SummerStage: YERBABUENA / DJ Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love / Screening: Doin' it in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC

YERBABUENA reclaims the Puerto Rican music often branded as “”folkloric,”" refusing to accept its packaging as frozen-in-time museum pieces, only vaguely connected to contemporary culture. Instead, they make gorgeous music that incorporates past and present. YERBABUENA taps right into the core of who Boricuas are as a people. YERBABUENA is a group of individuals who came together to play the music that they love under the musical direction of singer-composer-musician Tato Torres. It is composed of musicians, singers and dancers from the New York City area, who share an intense passion for the musical traditions of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

A NY Native and bonafide hip-hop legend, DJ Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love, partnered with DJ Stretch Armstrong in 1990 to start an on-air program at WKCR 89.9FM. Source Magazine went on to call it the “Best Hip Hop Radio Show of All Time.” The duo introduced the world to unsigned acts like Nas, Jay Z, Wu-Tang and many others that would go on to change the face of the rap industry. As a club DJ, crowds in countries throughout five continents have celebrated his unique blend of rare jazz, world and soul music.

Doin’ it in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC is an independent documentary by directors Bobbito Garcia and Kevin Couliau that explores the definition, history, culture, social impact and global influence of New York’s outdoor summer b-ball scene, the worldwide “Mecca” of the sport. The film lovingly uncovers the movement through the voices of playground legends James “Fly” Williams, “Pee Wee” Kirkland, Corey “Homicide” Williams, NBA athletes (Brandon Jennings, Kenny Smith, Kenny Anderson), national sportswriters (Alex Wolff, Scoop Jackson) and most importantly, the common ballplayer who dreams all day about getting off work so that he or she can call the “next” game at their local schoolyard.

Come early to catch our Uptown Family Day featuring fun performances and workshops starting at 4pm. For more information on this program click here.

Event website: http://www.doinitinthepark.com