Discovery Green Conservancy, Buffalo Bayou Park Partnership, and Emancipation Park Conservancy are bringing residents weekly free jazz concerts in March, April, and May as part of Jazzy Sundays in the Parks, made possible by Kinder Foundation.
Visitors are invited to enjoy Houston jazz musicians outside every Sunday in March, every Sunday in April except for April 2, and every Sunday in May from 5 – 7 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Food and drink will be available for purchase.
The free concert lineup is designed to celebrate the legacy and evolution of jazz in Houston. Local and regional musicians representing the best in jazz and its related forms such as gospel, blues zydeco and more will perform. In recent decades Houston has produced some of the biggest stars in contemporary jazz. This concert series will increase awareness of the city’s contributions to the art form as well as bring Houstonians together to enjoy their cultural heritage.
The weekly concert series kicks-off on Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Emancipation Park with Grammy award-winning pianist Robert Glasper. In April the series moves to Discovery Green with a marquee performance by MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran on April 16. In May the series kicks off at the Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park with The Suffers performing May 7. Other highlights of the series include Diunna Greenleaf, James Francies and David Michael Wyatt.
Jazzy Sundays in the Park Line-Up Below:
All concerts are 5 – 7 p.m.
Emancipation Park, 3018 Emancipation Avenue
- March 5, 2023: Robert Glasper; Hutson Percussion & Friends
- March 12, 2023: Matthew Hartnett & The Gumbo All-Stars; Frank Nooney & The Zydeco Floaters
- March 19, 2023: Stretch; Vanguard Collective
- March 26, 2023: Lenora; Jeremy Joseph
For more information visit epconservancy.org/jazzy-Sundays-2023/
Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney Street
- April 9, 2023: The Felix DeLeon Quintet; The Trade
- April 16, 2023: Jason Moran; The Stuart Adams Collective
- April 23, 2023: Diunna Greenleaf; Britney Bloom & Strangers on Earth
- April 30, 2023: Marlon Simon & The Nagual Spirits; Adriano Santos Brazilian Jazz Quartet
For more information visit discoverygreen.com/jazzy
The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park, 105 Sabine Street
- May 7, 2023: The Suffers; Marium Echo
- May 14, 2023: James Francies; Cliff Gordon
- May 21, 2023: The Gabriel Santiago Project; Matt Serice with Along those Lines
- May 28, 2023: David Michael Wyatt; Micah Edwards
For more information visit buffalobayou.org/event/jazzy-Sundays-in-buffalo-bayou-park/2023-05-07
ABOUT DISCOVERY GREEN ®
Discovery Green® is a highly acclaimed 12-acre park created by a public-private partnership between the City of Houston and the nonprofit Discovery Green Conservancy in downtown Houston, Texas. Since opening in April 2008, the park has welcomed more than 20 million visitors. Discovery Green ® features sprawling lawns, a one-acre lake, an interactive fountain, a playground, public art installations, gardens and an allée of century-old live oaks. The Discovery Green Conservancy works with hundreds of programming partners to present artistic, musical, educational, family-friendly and health-focused events each year, most of which are presented free to the public. The park also features two on-site restaurants, the award-winning destination restaurant The Grove and the fast-casual The Lake House, providing visitors with an array of dining options. As a nonprofit organization, the Conservancy raises all the funds needed for the programming that Houstonians enjoy. For more information, please visit https://www.discoverygreen.com. Arts programming is made possible in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.
ABOUT EMANCIPATION PARK CONSERVANCY
Located in the heart of the historic Third Ward community, Emancipation Park was the first park established in the city of Houston. Founded in 1872, four formerly enslaved African-Americans, led by Reverend John Henry “Jack” Yates, Richard Brock, Richard Allen, and Reverend David Elias Dibble, encouraged their families, friends and neighbors from the Third and Fourth Wards to come together, combine their resources, and purchase 10 acres of park land as a safe space where they could freely host Juneteenth Celebrations. This was significant, not only as a ritual of remembrance and celebration, but also as an early act of exercising the new right of property ownership. For over 150 years, this sacred ground has been respected and honored.
Emancipation Park Conservancy is a non-profit 501 c3 charitable corporation established in 2014 to restore, manage, and enhance Emancipation Park. Its purpose is to create an open space of environmental and community excellence while continuing to preserve the integrity and historical roots of the park. Its goal is to transform the park into one of the nation’s premier landmark parks and international destinations through capital initiatives, operational improvements, strategic partnerships, programming, and events. For more information, please visit www.epconservancy.org
ABOUT BUFFALO BAYOU PARK PARTNERSHIP
Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership is the non-profit creating and stewarding welcoming parks, trails, and unique spaces, connecting Houstonians with our city’s most significant natural waterway. The organization’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of the bayou that flows from Shepherd Drive, through the heart of downtown into the East End, and onto the Port of Houston Turning Basin. BBP creates and cares for inclusive public spaces such as Buffalo Bayou Park, constructs hike and bike trails, and removes trash from the waterway. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also activates the bayou through unique programs, public art, volunteer events and recreational opportunities that enrich the quality of life in Houston.
ABOUT KINDER FOUNDATION
The Kinder Foundation, a family foundation established in 1997 by Rich and Nancy Kinder of Houston, Texas, provides transformational grants that impact urban green space, education, and quality of life. More at www.kinderfoundation.org.
