#InTheLoop | Great Music. Great Views. Unforgettable Nights. Live at the Gantries 2023 Is Here!
BY QEDC It's In Queens
The views include the Midtown Manhattan skyline and summer sunsets. The air is fresh with brackish hints. The music runs from fun, danceable vibes to even more fun, danceable vibes.
It’s Live at the Gantries in Long Island City!
This annual summer concert series — organized via a collaboration with the Kupferberg Center for the Arts, the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Mathis-Pfohl Foundation, presents top notch concerts on consecutive Tuesdays until Aug. 15.
Admission is free, and reservations are not required. All shows start at 7 pm.
Bartlett Contemporaries does R&B on July 18, and Afro Dominicano plays Caribbean Soul on July 25. Then, it’s Linda EPO’s Ensemble New Yorkino (a fusion of Jazz and Mexican folk music) on Aug. 1; Michael Olatuja & Lagos Pepper Soup (Afrobeat, Jazz, and Funk) on Aug. 8; and Slavo Rican Assembly (Latin Jazz with South Slavic Sound) on Aug. 15.
“The beauty of Live at the Gantries is that it brings together the vibrant Queens community and showcases the incredible musical talent,” stated KCA Director Jon Yanofsky. “It’s a celebration of diversity, culture, and the power of music to bring people together.”
Here’s a more in-depth description of the remaining 2023 lineup. (Ajoyo rocked opening night on July 11.)
Queens-bred Bartlett Contemporaries bring an Uptown Funk Sound that transcends genres, blending Bebop with Hip Hop and everything in between with impressive harmonies.
The Funk-Fusion combo Afro Dominicano blends Dominican folkloric styles and pop influences that include Bachata, Merengue, Punk, R&B, Reggae, and Samba.
Linda EPO’s Ensemble New Yorkino features Queens native Linda EPO’s enchanting voice with captivating melodies and Mexican influences.
Michael Olatuja is London-born, Nigeria-raised, and New York-based. The composer, bandleader, and bassist blends the sounds of these three cities into what he describes as a “cinematic Afrobeat.” For this concert Olatuja and a full band perform music from the recent album Lagos Pepper Soup.
Founded by Jan Kus, a saxophonist and composer hailing from Slovenia and based in NYC, Slavo Rican Assembly combines his expertise in the Latin jazz scene with his South Slavic musical heritage.
Gantry Plaza State Park is in the vicinity of Center Boulevard, 47th Avenue, and the East River in Long Island City.
Images: Kupferberg Center for the Arts