Summer concerts
Who’s playing when at these free outdoor evening concerts in Greater Hartford
Summer is the season for free evening concert series in Connecticut’s towns. Put them together and you’ve got a pleasant night alfresco for dozens of musical genres, from jazz to country, all around the Hartford area.
Summer is picnic season. Summer is the season for free evening concert series in Connecticut’s towns. Put them together and you’ve got a pleasant night alfresco.
All around the Hartford area, towns are hosting host free outdoor concerts. Music includes jazz, rock, pop, choral, rhythm-and-blues, country, soul, patriotic, symphonic, swing and world music.
So pack a basket and lawn chairs, get there early, find a good spot, chow down and relax to some tunes. If you don’t want to pack a meal, food trucks will be parked at many locations. Alcohol is prohibited at most venues. Check websites for details, parking locations, rain dates and rain sites and musical genres.
Here is a list of concert series and who’s playing when in the Greater Hartford area. It is not all-inclusive.
Hartford
The Butler-McCook House & Garden, 396 Main St. in Hartford historic garden, will hold its Sunset Sounds concerts on the second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. from June to September. ctlandmarks.org.
June 13: Kate Callahan & Friends, with Cynthia Wolcott, Michelle Begley and Atticus Kelly, with the opening act The Music Moves Hartford “Downtown Singers”
July 11: Jazz music with Louis Hayes, Dezron Douglas and Abraham Burton
Aug. 8: Connecticut State Troubadour Nekita Waller
Sept. 12: West End Blend.
Jazz in Bushnell Park
The Hartford Jazz Society presents Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz at 6 p.m. each week in Bushnell Park. hartfordjazzsociety.com
July 8: Jovan Alexandre Quartet and Dezron Douglas / Black Lion
July 15: Jocelyn Pleasant and The Lost Tribe amd Sherry Winston
July 22: Orquesta Espada and Elio Villafranca Quartet
July 29: The Matt Chasen Generation Ensemble and Antonio Hart’s Roy Hargrove tribute
Aug. 5: Mike Carabello Quintet and Darryl Yokely Sound Reformation
Aug. 12: Kris Jensen and OGJB Quartet
The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz is July 19 to 21 in Bushnell Park. hartfordjazz.org.
July 19: The Funky Dawgz Brass
Band and Delfeayo Marsalis
July 20: Rohn Lawrence, Jazmin Ghent, Julian Vaughn, Braxton Brothers, Studio 860 and Personal Touch
July 21: The Funky Dawgz Brass Band; Steve Clarke; Zaccai Curtis featuring Craig Handy, Joe Dyson, Mike Boone and Brevan Hampden; Jonathan Barber; and The Nat Reeves Experience featuring Nat Reeves, Eddie Henderson, Mike Clark and Peter Zac
Elizabeth Park
Elizabeth Park, on the Hartford-West Hartford town line, is having a fournight series of concerts on the Rose Lawn on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. elizabethparkct.org
June 26: Mass-Conn-Fusion
July 3: Goza Latin Band
July 10: Latanya Farrell
July 17: Eight to the Bar
Connecticut Historical Society
The 4th annual outdoor concert series is on the third Thursdays in June, July and Aug. at 6 p.m. on the lawn of
the CHS at 1 Elizabeth St. in Hartford. chs.org.
June 20: Ugandan fusion music by Zikina
July 18: Betsy’s Band, a New England country dance band
Aug. 15: El Conjunto Guajiba y Sharina “La Reinita que Canta,” Puerto Rican jíbaro music
West Hartford
Webster Walk in Blue Back Square in West Hartford hosts a variety of musicians on a variety of dates all summer. Concerts are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. westhartfordct.gov
June 14: The Accounting Crows
June 15: Fever
June 22: JME Strchild & The Masters of Space and Time
June 23 at 6 p.m.: Sunday Vinyl
June 28: Streetlight Shakers
June 29: Counting Blue Cars
June 30 at 5 p.m.: Julian Sherwood and Portrait
Party
July 6: Fever
July 12: Majic Bullets
July 13: Stay Tuned Band July 14: The Accounting Crows
July 19: Fever
July 20 at 5 p.m.: Julian Sherwood and Field of
Birds
July 26: Accounting Crows
July 27: Randall Kane Quartet
Aug. 3: Stealhead
Aug. 8: Fever
Aug. 9 at 6:30 p.m.: Hammersmith
Aug. 17: Halfton Tiger Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.: Guinea Pigs
Aug. 24: Randall Kane Quartet
Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m.: Hammersmith
Sept. 13: Accounting Crows
Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.: Jennifer & Max
Sept. 27: Halfton Tiger Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.: Jeff Mainville Trio
Sept. 28 at 3 p.m.: 3G
Glastonbury
The Riverfront Music Series is on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Welles Street Riverfront Park behind the Riverfront Community Center. crvchamber.org.
July 10: Shaded Soul
July 17: White Wedding July 24: Maxxtone
July 31: ETA
Wethersfield
The Keeney Kooler Concert Series is at Keeney Memorial Cultural Center on Main Street in Old Wethersfield. Showtime is Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. wethersfieldct.gov.
July 9: Ed Fast and Conga Bop
July 16: TBA
July 23: Number Nine Band
Newington
The Edythe & Harry Mandell 2019 Summer Concert Series is at Mill Pond Park, 123 Garfield St. in Newington. Concerts are at 6 p.m. most on Thursdays. newingtonct.gov
June 13: Rock Solid Alibi June 20: Wooden Horse June 27: Southern Sky July 11: Timmy Maia
July 17 (Wednesday): Larry Stevens Band
July 18: What It Is
July 19 (Friday): Last Licks
July 20 (Saturday): Dually Noted at 2 p.m. and MassConn-Fusion at 6 p.m.
July 25: The Daily Planet Aug. 1: First Company Governor’s Foot Guard
Bloomfield
Bloomfield Concerts on the Green are held on Thursdays at 7 p.m. on the Town Hall lawn. bloomfieldct.gov/leisure-services. June 20: Latanya Farrell June 27: Billy Pilgrim Band
July 4: Simply Swing
July 11: Avenue Groove July 18: Still Kickin It and The Big City Horns
July 25: West Indian celebration
Aug. 1: All Funk’d up
Aug. 8: Personal Touch Aug. 15: Shaded Soul
Aug. 22: Interfaith concert
Manchester
The Manchester Bicentennial Band Shell will hold its 42nd season of free concerts from July 6 to Aug. 21. All shows are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. manchesterbandshell.com
July 6: The North Cove Rogues and Mass-ConnFusion
July 10: Soul Sound Revue
July 12: Six Pack Blues July 15: Night Shift
July 17: Angelo Sapia
July 19: Windham Concert Band
July 22: Lahot Jazz & Co. July 26: Cruz Machine July 29: 102nd Army National Guard Band (second show at 8:30 p.m.)
July 31: Kidsville Cuckoo Revue (6:30 p.m.)
Aug. 2: Blues on the Rocks
Aug. 5: Ticket to Ride Aug. 7: Whodat!
Aug. 9: Undercover
Aug. 12: Survivors Swing Band
Aug. 14: Jim McCardle with New England Ceili Band
Aug. 16: Grass Routes Aug. 19: Glenn Hansen Orchestra
Aug. 21: United States Coast Guard Band
East Hartford
East Hartford Parks and Recreation presents The Sounds of Summer on Thursdays at 6 p.m. in Great River Park, 201 East River Drive. easthartfordct.gov. June 27: Off the Record July 11: Espada
July 18: Shaded Soul
July 25: Dually Noted Aug. 1: Goza Latin Band Aug. 8: Soul Sound Revue
Windsor
First Town Downtown presents a concert series on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. on the Windsor town green. firsttowndowntown.org
June 27: Gene Donaldson and the Stingrays
July 4: Steve Lipman
July 11: BUS13
July 18: Off The Record July 25: Army Band
Aug 1: Farmington Valley Band
Aug 8: Blue Skies
Aug 15: Big City Horns Aug 22: Rock Solid Alibi
South Windsor
The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor will hold a concert series on Thursdays at 7 p.m. recreation.southwindsor.org.
June 20: Savage Brothers June 27: Redhead
July 11: LA’s Backstage Pass
July 18: Avenue Groove July 15: Number 9
Aug. 1: Southern Sky
Aug. 8: Island Castaways Aug. 15: Soul Sound Revue
Windsor Locks
On Tuesdays at 7 p.m., music can be heard on the lawn of Southwest Elderly Housing at 124 Southwest Ave. in Windsor Locks. windsorlocksct.org.
June 25: Whiskey, Wine & Coke (this concert will be at the library at 28 Main St.)
July 2: Monthei Brothers Band
July 9: Stealhead
July 16: Full Krew
July 23: Kim Normal
July 30: Savage Brothers Aug. 6: Caribbean Beach Bums
Aug. 13: Tirebiter
Middletown
Music at the Mansion is at The Wadsworth Mansion, 421 Wadsworth St. in Middletown, on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. wadsworthmansion.com July 3: Shaded Soul
July 10: Hartford Jazz Orchestra
July 17: CJ West and the Downtown Train
July 24: Plywood Cowboy July 31: Middletown Symphonic Band
Farmington
Alice Clover Pinney Park in the Unionville section of Farmington will have concerts on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. farmington-ct.org.
June 20: New Horizons June 27: Ball in the House July 11: L & B All Star Review
July 18: C-Side Alley
July 25: Wednesday Bowling League
Aug. 1: Mass-Conn-Fusion
Aug. 8: The Future Heavys
Aug. 15: Rotary
Plainville
Concerts will be presented on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in Norton Park, 197 South Washington St. in Plainville. plainvillect.com.
June 11: Plainville Choral Society
June 18: Kenn Morr
June 25: Simply Swing July 2: Last Fair Deal
July 9: Riverboat Ramblers
July 16: Nzinga’s Daughters
July 23: Center Stage Jazz July, 30: Old Tyme Fiddlers
Bristol
“Rockin Out at Rockwell” will be at Rockwell Park Amphitheatre, 238 Jacobs St. in Bristol, on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. bristolallheart.com
June 25: Running On Empty
July 9: Southern Voice July 16: Marty Q
July 23: LA Backstage Pass
July 30: 102 Army Rock Band
Aug. 6: Spirit Shakers Aug. 13: South Sound Revue
Aug. 20: Latanya Farrell
East Haddam
The 13th annual Music on the River will be Mondays at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn of the Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St. in East Haddam. easthaddam.org/Music-on-theRiver/.
July 8: New London Big Band
July 15: The Suitcase Junket
July 22: Sierra Hull
July 29: The Rainbow Girls
Aug. 5: Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez
Aug. 12: Blair Crimmins and the Hoookers
Southington
The 26th annual Music on the Green series is on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Southington Town Green. A classic car show will be there on the evening of each concert. southington.org/ music.
June 12: Darik and the Funbags
June 19: Norm Flash and the Starfires
June 26: What It Is
July 3: The Diamond Collection
July 10: Long Island Sound Band
July 17: Ball in the House July 24: The Sam Vinci Orchestra
July 31: BootLeg Band Aug. 7: Dennis Polisky & Maestro’s Men
Aug. 14: The Glamour Girls
Aug. 21: The Pop Rocks Aug. 28: King Kountry Sept. 4: Soul Sound Revue
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@ courant.com