iconic venues from midtown to Harlem. The musical line-up will feature established and emerging musicians ranging from small combos to big band sessions and will be announced in the coming months, along with the Jazz & Colors set-list.
“Central Park in the fall is the perfect backdrop for jazz, a musical style as vibrant and diverse as the Park itself,” said Peter Shapiro, Founder and Executive Producer, Jazz & Colors. “With countless interpretations of the music at 30 treasured sites around Central Park, no two visitors will experience Jazz & Colors in exactly the same way. I’m proud to partner with the Parks Department and the Central Park Conservancy on what I hope will become an annual tradition for New Yorkers, music lovers and tourists alike.”
“Central Park has a rich history of public cultural projects – from permanent statues and monuments, to temporary public artwork and site-specific performances,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Veronica White. “With Jazz & Colors, we look forward to welcoming visitors with live jazz music at every turn, whether they are entering at Columbus Circle, strolling the footpaths along the Harlem Meer, or exploring the Belvedere Castle.”
“In the Conservancy’s ongoing efforts to encourage visitors to experience Central Park in new and exciting ways, we are thrilled to partner with Jazz & Colors to introduce extraordinary music to the Park’s extraordinary landscapes,” said Doug Blonsky, President and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy. “The perfect complement to the art of Central Park’s restored woodlands, rolling meadows, and cultivated gardens will be the art of music. Inspiration is what Central Park is all about, and we’re proud to help inspire more than 40 million visitors every year.”
Featured sites include:
• 100th Street Pool
• 103rd Street and East Drive
• 106th Street and Central Park West
• 59th Street Pond
• 69th Street and West Drive
• 6th Avenue entrance
• 77th Street and West Drive
• 84th Street and East Drive
• 90th Street and Central Park West
• Adjacent to the Abraham and Joseph Spector Playground
• Charles A. Dana Discovery Center
• Cherry Hill Fountain
• Maine Monument
• Delacorte Theater
• Duke Ellington Circle
• Adjacent to the East 96th Street Playground
• East Meadow
• Engineer’s Gate at 90th and 5th Avenue
• Frederick Douglass Circle entrance
• Glade Arch
• Great Hill
• Harlem Meer
• Naumburg Bandshell
• Olmsted Flower Bed
• Pinebank Arch
• Summit Rock
• Adjacent to the Tarr Family Playground
• The Arsenal
• The Dairy
• Adjacent to the Wild West Playground
Visitors can pick up a Jazz & Colors guide, including a map of the venues, band bios and a full schedule, on November 10 as they enter Central Park at Columbus Circle, 6th Avenue, 72nd Street and Central Park West, 72nd Street and Pilgrim Hill, 79th Street and 5th Avenue, 85th Street near West Drive, 90th and Central Park West, or the Engineer’s Gate at 90th and 5th Avenue, as well as at the Great Hill and the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center. Guides will also be available in the November 7th issue of Time Out New York. The event is free and open to the public. In the event of inclement weather, Jazz & Colors will be held on November 11.