Freedom Summer Jazz Series is bringing jazz to Freedom Park, 1900 East Boulevard, in several free concerts summer 2019. Bring a lawn chair. Concessions will be sold. No tents, over-sized umbrellas or outside alcohol. Brought to you by Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation.
Concerts are from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
June 15th:
Marqueal Jordan with special guest, John Dillard
Marqueal Jordan is not your mainstream artist. A Los Angeles native who has made Chicago his home for the past 20 years, Marqueal is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. His indelible talent is a virtual emporium of musical genres that encompasses R&B, Soul, Jazz, Hip Hop and Pop. Each magnetic performance embodies the foundation that music is built upon, and also delivers the energy to captivate audiences worldwide. It is rare that you find an artist that can not only cross musical styles, but can do so effectively and convincingly.
Having been a member of Brian Culbertson’s band, the Jazz world has been blessed to hear the big tone and melodic sounds that flow from Marqueal’s saxophone. As a vocalist, his sultry voice has often been compared to Marvin Gaye and Maxwell. His critically acclaimed debut CD, “CATALYST”, showcases his fluid versatility and laid-back grooves.
July 27th:
National Jazz Keyboardist Marcus Johnson with special guest, Willie Bradley
Marcus Johnson is an independent Billboard-ranked, internationally acclaimed jazz keyboardist, and NAACP Image Award Nominee.
While pursuing his JD and MBA at Georgetown, he independently produced and distributed his first CD (Lessons in Love), which sold more than 40,000 units; a phenomenal success for an unknown independent artist’s debut release. This album helped him launch his career as a renowned jazz keyboardist/pianist, and later, he released his second CD (Inter Alia), with staggering success
This success caught the attention of Black Entertainment Television (BET) founder and businessman Robert L. Johnson, who invested and partnered with Marcus to establish Marimelj Entertainment Group. Under their partnership, MEG’s label Three Keys Music housed Studio 8121, a full-service recording studio, and two music publishing companies: Marimelj Music Publishing and Three Keys Music Publishing.
As head of Three Keys Music, Johnson produced and released on the Three Keys Music label national jazz artists: Michael Lington, Jaared Arosemena, Bobby Lyle, Nick Colionne, R&B singer, Alyson Williams, neo-soul songstress, Zahzarah; and smooth jazz Saxophonists Phillip Martin and Brian Lenair.
To date, Marcus has released more than fifteen Billboard charted CDs, and has the distinction of having his groundbreaking 2008 Billboard Top 20 Contemporary Jazz FLO (For the Love Of) Anthology, which consisted of three distinct CDs — FLO Chill, FLO Romance and FLO Standards – all chart Top 10 on Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts simultaneously.
August 24th:
Michael Manson with special guest, Jazz Revolution
With the release of his previous CD, The Just Feelin It . Michael Manson joined the ranks of today’s premiere jazz artists.
His first single “Coming Right At Ya” reached the top 10 on the R&R Smooth Jazz. Bass-master Michael Manson moved from sideman to center-stage on his solo debut The Bottom Line.
His passion and precision are displayed with both unrelenting power and laid-back grace on the album that, he says, “reflects the deepest expression of all I have felt making music for the last twenty years.”
On Michael Manson’s new CD “Up Front”. It, he is credited for writing and production. For this album Michael has collected the who’s who of Smooth Jazz: Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum, Jeff Lorber, Brian Culbertson, Nelson Range, Norman Brown, Paul Jackson Jr., the legendary George Duke and many more great jazz musicians. This album is a great mix of contemporary jazz, R&B and even a little gospel.
For Michael Manson the bottom line has always been great music. Since he first picked up a guitar (not a bass), he has moved persistently from strength to strength, one association leading inevitably to another in a career that has brought him front and center with the most esteemed names in jazz, gospel, R&B, rock and pop.
Manson’s uniquely lyrical voice has its roots in Chicago, Illinois. He recalls, “My grandmother and mother played piano, but no one else in the family was really involved in music. My dad had an old beat-up folk guitar that he never picked up and so my older brother and I got interested in music about the same time-I was fourteen-and started playing it. After that, we bugged my mom to buy us some instruments. She finally bought my brother a guitar and me a $25.00 bass and a $25.00 amp that we shared.
Charlotte on the Cheap is a member of 
