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NYC’s Charlie Parker Jazz Festival Lineup Announced

Abbey Lincoln and Chico Hamilton (pictured) will headline the 15th annual free Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, a two-day event to be held later this summer in Manhattan neighborhoods where Parker lived and worked. Presented by the City Parks Foundation, the concerts will take place on Saturday, Aug. 25 in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park and Sunday, Aug. 26 at Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, with performances on both dates beginning at 3 p.m.

Each day will feature four sets, with legendary jazz singer Abbey Lincoln and renowned drummer Chico Hamilton playing both dates. The other performers scheduled for Saturday will be jazz pianist Marc Cary, whose inventive musical projects range from world music to electronica, and New York native Lezlie Harrison, a vocalist whose sound incorporates jazz, gospel, blues, Latin and soul. Sunday’s show will feature young trumpet sensation Maurice Brown, known for his melding of hard-bop and groove, and Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra veteran Todd Williams, whose saxophone playing draws heavily from the gospel and soul tradition.

The concerts are free and open to the public. Marcus Garvey Park is located at 124 St. & Mt. Morris Park, and Tompkins Square Park is located at E. 8th St. between Aves. A & B.

Originally Published