The Jazz Scene: Grab a chair and sit outside

The summer months usually mean that a good deal of jazz can be heard outdoors, with many concerts free and open to the public. This year, there are more of these warm-weather events than in recent memory, proving the health of our jazz scene.

Headlining the 9th annual Lancaster Avenue Jazz and Arts Festival on July 18 is alto saxophonist Sonny Fortune, among the very few jazz artists who was as comfortable with Elvin Jones as he was with Buddy Rich. The all-day fest, billed as “a day of jazz and art for all ages,” takes place at Saunders Park Green, 39th Street and Powelton Avenue, Philadelphia, from noon to 7pm and is free and open to the public. For a complete list of performers and performing times, visit online.

Something new this year is “Jazz Age on the Delaware,” a six-hour celebration of traditional jazz that takes place on August 1 from 11am to 5pm at Glen Foerd on the Delaware. Performers include Drew Nugent & the Midnight Society, the Gin Canaries, the Minsky Sisters, the Old City Sweethearts, Dandy Wellington, and the Red Hot Ramblers with Chelsea Reed. Glen Foerd is the last “Gilded Age” mansion on the Delaware, and proceeds from the event go toward preserving the estate. Tickets and the full schedule are available online.

Cedar Park and Hawthorne Park

Live Jazz Fridays in Cedar Park is a summerlong series of concerts, free and open to the public. The July lineup includes the Clef Club Youth Ensemble on July 3, Gretchen Elise and Friends on July 10, Dahi Divine and Friends on July 17, Broke and Blue Band on July 24, and Side by Soul on July 31. Concerts run from 6-8pm at Cedar Park, on 49th Street and Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia.

Barbara Walker is one of our area’s finest jazz singers. On July 16, the Hawthorne Empowerment Coalition and the nonprofit Jazz Bridge present Walker and her group in a free concert at Hawthorne Park on 12th and Catharine Streets, Philadelphia. The show runs from 7-8:30pm, and lawn chairs are suggested.

Jazz at the shore, Jazz at the Mann

Though Atlantic City can hardly be called a jazz town, the city has presented a series of free jazz concerts each summer for several years. Headlining this month is another of our region’s singing treasures, the aptly named Ella Ghant. Ghant — accompanied by pianist Aaron Graves, bassist Lee Smith, and drummer Butch Reed — will appear on July 23 starting at 7pm at Kennedy Plaza. The Plaza is located on the boardwalk between Mississippi and Georgia Avenues.

Pianist/singer Diana Krall is one of jazz’s few superstars. Though her material has been variable of late, whatever she plays or sings is impeccably performed. Because of her star status, she gets only the finest accompaniment. On July 24 at 8pm at the Mann Center, she’ll have the finest accompanists of them all: the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Two local albums

Two excellent albums have recently been released by area artists: pianist/bassist Jason Long and guitarist Barry Wahrhaftig’s The Hot Club of Philadelphia. We don’t hear too many solo jazz piano albums these days, if only because a pianist has to be an absolute master to sustain the listener’s interest for that long. On I Watch the Planes Go By, Jason Long demonstrates that he is a master on ten eclectic compositions that include some standards, jazz versions of pop songs, and a nifty original. Wharhaftig’s Gypsy Routes not only pays loving and swinging homage to the legendary gypsy guitarist, Django Reinhardt, but also pays tribute to some neat Jazz Age ditties like “Old Fashioned Love.” The album is filled with guest stars, including nationally known guitarists Marty Grosz and Howard Alden, and two of Philadelphia’s best singers, Denise King and Phyllis Chapell.