Thanks to a partnership between the historic Old Mill Inn at Fair Park and neighboring Exposition Park club, Sandaga813, there will be free jazz concerts every Friday night in June. The outdoor concerts will be held on the Old Mill patio from 5:13 to 8:13 p.m. June 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th. Admission and parking are both free for the concerts.
The Old Mill Inn, known for its historic ambiance and good food, will provide a cash bar with an assortment of beer, wines by the glass, and non-alcoholic beverages for guests to enjoy. Delicious sandwiches and hors d’oeuvres will also be available.
Headlining the entertainment will be Sandaga813 bandleader and renowned musician S-Ankh Rasa with his jazz group. They can be heard playing straight-ahead jazz every Tuesday night at Sandaga813.
S-Ankh Rasa has an impressive musical resume, as the youngest student to be accepted at age 12 by the University of California, Berkeley Music Department. At 15, he attended San Francisco Music Conservatory and composed his first symphony. At 16 he was a featured saxophonist for the Monterey Jazz Festival with Dizzy Gillespie’s Modern Jazz Quartet.
He worked as an L.A. studio musician for saxophone, flute, and clarinet as well as composer, arranger and musical director for such luminaries as Marvin Gaye, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Debbie Allen & Fame, Temptations Reunion Tour, Barry White, and The Four Tops.
At age 26, Rasa retired from the music scene to study traditional African music. He toured the U.S. with his teacher Mamady Keito, a famous djembe drummer. He played percussion and served as associate music director for the U.S. tour of “Crowns,” a musical written and directed by Regina Taylor. He also performs on the kora, traditional African harp, and composes and sings in three languages. Rasa has written original music for numerous productions including “Anansi: The Spider-Man” for Dallas Children’s Theater.
Visitors to Fair Park Friday night, June 2nd, will also be able to enjoy Fair Park Sparks, a free fireworks display at the Esplanade. Parking for that event is $5.
For more information about Friday Night Jazz Concerts please call (214) 426-4600.
