On a recent sunny summer day, dozens of Upper West Siders and visitors enjoyed the sounds of the Bryan Carrott Quartet.
Bryan Carrott plays the vibraphone, a percussion instrument commonly used in jazz music.
“It’s from the xylophone family in the lineage of instruments. It stems back to Africa and Asia, but the difference is the bars are made of metal, and it has a pedal, a sustained pedal, to make the notes last longer, like a piano does,” Carrott explained.
What You Need To Know
- Summer Jazz Sensations is a free jazz concert series being held at Dante Park, at West 64th Street and Broadway in Manhattan
- The concerts are presented by the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District
- Dante Park is located across the street from Lincoln Center
- The concert series features some of the city's finest jazz musicians
Carrott was playing at Dante Park at Broadway and West 64th Street, with his quartet that features Greg Glassman on trumpet, Joseph Lepore on the bass and George Gray on drums.
It was part of the free Summer Jazz Sensations, a concert series presented by the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District.
“We are able to really attract locals, visitors, people who walked by, as I said, the other day I heard that Beyoncé was here. I didn’t know and she took pictures,” said Monica Blum, the longtime president of the BID.
The shows feature local restaurants like Cafe Paradiso on West 65th Street, serving up snacks and drinks.
Carrott called it a blessing all the way around.
“We enjoy being able to share the music experience with people, and that they can do it at their leisure, and you know, we feel it’s like a gift for all of us,” Carrott said.
Summer Jazz Sensations concerts are Wednesdays from noon until 1:30 p.m. through Aug. 30, with rain dates the following Fridays.