Tonight audiences at the Levitt AMP Jacksonville Music Series, presented by Jacksonville Main Street, are in for a truly eclectic night of music with Portland big band Dirty Revival. Their kaleidoscopic take on funk, jazz and gritty soul is thrilling audiences around the country on an ongoing tour – and they’re making a stop in Jacksonville to welcome Levitteers at Central Park joining in on the fun!
Along with July being National Picnic Month, this month is also National Park and Recreation Month, which makes sense considering that picnics and parks go hand in hand! We love this infographic created by National Recreation and Park Association that shares some fun facts about community spaces boosting positive attitudes toward cultural diversity, how playing outside enhances vision and that half of exercise in America takes place at parks.
This weekend, the internationally renowned and virtuosic Malian musician, Cheick Hamala Diabate, brings his danceable and richly textured West African songs to two — yes, two — Levitt AMP stages! He graces Levitt AMP Berea tonight at 6pm, and Levitt AMP Greensboro tomorrow evening at 6pm. Considered a master of the ngoni, a traditional, lute-like stringed instrument, Diabate’s music started in his motherland and migrated to Washington, D.C., where he has worked with acclaimed producers, created a GRAMMY-winning World music album and toured relentlessly.
Saturday night, Brooklyn’s Los Hacheros will have Levitt AMP Santa Fe swaying to their fun, warm and infectious Latin beats. Their deep Afro-Caribbean groove weaves in elements of folkloric styles like son montuno, guaracha and salsa, often combining them with Bomba—a fiery rhythm from the mountains of Puerto Rico.
Los Hacheros is a five-piece band created in 2012, and have brought new heights to the golden era of Latin music with their unique versatility, explosive energy and instruments ranging from flute, trombone, violin, congas and tres—a guitar-like instrument that changed the course of the New York salsa scene.
Happy National Picnic Month!
Temperatures are rising and early summer showers are (hopefully!) on their way out. This time of year, public parks across the country are filled with families and friends enjoying the outdoors, so what better time to pack a picnic? In celebration of National Picnic Month, we’ve created a mouth-watering slideshow of picnicking Levitteers across the nation!
Award-winning 8-piece band, The Suffers, kicked off the 2017 Levitt National Tour at Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles last Saturday with an outstanding turnout coming from all walks of life. The Suffers performed an upbeat, groovy set enabling Levitteers to get on their feet and dance the night away to the sounds of Gulf Coast Soul. The fun continues tomorrow night when the next leg of the tour stops in Memphis at Levitt Shell, followed by Arlington, Texas this Saturday night at Levitt Pavilion Arlington. Here’s 5 fun facts about The Suffers:
The first four minutes of Ben Sollee’s 2013 Tedx Talk is a spontaneous, collaborative jam session with just him and a drummer. What you see Sollee playing is indeed a conventional cello, but the sounds coming out of it are anything but. While singing about modern society, he stretches the instrument to its limits, creating a soundscape of languid strings and futuristic, percussive notes. Whatever shape or form the music takes, it is undeniably dazzling, virtuosic and intriguing. It gives one a glimpse of the innovative spirit of Ben Sollee, a multi-instrumentalist and composer who takes the Levitt AMP Berea stage in Kentucky tonight at 7:30pm.
Summer is well underway and there’s so much to love about this time of the year—the kids are out of school, the smell of bbq fills the air and free Levitt concerts are in full swing! As we return to the work week after the long festive weekend, we thought we’d keep the fun going strong with this mid-week “Sounds of Summer” playlist, featuring some of our favorite summer tunes. Enjoy! Continue reading
