The Kool Element Latin Jazz Project delighted salsa music lovers on Thursday, June 27th, at the second concert of the Marine Park Summer Concert Series, sponsored by Assemblywoman Jaime Williams. Thunderstorms on Wednesday night postponed the concert, but Thursday evening brought beautiful weather for a night out in the park.
This is the third year Kool Elements performed in Marine Park, as part of Caribbean Heritage Month, which is celebrated during June.
The seven-piece band, led by Kool Elements’ founder and Canarsie resident Eddie Martinez, played a selection of classic Latin hits from back in the day, creating beautiful sounds on the congas, bongos, upright bass, saxophone/flute, piano and timbale, along with the band’s lead singer. The Latin band got the crowd going, and many got up to dance salsa and mambo all throughout the concert.
Donald Cranston, from Assemblywoman Jaime Williams’ office, gave a repeat performance of a Caribbean song, “Ragga Ragga,” delighting the crowd.
There were also raffle prizes for some lucky winners who won bottles of wine and gift cards.
The concert series will skip a week in celebration of the July 4th holiday. The Regina Opera will present their free “Al Fresco Concert,” featuring your favorite operatic and instrumental selections on Wednesday, July 10th, at 7 p.m. Rain date is July 11th.
The Marine Park concerts are sponsored by Marine Park Alliance, Kings Plaza and Nick’s Lobster House, among others, in coordination with State Senators Simcha Felder and Roxanne Persaud, and District Leader Frank Seddio, and in partnership with Millennium Development, NYC Parks and the Marine Park Community Association.
All concerts take place on the lawn near the bocce courts at 7 p.m. Bring a blanket, chair and your friends and family! For more information, call 718-252-2124.
Photos by Scott Yahney
Raffle winners receiving bottles of wine and gift cards.