Pat Loomis and Friends brought best-selling recording artist and internationally acclaimed saxophonist, Elan Trotman, to Library Park on July 10. The concert elicited loud applause and cheers from a large crowd of Southenders who on the hot and sultry summer night also celebrated the upcoming and long-overdue park's reconstruction, which since has begun. The band included Pat Loomis, alto saxophone;  Antonio Loomis, guitar; Amy Bellamy, keyboards; Daniel Day, bass; Zeke Martin, drums; and Zayra Pola Ocasio, percussion. Elan Trotman played tenor saxophone. 

The Friends of the South End Library have sponsored four Summer Jazz & Blues concerts in Library Park for more than a decade, raising money for the musicians from local benefactors and library supporters, including the Ann H. Symington Foundation. This year, FOSEL and Pat Loomis agreed to upgrade the concerts with 'Special Guest Performers;' Elan Trotman was the first.

He will not be the last: Every musician in the Loomis band was energized and inspired by Trotman's performance, which turned the South End library part of Tremont Street into a party scene. The audience whooped and cheered as the band played The Chicken (Pee Wee Ellis);  Can't Hide Love (Earth, Wind, and Fire); Never Too Much (Luther Vandross); Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles); Boogie On Reggae Woman (Stevie Wonder); Europa (Carlos Santana);  Spain (Chick Corea); and ended with Happy People (Kenny Garrett). 

Regrettably, the July 10 performance may be the only outdoor concert this year as Library Park will be under reconstruction for the next three months. The traditional Holiday Concert inside the library, usually held around mid-December, may well feature another special guest, details of which event will be publicized as soon as we know who it will be.