Clarence Mosley Jr. Readies for 13th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival
If you enjoy Jazz, then the 13th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival is the place to be soon. Taking place from March 30-April 30 and presented by the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, the series is actually New York City’s longest continually running festival that comes from a grassroots level and is dedicated to jazz.
The list of events includes a dazzling array of offerings and has more than 500 artists in the line-up at 40 venues. Coinciding with Jazz Appreciation Month in April, CBJS’c chairperson Clarence Mosley Jr. said,
“CBJC enters its thirteenth season in presenting the African American art form jazz to the underserved populations of Brooklyn. We continue to recognize the contributions and creativity of the jazz community of Brooklyn, past and present. Our forty plus member organization strives to provide jazz education programs and enhance the economy of our community via cultural tourism”.
The festival is special for so many reasons. Close to 85% of the events are free, or have a cost of less than $20. The venues include everything from community centers and colleges to faith-based locations. Performers this year will include, as listed on the gratefulweb.com: Bilal Sunni Ali, Kenyatta Beasley, Gloria Cooper, Steve Cromity, Bob Cunningham, Lou Donaldson, Eric Frazier, Winard Harper, Eric Lemon, Sam Newsome, Houston Person, Beareather Reddy, Elijah Shiffer, James Spaulding, The Last Poets, Salim Washington, Rudi Wongozi, Eric Wyatt and more.
The Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium was founded in 1999. They have a Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame & Museum and many yearly programs that feature local jazz talent. They are a nonprofit corporation that is dedicated to supporting live music in Brooklyn.
The list of events for the upcoming festival includes, in part:
Fri. March 30 — Sharon Ahnee Freeman Trio, JAZZ966, 966 Fulton St. @ Grand Ave., 8-10pm, $15
Fri. March 30 — Mz. Lezlie Harrison with Eric Lemon Trio- “Soulful Alto and Distinctive Blend of Jazz Classic”, BrownstoneJAZZ at Sankofa Aban Bed & Breakfast, 107 Macon St. @ Nostrand Ave., 8—11pm, $20
Fri. March 30- Salute to Gil Scott-Heron (Abiodun Oyewole, Bilal Sunni Ali, others) presented by National Black Writers Conference & Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, For My Sweet, 1103 Fulton St. @ Classon Ave., 9:30pm, $20 advance/$25 door
Fri. March 30 — The New Cookers — Hip/Hard Bop Jazz, BAMcafe, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Pl., 10-11pm, FREE
Fri. March 30 — WMC Allstars Jam Session, Williamsburg Music Center, 367 Bedford Ave. @ South 5th St., 10-2am, $10
