Live At The Gantries July 12, 2011

LIVE AT THE GANTRIES, a series of six free outdoor concerts, will return to the waterfront, featuring Queens-based musical groups beginning July 12, 2011 at 7pm at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens.

The series is produced by The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Queens Theatre in the Park, Queens Council on the Arts, and Queens College. It is sponsored by TF Cornerstone, Rockrose Development Corp. with additional support from City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and Con Edison.

THE LATIN-JAZZ COALITION, Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 7pm
The Latin-Jazz Coalition was founded in 1986 by award winning trombonist/ composer Demetrios Kastaris. The ensemble has performed in live concerts with such Grammy Award winners, Latin Jazz luminaries, and legends as Tito Puente, Dave Valentin, Claudio Roditi, Steve Turre, Edy Matinez, Alfredo de la Fé, Oscar Hernandez, Ray Vega, Herman Olivera, Vitín Avilés and many others. “A unique new and exciting sound in Latin jazz. The musical level is what I would expect from Tito Puente, Oscar D’Leon or Willie Rosario.” – Latin Beat Magazine

THE BEETS, Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 7pm
The Beets, from Jackson Heights, Queens, sound like the emotional sing-alongs you and your friends had in college, if you and your friends had been musical geniuses reinventing 1960s garage rock with poppy no-fi tracks. Their songs are short and catchy and packed with emotive, poetic lyrics, more inspired by the Beatles and the Ramones than the current indie scene.

THE EBONY HILLBILLIES, Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 7pm
As one of the last black string bands in the U.S. and the only one currently based in NYC, The Ebony Hillbillies keep an important legacy alive with a rootsy, homegrown style that was a key element in the genesis of All American Music-Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass, Rockabilly, Rock and Roll and Country. Whether they play for thousands at Carnegie Hall or a crowd at Grand Central station, The Ebony Hillbillies bring history alive with the still vibrant sound of Americana that echoes across generations and transcends all racial and cultural boundaries.

YOWANA SARI, Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 7pm
Queens College-based gamelan orchestra Yowana Sari plays music from the island of Bali. The music and dance performed by the group is made up of traditional Balinese masterpieces and newer compositions (kreasi baru). The 25 members of the ensemble play on a collection of percussive metallophones (gangsas and reyongs) and flutes (sulings).

PERCUSSIA, Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 7pm
Led by artistic director Ingrid Gordon on percussion, the chamber music ensemble invites a variety of musicians to collaborate each year. This season’s members include Margaret Lancaster, flute; Lev “Ljova” Zhurbin, viola; Susan Jolles, harp; Melissa Fogarty, soprano; and Andrea Pryor de Manrique, percussion. Percussia gives dynamic and engaging performances. Audiences respond to the excitement of its rhythms and to the dynamic visual presence of percussion.

MATHEW SNOW & THE WAY IT WAS, Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 7pm
Singer/Songwriter Mathew Snow draws his bluesy grit from a northeastern Ohio upbringing, while guitarist (and Japanese native) Hiro Suzuki plays like an old soul from New Orleans in the 1960s. Drummist Matt Olley and bassist Chris Lavas sharpened their skills growing up in the Long Island indie rock scene. They all eventually found their way to NYC and with a little bit of luck, they crossed paths in Astoria, NY and formed what is now the foot-stomping blues-rock sound of Mathew Snow & the Way It Was.

Directions to Gantry Plaza State Park:
Via New York Water Taxi:
Take the New York Water Taxi from either the West 44th Street, Chelsea Piers, Greenwich Village, World Financial Center, Battery Park, South Street Seaport, Fulton Ferry Landing or East 34th Street piers to Hunter’s Point. Exit the Water Taxi Beach parking lot to 2nd Street. Make a left on 2nd Street. Make a left on 50th Avenue towards the city until you reach the river.

By subway, take the No. 7 train to the Vernon Blvd.-Jackson Ave. Station. Walk on 50th Avenue to the East River.

By car from the Queensboro Bridge or Queens Boulevard, turn south on 21st Street. Turn right on Jackson Avenue. Make another right on 48th Avenue.

For more information, visit www.liveatthegantries.com.