(Brooklyn, NY—May 5, 20025) Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium (CBJC) launches its inaugural summer jazz festival beginning May 18, 2025. These free concerts feature world-class musicians performing outdoors in the borough’s Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville sections.

For more information, go to www.centralbrooklynjazz.org or call (718) 803-7803.

On May 18, at Brevort Playground, Brooklyn-born percussionist Chief Baba Neil Clarke performs. He has been involved with traditional African drumming for over half a century. He has performed and toured with Harry Belafonte, Randy Weston, and Miriam Makeba, to name a few.

On June 1, the exhilarating Venezuela-born pianist, Benito Gonzalez, performs at Betsy Head Park. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards. He performed with Jackie McLean, Bobby Hutcherson, Kenny Garrett, and was the keyboardist and musical director for Pharoah Sanders.

On June 8, Haitian saxophonist Alix Buyu Ambroise performs at Fulton Park Plaza with his Blue in Red Band. Buyu’s mixture of American jazz, Afro-Latin Caribbean, and traditional Haitian music gained notoriety in metropolitan New York City.

CBJC’s first summer jazz season closes on June 17th at Herbert Von King Park with the Caribbean All Stars.

“Jazz is what liberates you. It is the most liberating music on the planet,” states CBJC Chairman Clarence Mosley, Jr., “We are proud to be a grassroots organization that consistently supports the culture, focused on recognizing and paying homage to the creative forces in our community. Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium has been blessed to present and honor musical giants like Max Roach, Randy Weston, Betty Carter, and many more.”