Spaces all around Syracuse will be ‘lighting up’ once again this summer as in the ‘Blacklites’ for Jazz in the City 2018.
The outdoor concert series has been bringing live music to Syracuse audiences for almost 20 years.
This year, free concerts will be located in different quadrants of the city every Thursday in August. Executive Director for CNY Jazz Central Larry Luttinger says there are plenty of great local and national acts to look forward to.
"We're bringing in a flutist from Atlanta. She is the first black female Billboard number one jazz flutist ever designated by Billboard Magazine. Her name is Althea Renee, and she's teaming up with an old friend of ours JJ Sansaverino, a marvelous guitarist out of New York.”
Funding for Jazz in the City has never been a guarantee. This year Onondaga County stepped up with 10-thousand dollars and it’s expanding to five concerts.
“On August 16th, we're going to present the band Atlas for a huge dance party right in the parking lot in front of the Regency Tower. If you can picture the front of the tower, it looks like the Metropolitcan Opera. I can hardly wait to stand on the stage and look up at 12, 13 floors of people enjoying themselves.”
But Jazz in the City goes beyond music. The program reaches out underserved Syracuse communities with free health screenings and information.
“It's all about inclusion. We have so many different constituencies, so many different neighborhoods that need the support. They're isolated, the residents don't have access to the same services more mobile and more economically viable.”
Jazz in the City’s first performance of the summer is August 2nd at 6 P.M. It will feature the local funk band “Trump Tight 315” outside of Dunk and Bright on South Salina Street. See the full schedule at CNY Jazz in the City.org.
