Saturday, May 9 @ 5:00 pm
Morningside Park: 114th and Morningside Ave
Join master percussionist Baba Don Eaton Babatunde and JAAMBO for an electrifying concert rooted in African diasporic rhythms, jazz, and global groove traditions. Blending deep percussion, improvisation, and vibrant ensemble interplay, this dynamic performance celebrates the power of rhythm as community, storytelling, and cultural expression. Experience an evening of movement, spirit, and music that connects ancestral traditions to contemporary sound.
Baba Don Eaton Babatunde is a master percussionist, educator, and cultural bearer whose career spans nearly twenty-five years across music, dance, theater, and arts education. A highly sought-after performer, he has appeared with major American dance companies including Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, performing in leading venues such as Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theater, and Lincoln Center. His extensive performance and recording career spans jazz, rhythm and blues, and African diasporic traditions, with collaborations including Ron Carter, Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders, and The Last Poets, of which he is a featured member.
A respected master teacher of African drumming and diasporic rhythms, Baba Don has served on the faculty of Harlem School of the Arts for more than 25 years, teaching students from early childhood through adulthood. His theater credits include productions with Classical Theatre of Harlem and performances with Maurice Hines. His television appearances include Sesame Street and Julie Andrews’ Greenroom. Recognized for his artistic contributions with proclamations from New York and New Orleans and honors from the NAACP, Baba Don continues to inspire through performances, workshops, and community-based cultural education throughout the tri-state region.
The West Harlem Jazz Festival:
The 3rd Annual West Harlem SUMMER Jazz Festival 2025 are FREE Live Outdoor Concerts presented at West Harlem Parks and in collaboration with NYC Parks, Harlem Late Night Jazz, and in curatorial association with The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, IAMCHELSEAIAM, Taller Latino Americano, Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance/NoMAA, Montefiore Park Neighborhood Association, Friends of St. Nicholas Park and Morningside Park. For the full schedule, click HERE.
Funding for the summer long presentation of free outdoor Jazz in West Harlem Parks comes from the West Harlem Development Corporation, and District 7 Council Member Shaun Abreu.
We are your go-to venue for off-site meetings, receptions, film screenings, workshops, networking events, socials and more. Located in the heart of Central Harlem’s thriving culinary and entertainment district, The National Jazz Museum in Harlem is the perfect place to hold your next gathering.