charlie parker jazz festival 2024 - DAY 3 @ tompkins park, new york, aug 24 - lucia / the jazz gallery all-stars / gary bartz ntu troop / dee dee bridgewater & bill charlap duo
photography by © Clara Pereira / text by Filipe Freitas
SummerStage — New York City's iconic outdoor performing arts festival — has been running for 39 years, bringing the joy of jazz and countless other genres to a city that pulses with music and artistry. The third and final day of the acclaimed Charlie Parker Jazz Festival took place at Tompkins Park in Manhattan on Sunday, August 24.
lucia
The young Mexican singer Lucia opened the afternoon with solid backing from Venezuelan pianist Gabriel Chakarji, bassist Guillermo Lopez, and New York drummer Adam Cruz, who worked with Tom Harrell, Danilo Perez, and Enrico Pieranunzi. She began with the Puerto Rican bolero “Silencio”, also interpreted “What a Difference a Day Makes” in its original Spanish version (written by Maria Greer in 1934), punctuating the moment with ‘zapateado’ from Vera Cruz. A delicate reading of the Argentine zamba “Alfonsina Y El Mar” followed, performed as a poignant duet with Chakarji.
the jazz gallery all-stars
The Jazz Gallery All-Stars took the stage next, a powerhouse ensemble featuring saxophonists Miguel Zenón and Melissa Aldana, vibraphonist Joel Ross, guitarist Charles Altura, pianist Dabin Ryu, bassist Ryoma Takenaga, and drummer Kendrick Scott. They opened with a hip, odd-metered piece by Ross, spotlighting fiery solos from Aldana, Altura, and Zenón—whose sound, initially faint, was quickly corrected. Ryu’s bop-inflected “Vertigo” shifted the spotlight, firstly bringing Ross to the center and then the pianist herself, who improvised across the middle and upper registers with zest. Charlie Parker’s “Mango Mangue” received a radiant new arrangement, marked by tight coordination and exhilarating exchanges between the horns and guitar, while Scott stretched out behind the kit at a later phase over a pedal point. Guest vocalist Renee Neufville joined the rhythm section to perform her own tune, “Something to Believe”—a dedication to the late trumpeter Roy Hargrove—before the horns returned for an R&B-infused finale full of exuberant interplay.
gary bartz ntu troop
Veteran bassist Reggie Workman was spotted in the press section, applauding saxophonist Gary Bartz and his NTU Troop, the eclectic collective he first formed in the 1970s. The revived lineup included Theo Croker on trumpet, Paul Bollenback on guitar, Joe Block on keyboards, Marcos Varela on bass, and Kassa Overall on drums. Their set unfolded like a suite, featuring “I’ve Known Rivers”—inspired by Langston Hughes—and the blues “Nommo-the Majick Song”, performed with fervent spirit. Dee Dee Bridgewater was also attending and enjoying the show.
DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER & BILL CHARLAP
The festival closed with a phenomenal duo performance by vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and pianist Bill Charlap, drawing from their new album, Elemental (Mack Avenue, 2025), alongside timeless standards. They opened in Ellingtonian fashion with “I’m Beginning To See the Light”, a driving “Caravan” reimagined through a twisted groove, blistering piano runs, and climactic crescendos, and a hushed “Mood Indigo”. That was before Fats Waller’s “Honeysuckle Rose”, where both whistled improvised melodies, and “Come Rain Or Come Shine” had delighted the audience. “Love For Sale” briefly detoured into “It Ain’t Necessarily So”, before snapping back into a vamp-driven close. The pinnacle arrived with Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life”, rendered with passion and depth, in a performance that honored jazz tradition with both reverence and reinvention.