HOUSTON, TX — Discovery Green, the 12-acre park in the heart of downtown Houston, kicks off its Spring 2018 Season with the Bayou City Music Series. This new concert series honors the great jazz, blues and zydeco musicians of Houston in free concerts taking place in three parks.

Acclaimed Houston rapper Bun B headlines the series kickoff at Discovery Green on Thursday,
March 1, with opening performances by the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) Jazz Ensemble; Milton Hopkins, B. B. King’s bandleader; and Jewel Brown, former vocalist for Louis Armstrong’s Orchestra. This event takes place on the 10th anniversary of Discovery Green’s first-ever event in 2008, “One for Doc,” a concert honoring HSPVA’s nationally recognized jazz program.

On Saturday, April 7, Grammy Award-winning pianist and record producer Robert Glasper returns home for his first performance at the historic Emancipation Park. The HSPVA Jazz Sextet, from Glasper’s alma mater, will open.

The series moves to The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park on Saturday, May 19. The lineup features the full HSPVA Jazz Band; saxophonist Grady Gaines, who has recorded with Little Richard, Sam Cooke and many others; vocalist Trudy Lynn; and the ThunderSOUL Orchestra, a 14-piece orchestra featuring former students of Conrad Johnson from Kashmere High School, which was the subject of a 2011 documentary film.

This free music series resumes in September with one more event at each park. The Bayou City Music Series is made possible by the Kinder Foundation.

Event Details

WHAT:

Bayou City Music Series: Bun B, HSPVA Jazz Ensemble, Milton Hopkins, Jewel Brown Thursday, March 1, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney Street, Houston, TX 77010

Bayou City Music Series: Robert Glasper, HSPVA Jazz Sextet Saturday, April 7, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Emancipation Park, 3018 Emancipation Avenue, Houston, TX 77010

Bayou City Music Series: HSPVA Jazz Band, Grady Gaines, Trudy Lynn, the ThunderSOUL Orchestra
Saturday, May 19, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park, 105 Sabine Street, Houston, TX 77007

COST: Admission is free

IMAGES: http://bit.ly/2GAIrkC

MORE:

Discovery Green
facebook.com/events/768626063345774/www.discoverygreen.com
Facebook: @DiscoveryGreenHouston Twitter: @DiscoveryGreen
Instagram: @DiscoveryGreen

Emancipation Park
www.emancipationparkconservancy.org
Facebook: @EPConservancy
Twitter: @EmancipationParkHou

Buffalo Bayou Park
www.buffalobayou.org
Facebook: @BuffaloBayou
Twitter: @BuffaloBayou
Instagram: @BuffaloBayou