For three evenings this summer, an unlikely, intriguing musical and aesthetic confluence takes shape just across our border, with contemporary jazz performed amid an installation of illuminated Chihuly glass sculptures, all against the verdant backdrop of the New York Botanical Garden.
Titled Jazz & Chihuly, the Garden’s Summer Concert Series kicks off on June 16 with a program dubbed “The French Connection,” featuring the performances of trumpeter Alphonso Horne and French vocalist Camille Bertault. On July 14, trombonist Chris Washburne and pianist André Mehmari lead a large ensemble for “Celebrating 100 Years of Jazz,” and on August 18 the series wraps with “Songs of Protest & Reconciliation,” led by pianist Damien Sneed and trumpeter Keyon Harrold. Concerts run 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with time to view the exhibit until 10:30 p.m.
The underlying exhibition is Chihuly’s first garden installation in New York in more than a decade, showcasing more than 20 pieces of the artist’s work, going back to his early days. The exhibit continues at the Garden through Oct 29.
Tickets for each concert are $45 for non-members, $40 for members. For more info or to purchase tickets, visit www.nybg.org/visit/admission
