Summerstage and City Parks events: June!

In addition to Celebrate Brooklyn, which I posted about just a week and a half ago, summers in NYC feature amazing FREE CONCERTS sponsored by the City Parks Foundation - most notably, the Summerstage series. The new Summerstage/City Parks website just went up, and honestly I really dislike the redesign. There is no central calendar page, and it requires lots of clicking through to see what's actually going on. So I'll do some of that work for all of us and post some of the JUNE shows happening in Manhattan, the Bronx, and beautiful Brooklyn, that look the best to me. Enjoy!

SummerStage Music: Jay Electronica
When: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Red Hook Park, Brooklyn
With unconventional style and a unique combination of clever lyrics and deep musical cuts, Jay Electronica has been breathing new life into rap from the streets up.

SummerStage Music: Doug E.Fresh and DJ Dee Wiz
When: Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Herbert Von King Park, Brooklyn
Doug E. Fresh, one of the originators of the human beat box, is one of the early heralds of the global hip hop movement.

SummerStage Dance: Akim Funk Buddha’s Flying Boom Box and Organic Magnetics
When: Friday, June 4, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Herbert Von King Park, Brooklyn
Akim Funk Buddha and his dancers create borderless hip-hop inspired, performance art pieces by fusing sounds and movements. Organic Magnetics’ unique dance-theater pieces are inspired by Afro-Latin rhythms, intermixed with yoga, martial arts and theater dynamics.

SummerStage Dance: Peniel Guerrier Dance and Julio Jean Haitian American Dance Theater Present A Tribute to Haiti
When: Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Herbert Von King Park, Brooklyn
Julio Jean Haitian American Dance Theater is a highly acclaimed dance company dedicated to the sharing Haiti’s dance culture with the world.Internationally recognized Haitian dance company, Peniel Guerrier Dance utilizes an intoxicating mix of traditional drums and rhythms to propel the spirit of Haitian dance.

SummerStage Music: Nice & Smooth and the Awesome 2
When: Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Betsy Head Memorial Playground, Brooklyn
East coast hip hop duo Greg Nice & Smooth B are famed for writing smart, tongue-in-cheek rhymes that ride bangin’ hooks.

Part of the NYC Revolutions series

East coast hip-hop duo Greg Nice & Smooth B are famed for writing smart, tongue-in-cheek rhymes that ride bangin’ hooks. Released in the late 1980s and early to mid-’90s, Nice & Smooth’s albums, including Nice and Smooth and Ain’t a Damn Thing Changed, are acknowledged genre essentials. Their biggest hit, “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow...,” is fondly remembered for its interpolation of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” and its socially conscious message. Don’t miss this double dip of rap royalty slinging verses with the legendary DJ duo The Awesome 2 on the turntables.

info@SummerStage.org

(212) 360-2777

SummerStage Theater: The Etymology of Bird by Zakiyyah Alexander, Directed by Jade King-Carroll
When: Friday-Saturday, June 11-12, 2010 at 8:00PM
Where: Herbert Von King Park, Brooklyn
The Etymology of Bird delves into the Brooklyn, NY and explores questions on race relations, criminal justice, family life, love, fear, stereotypes, and hard choices seen through the eyes of various people.

SummerStage Music: Baaba Maal, Playing For Change
When: Monday, June 14, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Central Park/Mainstage

Celebrating Senegal’s independence, West Africa’s best-known musician meets a boundary and nation busting collective of global artists.

SummerStage Music: Big Daddy Kane with DJ Jon Quick
When: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Herbert Von King Park, Brooklyn
Big Daddy Kane’s baritone voice and rapid-fire rap style has secured him a place as one of hip hop’s most influential, successful and lasting MCs.

SummerStage Theater: The Etymology Of Bird by Zakiyyah Alexander, Directed by Jade King-Carroll
When: Friday-Saturday, June 18-19, 2010 at 8:00PM
Where: Betsy Head Memorial Playground, Brooklyn
The Etymology of Bird delves into the Brooklyn, NY and explores questions on race relations, criminal justice, family life, love, fear, stereotypes, and hard choices seen through the eyes of various people.

SummerStage Music: NYC Pride Rally featuring Me’Shell Ndegéocello , Martha Wash, The New York Gay Men’s Chorus, Vickie Shaw, Billie Myers, Bruce Vilanch and more
When: Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 4:00PMWhere: Central Park/MainstageStrength, virtuosity and joyous revelry reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and the lineup of this incredible evening’s entertainment.

SummerStage Music: Fecircte De La Musique / Make Music NY Celebration: Salif Keita, Tabou Combo, Lo’Jo
When: Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 3:00PM
Where: Central Park/Mainstage
Iconic innovators from Mali and Haiti set the standards for global celebratory music, and are joined by the next generation of international visionaries.

SummerStage Music: Brand Nubian
When: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Bronx TBD
Hip hop powerhouses Brand Nubian are best known for their socially conscious and politically charged content.

Summerstage Dance: Rennie Harris RHAW and Le Soul Afrique with Special Guest Akim Funk Buddha
When: Friday, June 25, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: St. Mary’s Park , Bronx

Rennie Harris RHAW showcases the newest up and coming faces in hip-hop street dance. Acting as a global hip-hop collective of dancers, MCs and vocalists, Le Soul Afrique is not just a dance company, but a dance and music powerhouse.

SummerStage Dance: Abakua Afro-Latin Dance Company and Areytos Performance Works
When: Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: St. Mary’s Park, Bronx “ABAKUá Afro-Latin Dance Company’s use of pounding, dynamic rhythms and dramatic dance movements meshes Latin rhythmic styles with African beats.”

SummerStage Music: Tinariwen, Omar Souleyman, Toubab Krewe
When: Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 3:00PM
Where: Central Park/Mainstage
Energizing rock rhythms and unexpected up-tempo dance beats from Africa and the Middle East will make you rethink party music.

SummerStage Music: Gil Scott-Heron
When: Sunday, June 27, 2010 at 3:00PM
Where: Central Park/Mainstage
The godfather of hip-hop and neo soul performs classics and music from his first new album in over fifteen years.

SummerStage Music: Definitely Poetry: Daniel Bernard Roumain with special guests Emeline Michel, Erol Josué, Cave Canem Poets: Gina Dorcely, Gregory Pardlo and Mervyn Taylor
When: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 3:00PM
Where: Central Park/Mainstage

Innovative, cutting-edge poets and musicians with a special eye to the art of Haiti.

SummerStage Music: Nuyorican Poets Café
When: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Central Park/Mainstage

The multicultural, multi-arts institution showcases new work from rising poets, actors, filmmakers and musicians.

SummerStage Music: DJ Kool Herc
When: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Bronx, TBD
DJ Kool Herc’s creation of breaks and sampling has paved the way for hip hop music as we know it.