That January nip in the air is music to the ears of thousands of music fans in South Florida.
At this time of year, music lovers can enjoy pop, jazz, folk, classical, oldies and R&B outdoors — free of confining walls and arena ushers telling you to sit down when the music inspires movement.
Outdoor concerts, on portable stages in public parks, neighborhood museums, even beamed on massive walls with state of the art fidelity, herald the start of the new year and most are free or free with admission to various venues.
“We are always looking for free outdoor concerts, not just this time of year but all year. It just so happens that this time of year outdoor concerts are nicer because of the cooler weather,” said M. Lisette Rebibo whose daughter Leah, not yet 2, danced in the aisle with mom at the recently launched season opening Lunch Time Jazz Concert Series at Coral Gables Museum’s plaza. “We like to go in part because we enjoy music and also because it’s good for our daughter to be exposed to live music.”
Branding a city
Earlier this month, Troy Anderson and the Wonderful World Band, so named after a song popularized by Anderson’s idol, Louis Armstrong, touched on many favorites: All of Me, What a Wonderful World and a modified It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That … Chicken Wing). “As you can see, I like that chicken every now and then,” the singer teased.
“This particular band was really quite fantastic,” Rebibo said. “They did a great job because they played music that is loved by everyone — songs like Mack the Knife, All of Me, It’s a Wonderful World. These types of concerts are not just for jazz aficionados so it has a very broad appeal.”
In some cases, the free concerts, such as the recently launched season opening figure into the municipalities plans to expand art and culture offerings.
Doral’s Rhythm in the Park Music Series, for instance, helps brand Juan Bermudez Park with free music which, in recent seasons, ranged from ’70s-style funk (War’s Low Rider) to multicultural Latin and rap and appearances by the Spam Allstars. The musical event also includes food trucks.
“Now that we moved it to J.C. Bermudez we were able to expand it more and add additional food trucks and build our stage,” said Maggie Santos, special events coordinator for the concert series in Doral. “Hopefully we can make it a notable event that we can continue to enhance further, depending on the response from the community.”
Other cities with thriving outdoor concert scenes include North Miami whose Jazz at MOCA at the Museum of Contemporary Art has been a signature event in the town for years. Greynolds Park, in North Miami Beach, is a favored spot under the oaks for the South Florida Bluegrass Association. Pinecrest Gardens’ Jazz in the Gardens series is a popular draw for fans of straight-ahead jazz, cool jazz, Afro-Latin jazz, bossa nova, standards and salsa under the stars at the former Parrot Jungle site in Pinecrest.
“One of the things we want to have is an entertainment district,” Coral Gables Mayor Jim Cason said, as he sat near the stage — the steps of the Gables Museum, actually —with fellow commissioner Frank Quesada and local historian Arva Moore Parks who gathered to hear Anderson’s combo.
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