Dust off your cooler and shake out your blanket. City Park Jazz will return on June 2 this year for its 38th season of Sunday evening free concerts along Ferril Lake.
The remarkable series of 10 concerts is special not only because it features a wide spectrum of local-only musicians, but because as many as 12,000 people convene around City Park Pavilion each week to listen, play lawn games, mingle, eat picnic dinners and people-watch.
The diverse mix of spectators comes from nearby neighborhoods or other parts of the city, often by bike or on foot — and with babies, dogs and grandparents in tow.
Andy Bercaw, who is president of the board of directors for the nonprofit City Park Jazz, said in a statement that he is particularly excited about this year’s mix of artists. “We’ve got everything from soul to big band to blues to Latin and more,” he stated. “This season’s gonna be fantastic.”
In addition to the music, there will be a rotating group of 24 food trucks and beer from 4 Noses Brewing, which opened a second taproom in north Park Hill last year. A limited-edition collectible T-shirt will also be sold only at the concerts. See it at cityparkjazz.org.
City Park Jazz receives a large part of its budget from donations and staffs its events primarily with volunteers. Go to CityParkJazz.org/volunteer2 for more information.
All concerts run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the City Park Pavilion. Here is the schedule:
June 2 — Roka Hueka
June 9 — Stafford Hunter & Jazz Explorations
June 16 — Mistura Fina
June 23 — ZiMBiRA
June 30 — Hazel Miller and the Collective
July 7 — JoFoKe & Same Cloth
July 14 — Delta Sonics Blues Revue
July 21 — Denver Jazz Orchestra
July 28 — Nelson Rangell
Aug. 4 — Jakarta