Bellerose area enjoys free jazz festival

  • 2019-07-02
The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning will be holding its annual Jamaica Downtown Jazz Festival.

The festival is not only a celebration of the Bellerose area’s rich jazz heritage, but will also be an attempt to empower the younger generation to embrace the music that has made the Queens Jazz Trail so famous. About two dozen performances are scheduled for places up and down the Jamaica Cultural Corridor.

The kick-off event on July 12 will begin with a film - Milford Graves Full Mantis – depicting the jazz drummer’s life and achievements. The film will be shown from 5:00 pm until 6:30 pm. Tyshawn Sorey and Jason Moran will spearhead a performance paying tribute to Milford Graves that evening from 8:00 pm until 10:00 pm.

On July 14th, Tomoko Omura, a well-known jazz violinist, will perform from 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm at the center.

A $25 guided tour will be available that will take guests to areas in Queens such as Addisleigh Park, a neighborhood that was the home to jazz greats such as Count Basie, Mercer Ellington, Fats Waller, Lena Horne, and John Coltrain. Guests who take tours such as this usually bring cameras, cellphones, and other picture-taking devices in order to get good photos to take to local Print shops.

The Jamaica Downtown Jazz festival will run from July 12 through 14, mainly at the JCAL 161-4 Jamaica Avenue, Queens.


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