“The Nephrok! Allstars consists of some of the the most talented musicians around. Their music spans several decades and many genres including Soul, R&B, Rock, and undoubtedly The Funk,” according to a recent review in Somerville Arts Council’s Artbeat. “There are many elements that make this band a Funk Force to be reckoned with. Influences that range from Sly and The Family Stone, to James Brown, to Parliament Funkadelic, Prince, and a host of other Funk pioneers are deeply rooted in their sound while they still bring their creativity and originality to the surface. With Pete MacLean on Drums, Aaron Bellamy on Bass, and Van Martin on Guitar, you’d be hard-pressed to find a tighter rhythm section.”

The Nephrok Allstars will be the star performers with Pat Loomis and his Friends on Tuesday, August 20 at 6:30 PM.

NOTE: The free concerts will be held, rain or shine, inside the library or outside in Library Park.

NOTE: The free concerts will be held, rain or shine, inside the library or outside in Library Park.

The second of the four Jazz & Blues concerts in Library Park this summer will showcase the acclaimed composer/pianist and Berklee College of Music faculty member Kevin Harris. Known for his exploration of the crossroads and intersections between Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis. J.S. Bach, Scott Joplin, and the folkloric African rhythms of the Caribbean, Harris has performed at national and international venues, including the Blue Note in New York City, Boston, Milan and Beijing; Copenhagen's JazzHus; and Boston's Wally's Jazz Cafe and, with his ensemble, has participated at jazz festivals in Havanna, Cuba; Panama; Umbria, Italy; Denmark, Peru; Israel; and numerous others in the USA.

Harris holds a master's degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) and an undergraduate degree in music education from Morehead State University, KY. At the NEC, he studied with Fred Hersch, Mike Cain, Cecil McBee, George Garzone, and Danilo Perez, and performed with George Russell, Benny Golson and Bob Brookmeyer.  At Berklee College, he coaches ensembles, theory classes, piano labs, and private piano instruction. Harris is also a MIT-affiliated artist. In addition, he has taught classes at the Boston Arts Academy and collaborated with the North Eastern University Fusion Art's Program teaching students from Brazil, India, and South Africa.

Committed to getting youth involved in music, Harris has conducted clinics and master classes in both public and private schools throughout the USA and abroad. In 2000 he started five separate band programs with help from Arts In Progress, a Boston based arts organization. He currently serves as a council member for Music is my First Language, an arts organization based in Brooklyn, NY.

Join us in Library Park on Tuesday July 10 at 6:30 PM, to celebrate the upcoming renovations of the park and the library with one of our fabulous Jazz & Blues summer concerts headlined by Pat Loomis and his Friends. Fast footwork by bandleader Loomis is bringing the internationally acclaimed saxophonist ELAN TROTMAN to the Library Park, part of a new FOSEL/Loomis initiative to make the summer concerts more spectacular, yet. The first 'Special Guest' is the contemporary jazz musician, Trotman, known for blending Caribbean rhythms from his roots with skillful horn textures.  Born in Barbados, the award-winning musician and best-selling recording artist was educated at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston.  "He's one of the hottest guys on the scene and we're very fortunate to get him," Loomis said.

Free to all. We serve fresh watermelon. Bring your own chairs to compliment the one we'll set out. 

After a blast of a concert on August 15 with no less than four fabulous vocalists celebrating the 17th birthday of bandleader Pat Loomis's son Aidan, another fine Jazz & Blues session is coming up in Library Park for Tuesday, August 29 at 6:30 PM. Titled The Quiet Storm: An Evening Of Smooth, Seductive Grooves, it will feature Pat Loomis as both the saxophone player AND the fine vocalist who joined the performance on August 15, as well as Antonio Loomis, guitar; Amy Bellamy, keyboards; Aaron Bellamy, bass; Joaquin Santos, drums; and Zayra Pola, percussion. It will be the final concert of the season; we hope that our incredible luck of three  previous bookings with mostly dry weather will hold. If not, the fun will move indoors into the library itself.

The August 29 music event will begin with a brief introduction for the 'soft opening' of the combined Friends of the South End  Library (FOSEL)'s and BPL's Capital Campaign, Writing the Next Chapter. The unique partnership's goal is to raise $50,000 by October to augment the BPL's FY 2018 capital allocation of $132,000. The FOSEL board has already contributed $30,000 toward this goal. The funds will be used for phase one of the two-phased interior renovation of the downstairs branch. Phase two will complete the renovation, as illustrated above. Poster boards featuring the proposed designs will be on display during the concert. Brochures, hot off the printing press, will be available for distribution. For details, see our Capital Campaign page.

The Jazz & Blues concert series, now in its seventh year, was originally funded by a generous five-year grant from the Ann H. Symington Foundation. It is currently paid for jointly by the Friends of the South End Library (FOSEL), that means YOU, and the BPL branch of the South End Library. Thank you. 

All concerts are free and welcome to all. The South End Library is open to the public on concert nights and fully handicapped accessible. FOSEL serves slices of delicious watermelon at the concerts. Some seating is made available but feel free to bring your own chairs and snacks.

The previous concerts were held on July 18 (Return To Forever: A Salute To The Music Of Chick Corea);  August 1 (In The Tradition: An Evening Of Jazz Standards); and August 15 (Aidan's Choice: A Birthday Tribute to the great Aidan Shiell-Loomis). 

The third concert of the (fast-moving) summer season in Library Park will bring no less than four vocalists to the event, a musical celebration to pay homage to the 17th birthday of the bandleader's son, Aidan. The title of the August 15 musical bash is Aidan's Choice: A Birthday Tribute to the Great Aidan Shiell-Loomis.  Aiden Loomis indeed selected the musicians, who include Pat Loomis, saxophone, vocals; Antonio Loomis, guitar; Sarah Seminski, vocals; Nephtaliem McCrary, vocals; Scott Aruda;  trumpet, vocals; Angel Subero, trombone; Steven Higgs, keyboard; Steve Cuoco, bass; and Benny Benson, drums. 

The concerts are free to all. The park and the library are fully handicapped accessible. We serve delicious watermelon. Bring your own chairs to complement the ones set out by the library staff. 

The final concert of the summer will also include vocalists, details to be announced, and will be held on Tuesday, August 29. It has the moniker of The Quiet Storm: An Evening of Smooth, Seductive Grooves. The concerts begin at 6:30 PM and end by 8:00 PM.

The concerts are funded jointly by the South End branch and the Friends of the South End Library, which means..YOU. Thank you. 

Yes, it's that time of the year again: four fantastic, themed Jazz and Blues concerts featuring local musicians will be playing with Pat Loomis and his Friends in Library Park, starting Tuesday, July 18 at 6:30 PM. The theme of the first one is Return to Forever: A Salute to the Music of Chick Corea. Playing the first concert will be Pat Loomis, saxophone; Steve Hunt, keyboards; Antonio Loomis, guitar; Daniel Day, bass; and Zeke Martin, drums. 

Here's the line-up for the next three concerts:

July 18:  Return To Forever: A Salute To The Music Of Chick Corea

August 1:  In The Tradition: An Evening Of Jazz Standards

August 15:  Aidan's Choice: A Birthday Tribute to the great Aidan Shiell-Loomis

August 29: The Quiet Storm: An Evening Of Smooth, Seductive Grooves

We serve fresh watermelon. There will be some seating but please feel free to bring your own chairs. Restrooms are available inside the library.

The Jazz and Blues concert series was originally sponsored by a generous grant from the  Ann H. Symington Foundation, but is currently funded by the Friends of the South End Library (FOSEL) and the South End branch of the Boston Public Library. All concerts are free and welcome all. The South End library is fully handicapped-accessible. .