Free, Outdoor Summer Concerts Celebrates Music & the Arts in Downtown Brooklyn
On July 22, August 19 and September 16, the Fulton Mall Improvement Association (FMIA) will host the Fulton Street Beat, a summer concert series at Albee Square in downtown Brooklyn. The first two of the free, outdoor concerts will feature a stellar lineup, including Latin Jazz musician Arturo O'Farrill; Hard Bop jazz band, The New Cookers; as well as others playing reggae, blues, bluegrass and gospel. The September concert is a Brooklyn salute to the New Orleans sound with headliner Victor Goines & Friends.
Fulton Street Beat was born from the desire to celebrate and entertain the diverse and growing number of residents, workers, shoppers and visitors in downtown Brooklyn. With over 100,000 visitors each day, Fulton Street Mall is the third busiest shopping district in the city. Fulton Street Mall serves as a primary shopping destination and critical link for commuters, visitors and residents.
“From salsa to reggae, the Fulton Street summer concert series will be alive with the sounds of the many cultures that make Brooklyn home to everyone from everywhere," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
The concert series pays homage to the Fulton Street Mall's rich musical history. Jazz greats such as Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane and Bing Crosby all performed at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. Other local music venues included the Brooklyn Strand, the Albee Square Theater, the Loew's Metropolitan, the Fox, and the Orpheum. Today, Fulton Street Mall is associated with Hip Hop music and culture.
With new nationally recognized stores and a multi-million dollar renovation at Macy's on Fulton Street, the Mall is stronger than ever. The improvements are only just beginning. An $8.5 million streetscape improvement project is currently in the design phase. The project will include more open space, new street furniture and lighting.
This year marks the Fulton Mall Improvement Association's 30-year anniversary and heralds a new era of events and community-based initiatives for Fulton Street Mall. The FMIA is the first special assessment district of any kind in New York City and has strived to provide a clean, safe, vibrant place to shop, work, live, and visit.
“Fulton Street Mall is more than a shopping street; it's a public meeting place. Albee Square's open layout is a natural attraction point for visitors. It's the perfect location for an outdoor concert," said FMIA Executive Director Michael Weiss.
Fulton Street Beat is made possible, in part, with the support of North Fork Bank and T.G.I. Friday's Restaurant. Community supporters for the series include: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, New York City Council Member David Yassky, Community Board 2, the Downtown Brooklyn Council and the Brooklyn Arts Council.
The concert series is hosted by the Fulton Mall Improvement Association and is produced in cooperation with Up Over Jazz Productions, with technical assistance by Kennedy Events Services, Inc. The concerts are rain or shine. Programs are subject to change. For additional information, call the Fulton Mall Improvement Association at 718-488-8200 or visit www.fultonstreet.org.
FULTON STREET BEAT
Downtown Brooklyn Music Festival
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
(all acts are subject to change)
ALBEE SQUARE * FULTON STREET MALL
DeKalb Avenue between Albee Square West & Flatbush Avenue Ext.
SATURDAY, JULY 22
1-5pm/FREE
1:00 James Reams & The Barnstormers - Bluegrass
2:30 Renegade Band - Reggae
4:00 Arturo O'Farrill - Latin Jazz
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
1-5pm/FREE
1:00 Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers - Blues
2:30 Brooklyn Tabernacle Youth Choir - Contemporary Gospel
4:00 The New Cookers - Hard Bop Jazz
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
1-5pm/FREE
1:00 Jambalaya Brass Band - 2nd Line Brass Marching Band
2:30 Maurice Brown Quintet - New Orleans Funk
4:00 Victor Goines & Friends - New Orleans Jazz
For more information contact All About Jazz.
