HOUSTON – January 24, 2024 – The immensely popular series, Jazzy Sundays in the Parks, returns beginning on March 3 at Emancipation Park. The series celebrates the vibrancy and rich tradition of jazz and the incredible Houstonians who preserve the artform. Jazzy Sundays, made possible by a grant from Kinder Foundation, is organized by Discovery Green Conservancy in collaboration with Emancipation Park Conservancy and Buffalo Bayou Partnership.
The concerts will be held Sundays, March 3, 10, 17 and 24 at Emancipation Park; every Sunday in April at Buffalo Bayou Park; and Sundays, May 5, 12 and 26 and June 2 at Discovery Green from 5-7 p.m. All concerts are free and family friendly. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Food and drink will be available for purchase. A pop-up market will be on site at each park with locally crafted items, food and wearables.
From classic jazz to zydeco, blues and more, this year’s production kicks off at Emancipation Park on March 3 with tunes from R&B vocalist and songwriter, TK Soul, before moving to Buffalo Bayou Park on April 7, where parkgoers can sway to the progressive jazz hits from Grammy-winning musical duo, Ghost-Note. The programming concludes at Discovery Green, kicking off on May 5 with the Latin jazz super group assembled by Grammy-winning Tim Ruiz. A feature performance by award-winning, MacArthur Genius Cécile McLorin Salvant will be at Discovery Green on May 26.
The official Jazzy Sundays in the Parks artist for 2024 is Houston artist Robert Hodge. KTSU is the official media sponsor.
The full Jazzy Sundays in the Park line-up is available below.
JAZZY SUNDAYS IN THE PARK SCHEDULE
All concerts are from 5-7 p.m. The Local Market will open at 4 p.m.
Emancipation Park
3018 Emancipation Ave.
(713) 528-1872
- March 3: TK Soul with DJ Mr. Rogers & the HP Neighbors
- March 10: Keith Frank with Preston Frank
- March 17: Kirk Whalum with Chans Thomas
- March 24: Mathias Lattin with Leonard “Low-Down” Brown
For more information, please visit epconservancy.org.
Buffalo Bayou Park (The Water Works)
105-B Sabine St.
(713) 752-0314 ext 301
- April 7: Ghost-Note with Monterey Jazz @ TSU All-Stars
- April 14: Free Radicals with Hot Box
- April 21: R&D Lab with Lolade
- April 28: Chief Adjuah with Sal Capone
For more information, please visit https://buffalobayou.org/event/jazzy-sundays-in-buffalo-bayou-park-2/.
Discovery Green
1500 McKinney St.
(713) 400-7336
- May 5: Tim Ruiz and Friends with Meyerland Middle School Mariachi Son de Mi Tierra Ensemble
- May 12: Doreen Ketchens with Hustlers Brass Band
- May 26: Cécile McLorin Salvant with The Pew
- June 2: Melvin Johnson and the Electric-Akoustics with JHU
For more information, please visit discoverygreen.com/jazzy.
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 organization creating and stewarding welcoming parks, trails, and unique spaces, connecting Houstonians with the 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 on to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. In addition to constructing award-winning green spaces such as Buffalo Bayou Park, BBP also removes trash from the waterway and activates the bayou through unique programs, public art, volunteer events, and recreational opportunities that enrich the quality of life in Houston. More at buffalobayou.org
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.
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