Melting Pot Jazz, presented by Jazz WaHi, returns with five free, family-friendly outdoor concerts celebrating immigrant influences on American jazz. The series brings community together with live music, shared public space and a celebration of cultures.

This year’s series will feature musical influences from India, Columbia, Poland, Cuba, Africa, and Spain, showcasing internationally inspired ensembles performing each Thurs. from May 29 to Jun. 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m., on the lawn of the St. Frances Cabrini Shrine (701 Ft. Washington Ave. 10040) In the event of rain, concerts will be held indoors.

The idea for the Melting Pot Jazz series began in April 2021 as a collaborative initiative from the Executive Director of St. Frances Cabrini Shrine. The concept aimed to produce a series of public, open-air concerts on the church lawn while celebrating the diversity of music brought to America by immigrants.

It started as a trial project to build intergenerational and multicultural community connections and quickly grew, drawing up to 200 attendees each week, ranging from toddlers to senior citizens.

Its growing popularity and community impact led to the continuation and expansion of the series, bringing even more musicians to a larger community audience.

Jazz WaHi is a nonprofit organization, founded and directed by local Washington Heights musicians and educators Louise Rogers and Mark Kross. Through Melting Pot Jazz, Jazz WaHi fulfills its mission:

“To bring jazz music to a diverse local audience and to expand that audience through performances and educational opportunities in accessible neighborhood settings, inviting community members of all backgrounds to appreciate jazz as a living, breathing, evolving tradition.”

Each year, Jazz WaHi presents around 200 neighborhood-based events, including weekly jazz jams, local venue performances, a monthly Vocal Series, the annual Washington Heights Jazz Festival, and Jazz WaHi New Year’s Eve.

Melting Pot Jazz is presented with support from a Cultural Development Fund grant from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, and the New York State Council on The Arts.

Attendees are encouraged to bring friends, family, blankets, and chairs. Please be advised that pets and alcohol are not permitted.

More information on both Jazz WaHi and the Melting Pot Jazz series can be found at www.jazzwahi.org.

Schedule:

May 29 Quadrature– India

June 5- Alex Pastrana Quartet- Colombia

June 12 – Bogna Kicinska Quintet – Poland

June 19 – Rachel Therrien Latin Jazz Project – Canada meets Cuba

June 26 – Berta Moreno Afro-Jazz Soul Project