2018 Summer Concerts in the Garden

 

The Friends are very proud to offer its annual summer music series featuring a different local performing group each Thursday in the library garden through August 23.  Dan Hart (pictured left) kicked off the 2018 Concerts in the Garden series on a very hot Thursday, July 5th in Menino Hall.   All concerts start at 6:30p.m, and end at 7:30p.m.  Concerts will be moved inside to air-conditioned Menino Hall in the event of excessive heat or rain.

The full line-up:

Jul 5   Dan Hart
Jul 12   NO Concert – Annual Book & Media Sale/Member’s Reception
Jul 19   Savin Hillbillies
Jul 26   Tanya Maggi and Friends
Aug 2   Marshall Richards
Aug 9   Jazzebelles
Aug 16   Bird Mancini
Aug 23   Tony Cibotti

The summer concert series this year is fully funded by a grant from the Citywide Friends of the Boston Public Library, with support by volunteers from the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library and the Hyde Park community at-large.  All concerts are free and open to the public.

New Season of Concerts in the Garden Starts Thursday, July 14

The Friends are very proud to offer its annual summer music series featuring a different  local performing group each Thursday in the library garden through August 18.  The Savin Hillbillies will kick off the 2016 Concerts in the Garden series on Thursday, July 14, 6:30p.m-7:30p.m.   Concerts will be moved inside to air-conditioned Menino Hall in the event of excessive heat or rain.

The full line-up:

Jul 14   Savin Hillbillies
Jul 21   Evenfall Quartet
Jul 28   Ron Goldman
Aug 4     Judy Pancoast
Aug 11   Patrice Monahan
Aug 18   Brad Hallen Trio

The summer concert series is sponsored by the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library and is also supported in part by Hyde Park Main Streets and the Boston Public Library.  All concerts are free and open to the public.

Jazz Week 2016 in Hyde Park

Calling all jazz music fans! JazzBoston’s Jazz Week returns to Beantown on April 22, 2016 and runs through May 1, 2016. The Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library and Artists-At-Large, Inc., are pleased to collaborate again for our fourth Jazz Week by bringing The Trombone Giants to the branch library on Saturday April 30, 2016, at 2:00pm.

Veteran Boston trombonist and band leader John Licata will kickoff the event with his presentation, What was When!! The 1970s Boston Jazz Scene, with jazz by the Giants following.  The Trombone Giants comprise John Licata and Michael Wang on trombone, Ben Schwendenener on piano, Rich Appleman on bass, and Jean Marie Corrois on drums.

Come on in to Hyde Park for some history, some live jazz, and our available selection of jazz CDs for sale!

The Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting the Hyde Park Branch Library and the Hyde Park community.  We thank our members and the community for supporting our book and media sales, and for giving generously to continue sponsoring free music events and other activities for all ages at the branch library.

Artists-at-Large, also a non-profit, introduces, supports and encourages local artists in exhibiting and sharing their art in the community and beyond, as well as paying forward to others by donating a portion of their show proceeds to a charity of their choice.

2015 Concerts in the Garden Update

The Friends are saddened to announce a change in our July concert line-up.  Duke Robillard WILL NOT be performing on July 9.  Earlier last week Duke underwent emergency shoulder surgery and will be recovering for the next 2-3 months.  We wish Duke a speedy recovery and hope he will perform at our library when he is able.

In the meantime, our season will be kicked off by Brad Hallen’s Boston Jazz Collective, featuring Ed Fiorenza on Tenor Sax, Joe Barbato on Piano, Brad Hallen on Bass, and Jerzy Glod on Drums.  Collective members are all first-call players and have worked with many international artists.  They will be performing a repertoire from American Song Book and Jazz Composers.

Concerts in the Garden 10th Season Starts Thursday, July 9

The Friends are very proud to offer its 10th annual summer music series featuring a different  local performing group each Thursday in the library garden through August 20.   Blues guitarist Duke Robillard will kick off the 2015 Concerts in the Garden series on Thursday, July 9, 6:30p.m-7:30p.m.   Concerts will be moved to air-conditioned Menino Hall in the event of excessive heat or rain.

The rest of the season’s line up:

Jul 16   Savin Hillbillies
Jul 23   Brad Hallen Trio
Jul 30   d’Allegro
Aug 6    Patrice Monahan
Aug 13   Wayne Potash
Aug 20   Tony Cibotti

The summer concert series is sponsored by the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library and supported by a grant from the Blue Hills Bank Charitable Foundation.

Jazz in the Garden This Thursday

The Bill Walzcak Combo inspired the more than 60 people in the garden to clap and sing along in a rousing opener of the Concerts in the Garden season last Thursday, the 10th.

Join us this Thursday, July 17, when Patrice Monahan Jazz will bring another outstanding program to the Hyde Park Branch. Her group has been together since 2009, and performs a range of blues, Latin, swing, and straight-ahead jazz standards from the Great American Songbook.

Boston based Patrice, pianist and vocalist, is known for her artistic versatility as a singer, songwriter, pianist, and tap dancer.  Tal Shalom-Kobi, bassist, is a graduate of Berklee and New England Conservatory, and she is a teacher, performer, and band leader.  Diane Gately is a Boston based drummer who often plays R&B and Blues at Birch Street in Roslindale on Thursdays during the year.  Randy Pingrey, trombonist, started in Eau Claire, WI, and now plays with many groups and makes recordings in the Boston area.

Worry not about the weather – in the event of excessive heat or of rain, the concert will be held in Menino Hall.  This series is sponsored by the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library and is funded by a grant from the Blue Hills Bank Charitable Foundation.

See you on Thursday!

 

2013 Concerts in the Garden are On!

Hey, Music Lovers!

The Friends’ eighth season of Concerts in the Garden at the Hyde Park Branch Library are off to a great start last week with You and Yours, and this week with Mixed Emotions.  The remaining concerts will run July 25 through August 22, 2013, on Thursday nights between 6:30pm and 7:30pm.   The free concerts are held in the garden–entrance from the Library Children’s Room and from the street via library’s parking lot; in the event of rain or extreme heat, the performance moves to Menino Hall inside the library.

Scheduled performers for this 2013 season are:

• July 25/ Ralph’s Music (Modern Jazz)
• August 1 / Thea Hopkins (Folk Americana)
• August 8 / Bright Moments  (Jazz Sextet)
• August 15 /JA2 (Contemporary Jazz)
• August 23 / Tony Cibotti  (American Song Book)

Light refreshments are available at each concert.  The series is sponsored by the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library, and is supported by a grant from the Blue Hills Bank Charitable Foundation.

Check back here every week during the season for bios of our performers.  See you in the Library Garden and Thanks! for supporting our summer concerts!

Concerts Return to Garden Thursday, July 11

The Friends’ eighth annual summer music series features a different  local performing group each Thursday in the library garden through August 22.   The acoustic duet “You and Yours”, with guitarist Dan Bowden and harmonica player Ralph Rosen, will kick off the 2013 Concerts in the Garden series on Thursday, July 11, at 6:30p.m.   Concerts will be moved to air-conditioned Menino Hall in the event of excessive heat or rain.

Both seasoned performers, Dan and Ralph developed their current partnership in 2012 with a clinic at Berklee College of Music demonstrating their extensive knowledge of blues and jazz styles.  Since then they have played country blues for a range of audiences, including local political figures and actress Glenn Close.

Dan Bowden, a well-known musician and music educator, plays guitar, electric slide guitar, and bottleneck guitar. He is a guitar professor at the Berklee College of music, an online course developer, and instructor for BerkleeMusic, and he has published guitar transcription and instructional books for Mel Bay Publications.  Dan’s first compact, No Better Time than Now, was released in June, 2011.

Ralph Rosen is active as a drummer, harmonica player, and composer.  Like Dan, he is steeped in the jazz and blues traditions, having played in both idioms on both instruments all over the world  He has played with many artists including Albert King, Bruce Katz , George Garzone, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.  His two cd’s (featuring his own pieces) are So Taken (2001) and No Secrets (2004).

The summer concert series is sponsored by the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library and supported by a grant from the Blue Hills Bank Charitable Foundation.

Menino Hall 1 p.m. Saturday, April 6: Be There!

All are invited to the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library’s Annual Meeting this Saturday, April 6, 2013, beginning at 1pm.  During the Annual Meeting, the Friends will honor Alice Yee Kane as Friend of the Year for her many contributions to the library and to the Friends.

In addition, the Friends will recognize longtime Hyde Park Branch library assistants Theresa Cameron and Marge Gurney who retired in 2012.

Following the business meeting and award presentations, Soo & Maria, a jazz duo from the New England Conservatory, will present selections from their repertoire of jazz favorites re-arranged for voice and harp.

The afternoon will conclude with a reception featuring the traditional offering of homemade sweets. And of course, an opportunity to investigate the mini-book sale kicking off this weekend!

Zili Misik in Concert

photo by Ahn Dao Kolbe

The Friends are pleased to present 2012 Boston Music Awards nominee Zili Misik in concert in Menino Hall,  Saturday January 12, 2013, 1:00pm-2:00pm.

Originally formed to showcase Haitian music traditions, Zili Misik’s performances also incorporate African and South American influences.   This Boston-based all-female band creates a unique sound blending the musical rhythms and traditions it honors.  Come and partake of the melodic medley of the musics of Haiti, West Africa, Brazil, Cuba, and American spirituals, blues, jazz and neo soul!

This concert is sponsored by the Friends of the Hyde Park Branch Library and supported by a grant from the Blue Hills Bank Charitable Foundation.