By Dustin Brown
From the shadows of the Citibank tower to the base of the Hellgate Bridge, strains of jazz and haunting drumbeats are luring people into the summertime air through a host of concert series playing across Long Island City and Astoria.
Some are recent creations designed to attract people to an area they might not otherwise visit, like the evening music extravaganzas set along the East River at Queensbridge Park and the lunchtime concert series geared to Citibank employees.
Others, like the performances that attract thousands to the lawns of Astoria Park, simply give residents another reason to visit a greenspace already popular for sports and evening strolls.
But the recipe of mixing music with greenery is common to all of them, and what results is a sweet way to underscore the summer.
“They loved it. They want them to come back,” said Elizabeth McQueen, the park warden of Queensbridge Park, after a nighttime concert with a Mardis Gras theme brought residents out to hear a group of young steel drum players from Brooklyn last month. “That’s the first thing they want to know, when are they coming back, are they coming back this summer?”
The concert series began in 1999 to help the park emerge from a bleak period in which its reputation as a breeding ground for crime prevented residents from visiting despite its prime waterfront location just north of the Queensboro Bridge.
“The whole idea was to get the residents to come out and participate in the park and kind of take care of their park, because the park was dormant for quite a number of years,” McQueen said. “There wasn’t anything going on there.”
Now residents are coming out by the dozens to hear jazz, blues, and Latin performances on Friday evenings between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Next on tap are a Children’s Festival Saturday at 11 a.m., and a Doo-Wop concert July 19 at 6 p.m.
In Court Square Park, the problem wasn’t crime but convenience that kept the visitors away. Although the adjacent Citibank office tower houses thousands of employees, the building offers a host of in-house dining options and sits directly above a major subway station, amenities that prevent many employees from ever venturing outside to explore Long Island City.
“The idea was, there are 5,000 people in that Citibank building. Why aren’t they coming outside?” said Jonathan Levin, the director of special projects for the Long Island City Business Development Corporation, the lead sponsor for a lunchtime concert series at Court Square Park.
“We kind of like to tie the business community with the cultural arts community in town to show people what’s out there, to show people, ‘Hey, Long Island City’s not only a good place to do business, there’s lots of interesting stuff out there when you’re not doing business,’” Levin said.
The series was inaugurated late in June with Indofunk, which blends American funk with Indian classical modes, and continues Wednesday with the Latin Rhythm Devils, from noon to 1:30 p.m.
The Central Astoria Concert Series, founded about 17 years ago, takes full advantage of the picturesque views at Astoria Park, a sloping home to grass and trees that runs down to the waterfront by the Hellgate Bridge. Thousands typically attend, with picnic baskets and blankets in hand.
“We’re a not-for-profit organization so we like to help out the community and just to have events that bring the community together,” said Catherine Minozzi, the cultural coordination for the Central Astoria Local Development Coalition, which puts on the series.
After starting off July 2 with an Independence Day Celebration featuring the West Point U.S. Military Band and a fireworks display, the series continues July 18 at 7:30 p.m. with Big Band Night featuring Joe Battaglia and the New York Big Band.
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
