Every Saturday Evening in July, 8:00 PM
HOT SUMMER NIGHTS! will feature a wide range of outstanding jazz and swing musicians with unforgettable al fresco concerts under the stars. From New Orleans blues to French Gypsy Jazz, each concert will offer something different while guaranteeing a swingin’ good time. The audience can dance, sit in furnished chairs or picnic on the lawn, all while enjoying the fresh sea breeze and stunning sunset and lighthouse in the background.
This season continue your Independence Day celebration with The George Gee Swing Orchestra featuring special guest vocalist John Dokes and a Lindy-Hopping dance duo. The George Gee Swing Orchestra is the swingin’-est, blowin’-est, heppest classic big band in New York City. They are in residence at Swing 46 in Manhattan and have dazzled audiences from Boston to Tokyo, including gigs at the “I Love Jazz” festival in Brazil and Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night’s Swing festival. The group is helmed by George Gee, who has been playing in and leading big bands since 1979– before the genre became a cultural phenomenon. Vocalist John Dokes uses his wryly smooth baritone to delight audiences at Jazz Clubs throughout New York City. Singing a mixture of blues, ballads and jazz standards his unmistakable swinging delivery is entirely his own while harkening back to greats like Nat King Cole and Joe Williams.
Fantine and The French Horn Collective heat up the summer concert series with an eclectic mix of French Gypsy Jazz, Hot Swing, and tunes from around the globe! Fantine is a multilingual artist with a powerful yet sultry voice who has toured the world and recorded with such music stars as Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Erykah Badu, Igor Butman, and Wyclef Jean. Her album “I Am Fantine” was produced by 19-time Grammy Award winning producer Emilio Estefan and seven-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan (who also co-wrote two of the songs). Fantine’s song “Reservation for Two” peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs list. Fantine will be backed up by the acclaimed French Horn Collective, who have brought their signature fusion of Gypsy Jazz, Jazz, French Eclectic Original Music and Hot Swing to numerous festivals, including the Art Deco South Miami Beach Festival, The Moca Jazz Series, and The Miami Nice Jazz Festival.
Since exploding onto the scene in 2005, Davina and The Vagabonds has grown into one of the most exciting acoustic ensembles on the international stage. With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the group’s shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments, and tender gospel passages. This rollicking quintet has played festivals from Ontario to Romania, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and more.
Closing out the series is The Dan Pugach Nonet, a nine-piece ensemble led by GRAMMY® nominated drummer, Dan Pugach, featuring GRAMMY® nominated vocalist Nicole Zuraitis. This joyful mini big band comprised of six horns and a driving rhythm-section features gorgeous jazz arrangements, as well as inventive original compositions by both Dan and Nicole. The nine-piece ensemble has already won two ASCAP Jazz Composer Awards, a prestigious residency at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington D.C., and was nominated, alongside Nicole, for a 2019 GRAMMY® for Best Arrangement, Instruments with Vocals for their song, “Jolene.”
“On Stage At Kingsborough is pleased to present world-class musicians on the southernmost tip of Brooklyn. We are a destination for all swingin’ New Yorkers, while providing local residents with access to great music right in their backyard. This summer’s HOT SUMMER NIGHTS! the lineup features everything from French Gypsy jazz to French Quarter blues, and tunes from 2019 GRAMMY® nominees! We invite you to dance under the stars and sway in the ocean breeze. It’s a perfect summer evening activity for young and old, and it’s completely free!” said Anna Becker, Executive Director of On Stage At Kingsborough.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
All concerts take place at Kingsborough’s Lighthouse Bandshell, on the campus of Kingsborough Community College. Admission and parking are free and open to the public. Kingsborough’s gates open at 7:00 p.m. and the concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. Reservations are not necessary. A limited number of seats are available, but all are welcome to bring blankets and folding chairs for our lawn.
Rain Location: In the event of inclement weather, the concerts will be relocated to the air-conditioned Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center. Updated location information will be available on our box office line – (718) 368-5596 – starting at 4:00 p.m. on concert days.
Picnic Information: To complete a gorgeous night of great music in a friendly community setting, our gates open at 7:00 p.m. and picnicking is welcomed. Sandwiches, chips, ice cream, and beverages will be available for sale, or you can bring your own!
Box Office Location: On Stage At Kingsborough box office, Kingsborough Community College, 2001 Oriental Boulevard (cross street: Oxford), Brooklyn, NY. There is ample, free parking on the campus.
Box Office Hours (for July): 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
By Phone: (718) 368-5596
Online: www.OnStageAtKingsborough.org
DIRECTIONS:
By Car: AMPLE, FREE PARKING is available and we are just minutes from Exit 8 off the Belt Parkway. By Bus: Take the B1 or B49 bus straight to our entrance. By Subway: Take the B, Q, F, D, or N and transfer to the B1 bus for a short ride to our entrance.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER:
On Stage At Kingsborough (OSK) brings artistically and culturally diverse, multidisciplinary performances from masters of the form to the varied communities within and surrounding Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. We strive to create an environment where the arts are an accessible and integral part of life, and the Arts Center is a community gathering place for interaction and inspiration. We present world-class dance, cabaret, theatre, music, and family performances in the Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center and Kingsborough’s Lighthouse from October to May, and our HOT SUMMER NIGHTS! free outdoor concert series at The Lighthouse Bandshell every July. Our school-time shows welcome classes from local public and private schools, a majority of which serves economically-disadvantaged or special needs populations.
Website: http://www.onstageatkingsborough.org
Twitter: @OnStageAtKCC
Facebook: On Stage At Kingsborough
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