Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Jazzy Sundays: Joy Bloom & Strangers on Earth and Kinder HSPVA Jazz Ensemble
2026-04-19 17:00 - 19:30 UTC | THE WATER WORKS, 105 Sabine Street, Houston, TX, 77007, United States
Buffalo Bayou Partnership is teaming up with two Houston parks to bring you Jazzy Sundays in the Park, a series of FREE, outdoor jazz concerts. The series celebrates the vibrancy and rich tradition of jazz and the incredible Houstonians who preserve the artform. Family-friendly concerts will be held March 8, 15, 22 and 29 at Discovery Green; and April 5, 12, 19, and 26 at The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park from 4-7:30 PM.
Bring you picnic blanket, lawn chairs, friends, and family for a groovy afternoon in Buffalo Bayou Park!
To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all, outside alcohol is not permitted. Food and drink will be available for purchase on-site.
Jazzy Sundays in the Parks is made possible by a grant from the Kinder Foundation and sponsored by KTSU.
Location: The Water Works Lawn in Buffalo Bayou Park (105-B Sabine St.)
Lineup:

April 5: Christian McBride and Synesthesia
April 12: Melvin Johnson and Mahoganee Renee
April 19: Joy Bloom & Strangers on Earth with Kinder HSPVA Jazz Ensemble
April 26: Lil Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers and Steven Dargin & Texas Kreole

Schedule:

4:30 PM: Vendor market opens
5-7:30 PM: Jazz performances

FREE REGISTRATION

About Joy Bloom & Strangers on Earth
Joy Bloom is a vocalist, pianist, and songwriter known for her inspiring blend of gospel, jazz, and soul. A proud graduate of Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, Joy is passionate about using music as a bridge to share her faith. She is the bandleader of Strangers on Earth and a pianist with the Houston Latin Jazz Orchestra, bringing a rich musical style influenced by legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, and Kim Burrell. Joy has performed on stages around the world, from jazz festivals in Johannesburg, South Africa, to venues in downtown Houston. Her latest singles, “My Heart Belongs to You” and “Can’t Tell It,” reflect her heart for uplifting audiences through music filled with hope, faith, and inspiration.

About Kinder HSPVA Jazz Ensemble
Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts boasts the nation’s premier high school jazz program. Under the direction of James Westfall, jazz students study instrument technique, music theory, and jazz history. Jazz alumni include acclaimed musicians Jason Moran, Robert Glasper, James Francies and Walter Smith III. Kinder HSPVA is a nationally recognized tuition-free HISD public school where students train daily in one of six art areas: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental and Vocal Music, Theatre, or Visual Arts.

Jazzy Sundays: Lil Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers and Steven Dargin & Texas Kreole
2026-04-26 17:00 - 19:30
Buffalo Bayou Partnership is teaming up with two Houston parks to bring you Jazzy Sundays in the Park, a series of FREE, outdoor jazz concerts. The series celebrates the vibrancy and rich tradition of jazz and the incredible Houstonians who preserve the artform. Family-friendly concerts will be held March 8, 15, 22 and 29 at Discovery Green; and April 5, 12, 19, and 26 at The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park from 4-7:30 PM.
Bring you picnic blanket, lawn chairs, friends, and family for a groovy afternoon in Buffalo Bayou Park!
To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all, outside alcohol is not permitted. Food and drink will be available for purchase on-site.
Jazzy Sundays in the Parks is made possible by a grant from the Kinder Foundation and sponsored by KTSU.
Location: The Water Works Lawn in Buffalo Bayou Park (105-B Sabine St.)
Lineup:

April 5: Christian McBride and Synesthesia
April 12: Melvin Johnson and Mahoganee Renee
April 19: Joy Bloom & Strangers on Earth with Kinder HSPVA Jazz Ensemble
April 26: Lil Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers and Steven Dargin & Texas Kreole

Schedule:

4:30 PM: Vendor market opens
5-7:30 PM: Jazz performances

FREE REGISTRATION

About Lil Nathan and the Zydeco Big Timers
With nearly two decades in the music industry, primarily within the zydeco genre, Lil Nathan, loves to create a gumbo of zydeco, R&B, swing out, hip hop and Afro Pop. He’s making his own history.
Lil Nathan blazes his own path, going from a cute 2-year-old on stage with his dad to an adult hitmaker playing the Bayou Classic halftime show before 50,000 in the Superdome. Other stops include Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans Pelicans Halftime Show, New Orleans Saints Tailgate Party, the Houston International Festival, the Houston Livestock & Rodeo, Universal Studios in Orlando, the Ronald Reagan Building, International Trade Center in Washington, DC, and national attention on CBS 60 minutes. He’s shared the stage and studio with platinum selling artists, such as New Edition, Dru Hill, Tank, Cupid, Juvenile, Kevin Gates, Yung Bleu, and Los Lobos, along with Tucka, a Southern Soul favorite.
Nate’s 17 albums have embraced numerous styles, including his growing fascination with Afro Pop. Along the way, Lil Nathan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies and a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

About Steven Dargin & Texas Kreole
Steve Dargin, aka Texas Kreole, grew up playing music in church, was a drummer with Brian Jack and the Zydeco Gamblers for more than a decade. But an undying hunger to play the accordion and growing respect for his family’s Creole roots in southwest Louisiana drove him into the spotlight.
Dargin’s music contains flavors of Boozoo Chavis, Beau Jocque, Chris Ardoin and other legendary names. “Growing up trail riding and riding horses, I was always into zydeco,” said Dargin. “But I’m coming into this not just to play a trail ride. I want to get back into the festivals, the bazaars, get back to where I can have the old and the new.”
Dargin counts Lil Nathan Williams and family, along with rising stars Rusty Metoyer and Kaleb Leday as guiding forces in his new solo career. He’s ready to make his great grandmother and other family proud.
