July and August of this year will be the months for free jazz, as the free Jazz Trail Concert Series returns for its third year. Hosted by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Flushing Town Hall, the Louis Armstrong House Museum and NYC Parks, the two-month-long concert series will transform various parks around Queens into a haven for jazz fanatics.

Since the 1920s, Queens has been home to a wide variety of Jazz greats, including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Charles Mingus.

The event is inspired by Flushing Town Hall’s Queens Jazz Trail Map, which showcases areas where jazz legends once resided and performed. 

Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts
Flushing Town Hall’s Queens Jazz Trail map.Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

The series will run for eight consecutive Thursdays from July 9 through Aug. 27. The event is supported by the Howard Gilman Foundation, Resorts World New York City, Northwell Health, Maspeth Federal Savings, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, AARP New York and Queens College.

“We’re proud to continue celebrating the extraordinary jazz history of Queens through this concert series,” Kupferberg Center for the Arts Director Jon Yanofsky said. “Each summer, these performances bring communities together in parks across the borough while honoring the artists and cultural traditions that helped shape jazz history right here in Queens.” 

The lineup is as follows: 

Thursday, July 9, at 7 p.m. – Travers Park (Jackson Heights)

Telavana. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Grammy-nominated flutist and composer Itai Kriss has been a vital force in New York’s jazz and Latin music scene for over two decades, blending Israeli musical traditions with jazz, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and influences from North Africa and Brazil. Founder of the ensemble Telavana, Kriss creates energetic, rhythm-driven music that connects the sounds of the Middle East and the Caribbean through Timba, jazz, soul and global traditions.

Kriss and Telavana will play at Travers Park. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Thursday, July 16, at 7 p.m.  – Baisley Pond Park (Jamaica)

Vincent Herring (left) and Steve Turre (right). Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

John Coltrane centennial celebration! Vincent Herring and Steve Turre unite two of jazz’s most distinctive voices, blending hard-bop fire, deep swing and fearless improvisation. Acclaimed saxophonist Herring has performed with legends including Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie and Freddie Hubbard, while Grammy-winning trombonist and pioneering seashellist Turre brings Afro-Cuban and Brazilian influences shaped through collaborations with Ray Charles, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock. Together, they deliver performances filled with rhythmic energy, expressive depth and uncompromising swing.

Herring and Turre will play at Baisley Pond Park. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Thursday, July 23, at 7 p.m.  – Forest Park Bandshell (Woodhaven)

Arturo O’Farrill. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Six-time Grammy-winning pianist, composer and bandleader Arturo O’Farrill is a leading voice in Afro-Latin jazz, blending Latin rhythms, jazz and contemporary composition with a powerful cultural and social vision. Born in Mexico City and raised in New York, he is the founder and artistic director of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and Belongó, a nonprofit dedicated to the performance, education and preservation of Afro-Latin music. Through his acclaimed recordings, collaborations and teaching, O’Farrill continues to champion cultural identity, social justice and the transformative power of music.

Thursday, July 30, at 7 p.m. – Bowne Park (Flushing)

John Yao. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Trombonist, composer and arranger John Yao and his 17-piece Instrument band push modern big band jazz into bold new territory, blending swing, Latin, funk and contemporary influences. Their latest release, Points in Time, celebrates Yao’s 20-year career in NYC and the band’s long-awaited return after a decade-long hiatus. A 2023 DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star, Yao has performed with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and collaborated with artists including Paquito D’Rivera and Kurt Elling.

Thursday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. – Rockaway Beach Park (Far Rockaway)

Wycliffe Gordon. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Internationally acclaimed trombonist, composer and educator Wycliffe Gordon is celebrated for his powerful sound, masterful plunger mute technique and deep roots in jazz tradition. A former member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Gordon has appeared on more than 300 recordings and earned multiple DownBeat Critics Poll awards and a record 15 Jazz Journalists Association “Trombonist of the Year” honors. Alongside his global performing career, he continues to inspire new generations as Director of Jazz Studies at Augusta University.

Gordon will play at Rockaway Beach Park. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Thursday, Aug. 13, at 7 p.m. – Archie Spigner Park (Jamaica)

Wallace Roney Jr. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Miles Davis centennial celebration! Trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr. is a rising force in jazz known for his dynamic performances and deep connection to the tradition. The son of acclaimed artists Wallace Roney Sr. and Geri Allen, he was shaped by influences including Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard before graduating from Oberlin Conservatory. Roney Jr. has performed with celebrated artists such as Chick Corea, Jimmy Heath and Ornette Coleman, and is now a sought-after presence on the New York and New Jersey jazz scene.

Roney will perform at Archie Spigner Park. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Thursday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. – Cunningham Park (Fresh Meadows)

Brass Queens. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Brass Queens is a female-led, Brooklyn-based brass band blending the energy of New York with the vibrant traditions of New Orleans brass music. Known for their high-energy performances, the group fuses jazz, pop, reggaeton, mambo and classic rock into an electrifying, dance-driven sound. Since forming in 2019, Brass Queens has performed at venues and events including Carnegie Hall, the Met Gala and alongside David Byrne, while touring festivals across the U.S. and internationally.

Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. – Astoria Park (Astoria)

Lucy Yeghiazaryan. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

Tony Bennett centennial celebration! Lucy Yeghiazaryan is an Armenian-American vocalist and violinist emerging as a leading voice in contemporary straight-ahead jazz, blending her cultural heritage with the American jazz tradition. Born in Armenia and raised in New Jersey, she refined her craft through NJPAC’s Jazz for Teens program and now performs at renowned NYC venues, including Jazz at Lincoln Center and Birdland. Yeghiazaryan has collaborated with artists including Harold Mabern, Houston Person and Terell Stafford.

Yeghiazaryan will perform at Astoria Park. Photo courtesy of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts

All concerts are free and open to the public and will take place, rain or shine, at 7 p.m. For more information, visit KCA.NYC/QJT.