Now in its 27th season, the Jazz in June concert series offers four evenings of great jazz in the great outdoors on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s City Campus.
The 2018 lineup includes Jamison Ross, Jazzmeia Horn, Mwenso and the Shakes, and Huntertones.
Concerts are at 7 p.m. each Tuesday in June in the sculpture garden west of the Sheldon Museum of Art, 12th and R streets. The concert series is free, but attendees are encouraged to make a donation of $10 per family to help ensure its continuation.
Guests are invited to join Jazz in June’s new membership program, The Rhythm Club. Membership supports the booking of top-tier artists and new education programs, and helps keep the concerts free. Members enjoy VIP seating and meet-and-greets with artists, and can be recognized as event sponsors. Learn more about The Rhythm Club.
A market featuring vendors with food, drinks and artisan-made crafts begins at 5 p.m. each Tuesday at 12th and R streets.
Bike Valet provides free, secure parking for bicycles from 5 p.m. until an hour after each concert at the east end of the market. Learn more about Bike Valet.
Campus Recreation offers yoga at 5:30 p.m. each Tuesday in June northwest of Woods Hall.
Representatives of Landscape Services, and Facilities Management and Planning also offer walking tours of campus gardens at 6 p.m. each Tuesday in June. Tour groups assemble at Sheldon’s east entrance.
In the event of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances, a concert may need to be canceled. Information on cancelations will be posted here and here.
The schedule is:
> June 5, Jamison Ross: Winner of the 2012 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Drums Competition, the drummer and vocalist is a bold musician whose upbringing in his grandfather’s church exposed him to the expressiveness of drumming and the power of the human voice. The Jacksonville, Florida native got his first professional break with singer Carmen Lundy, who discovered him in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Ross has recorded and performed with Lundy, Dr. John, Snarky Puppy, Irvin Mayfield, Jon Cleary, Ellis Marsalis, Billy Childs and Christian McBride. He also appeared in the drumming documentary “Chops” and HBO’s “Wynton Marsalis: A Youngarts Master Class.” His albums include 2015’s “Jamison,” which received a Grammy nomination for best jazz vocal album, and 2018’s critically acclaimed “All for One.”
> June 12, Jazzmeia Horn: This New York-based performer is a gifted jazz vocalist with an inventive, scat-influenced style. After high school, Horn honed her skills studying at Manhattan’s New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. She received DownBeat Student Music Awards in 2008 and 2009. She then raised her profile by winning the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition. In 2017, Horn released her debut album, “A Social Call,” which received a Grammy nomination for best jazz vocal album.
> June 19, Mwenso and the Shakes: Immigrating from Sierra Leone, London, South Africa, Greenwich Village, Madagascar, France, Jamaica and Hawaii, the Shakes now call Harlem home. Taking from the stylings of Fats Waller, Muddy Waters, James Brown and other American musical legends, Michael Mwenso leads an electrifying show that The New York Times called “intense, prowling and ebullient.”
> June 26, Huntertones: The band’s high-energy, horn-driven sound fuses improvisation and adventurous composition melding jazz, funk, rock and soul. Adding depth and contrast to their live set, Huntertones shifts from a dynamic six-piece ensemble to a trio featuring saxophone, sousaphone and beat-boxing. Members of the group have collaborated with Jon Batiste and Stay Human, O.A.R., Snarky Puppy, Stevie Wonder, Andy Grammer, Ed Sheeran, Allen Stone, Gary Clark Jr., Phillip Phillips, We Banjo 3, Umphrey’s McGee and Vulfpeck.
Those interested in donating or serving as a Jazz in June volunteer or board member can contact Spencer Munson at 402-429-2642 or jazzinjune@unl.edu.
Jazz in June is a collaboration between the Sheldon Art Association, the Lied Center for Performing Arts and the Glenn Korff School of Music.
