The North Carolina Arts Council and partners in Rocky Mount and Goldsboro will present free concerts that celebrate Eastern North Carolina’s rich African American musical heritage this spring.
Eastern North Carolinians are among the transformative figures in the history of jazz, gospel and popular music and this legacy was documented in the African American Music Trails of Eastern North, a guidebook to eight eastern counties.
To continue to shine the light on African American musicians six free concerts have been funded through a cultural tourism program of the N.C. Arts Council to support concerts at the Rocky Mount Mills and the Arts Council of Wayne County.
Dates and details:
Rocky Mount
Friday, April 26, 7 to 9 p.m.
Jazz at the Mills, a project of the African American Music Trails
Rocky Mount Mills
115 Falls Road, Rocky Mount, N.C.
https://www.rockymountmills.com/
Join the John Brown Little Big Band for Jazz at the Mills from 7 to 9 p.m. inside the Powerhouse for this powerful 11-piece band that has a BIG sound!
Friday, May 17, 7 to 9 p.m.
Get Funky at the Mills, a project of the African American Music Trails
Rocky Mount Mills
115 Falls Road, Rocky Mount, N.C.
https://www.rockymountmills.com/
Get Funky at the Mills with the Groove Shop Band. Grounded in the heart of funk and rhythm and blues, this 13-piece band features a horn section, rhythm section and singers and a repertoire that will have you on your feet. Bring a picnic, and your lawn chairs.
Saturday, June 1, 7 to 9 p.m.
African American Music Trails at the Mills
Rocky Mount Mills
115 Falls Road, Rocky Mount, N.C.
https://www.rockymountmills.com/
Join Eric Dawson, a saxophonist from the region, along with other musicians from the surrounding region for an evening that truly showcases the different styles of music rooted in Eastern North Carolina: jazz, funk, rhythm and blues.
Goldsboro
Friday, April 26, 7 to 9 p.m.
Wayne County Jazz Showcase along the African American Music Trails featuring Clarence Palmer
The Firehouse
109 E. Ash Street, Goldsboro, N.C.
https://www.artsinwayne.org/
Sunday, May 5, 3 to 5 p.m.
Cinco de Mayo Concert at Herman Park
900 Park Ave, Goldsboro, N.C.
https://www.artsinwayne.org/
Grab your friends, chairs or blankets and enjoy a lively afternoon of Salsa music with the Conjunto Breve band. The group will delight you with the sounds of Latin American music. Bring your dancing shoes!
Friday, May 31, 7 p.m.
Wayne County Jazz Showcase along the African American Music Trails
102 N John St, Goldsboro, N.C.
https://www.artsinwayne.org/
Stephen Riley (Tenor Saxophonist) was born in Greenville and he started playing violin with his older bother Jonathan at the age of four but transitioned to the tenor saxophone after college when he moved to New York City to launch his career as a jazz artist. He’s played, toured and recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Ray Charles, Harry Connick Jr., and Marcus Roberts, just to name a few. He has recorded 10 critically acclaimed albums.
For more information on the events visit NCArts.org.