The Side Door Jazz Club, located at 85 Lyme St, Old Lyme CT on Saturday, June 17 at 2 pm. (If the weather is bad, event will meet in the Meetinghouse.)
In honor of Juneteenth—a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans—the celebration will take place on the lawn of The Side Door at the Old Lyme Inn.
The event features a quartet led by New Haven jazz legend Jesse Hameen II and new work by Connecticut poets Marilyn Nelson, Kate Rushin, Rhonda Ward, and Antoinette Brim-Bell, who in 2021 created a tribute in verse to those enslaved in historic Lyme. The jazz quartet features the inspirational percussionist Jesse Hameen II; Rodney Jones, guitar; Zwelakhe Bell Le Pere, bass; and Xavier McGeorge, piano. The event has received generous support from The Side Door Jazz Club.