Monday night at Bushnell Park....

With the Yankees' playoff fate in the capable hands of The Reet (beware Kei Igawa), I cruised the 15 minutes to Hartford on a perfect Summer evening for the Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz Series in Bushnell Park. No problem parking, found an on-street spot opposite the Capital Avenue exit and it is a short climb over the hill to the park. The concerts are held at the western end of Bushnell Park on the lawn that tumbles down the hill from the State Capitol building. A wonderful venue. A permanent bandshell has been constructed for concerts, a far cry from the makeshift stages of the New England Fiddle Contests of yore, which were held over at the east end of the park near the skating pond. The annual Blackeyed & Blues Festival is also held here each June sponsored by, you guessed it, Blackeyed Sally's BBQ & Blues

I arrive after the Lummie Spann Quartet's opening set, so I stake my space on the hill with my everyone's-got-one-of-these foldup chair and amble down to the stage to snoop around. The weather is magnificent, the setting sun blinding. Pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi's Quartet featuring Lew Tabackin is the headliner this evening (interestingly, on the Berkeley Agency website the ensemble is the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Quartet). They are married. I catch the members hanging out on the south side of the stage as the announcements are made. Wellness Center, CDs for sale, sponsor Prudential Financial, tee shirts, upcoming concerts. Showtime.

A jazz lover, not a critic, I will spare you the minutiae, but the husband-wife duo intermittently trade solos, she precise and darting, he more free-form, a very enjoyable listen when mixed with their rhythm section of bass/drums. Loved Tabackin's bluesy tenor on Akiyoshi's tribute to Charles Mingus. Monday night jazz, treat yourself. Bring a friend, a picnic, a bottle of wine, good conversation, a book. See you there. - Hartford Courant review

The Toshiko Akiyoshi Quartet featuring Lew Tabackin.

View from the north end of the stage back up the hill toward the Capitol.

Ms. Akiyoshi being interviewed between sets on WWUH radio,
which broadcasts the Monday night series live at 91.3 FM.