Grand Performances is excited to announce the line-up for our 37th Summer Season of Free Concerts at California Plaza in DTLA!

With music from across Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Asia, GP’s 2023 Summer Season brings together a diverse mix of genres and generations, from samba to doo-wop, salsa to hip-hop, jazz to cumbia, and much more.

Highlights of the season include buzz-heavy cumbia punk marimba rockers Son Rompe Pera, Iranian musician and political activist Shahin Najafi, groundbreaking West African kora master Sona Jobarteh, Chicano jazz innovator Garrett Saracho presented by Jazz is Dead, West Coast hip-hop legend DJ Battlecat, iconic cumbia sonidera pioneer Grupo Kual, an all-star live band Tribute to Art Laboe presented by dublab, and our annual collaboration with KCRW Summer Nights.

All Grand Performances’ events are free, outdoors and all-ages at California Plaza (350 S Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90071). Grand Performances is made possible thanks to generous support from LA City Department of Cultural Affairs and LA County Department of Arts and Culture.

GP 2023
SUMMER
CONCERTS

▪️ June 3: Son Rompe Pera

▪️ June 10: COLA Artist Fellows

▪️ June 17: Shahin Najafi 

▪️ June 24: Sona Jobarteh

▪️ July 8: Viver Brasil 

▪️ July 15: Garrett Saracho

▪️ July 22: KCRW Summer Nights

▪️ July 29: Martha Redbone  

▪️ August 5: Art Laboe Tribute

▪️ August 12: DJ Battlecat / Thes One

▪️ August 19: Mark de Clive-Lowe

▪️ August 26: Grupo Kual

This year, Grand Performances will also present a series of poetry nights on Fourth Fridays curated by influential award-winning LA-based poets and educators.

Saturday June 3:
Son Rompe Pera and La Verdad

Summer 2023 is coming in HOT at Grand Performances, kicking off with an explosive show guaranteed to get you dancing to a cutting-edge mix of cumbia, salsa, Latin funk and more.

Son Rompe Pera: Cumbia is the new punk! Born and raised in the deep outskirts of Mexico City, Son Rompe Pera is keeping alive the legacy of cumbia and traditional marimba music with a fresh take inspired by punk and garage rock.

La Verdad is Los Angeles’ premier salsa band, led by Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Gabriel Gonzalez (Quetzal, Boogaloo Assassins), boasting a traditional and original repertoire that spans the scope of Latin American music.

La Papaya Club is a DJ collective featuring Eléanora and Quilo that celebrates Afro-Latin and Indigenous sounds that make up the Tropical Diaspora focusing on sounds like champeta, marimba, tropical and folkloric rhythms.

Saturday June 10: COLA Artist Fellows

Each year the Grand Performances hosts the recipients of LA’s Department of Cultural Affairs COLA Individual Artist Fellowship, which allows accomplished artists to create new work with increased freedom to innovate and experiment.

Jasmine Orpilla is a multiplicitous Ilokana/x-American vocal performance artist and operatic composer of experimental theatrical sound installations, in which she activates her lifelong practices of folk ritual dance and music of the Philippine diaspora.

Daniel Corral is a Filipino/American whose unique voice finds outlet in accordion orchestras, multimedia microtonal electronics, puppet operas, handmade music boxes and chamber music.

David Ulin is a writer and editor working in various literary genres, including fiction, poetry, essays/nonfiction, and criticism.

Saturday June 17: Shahin Najafi

In partnership with the Farhang Foundation, which celebrates and promotes Iranian art and culture, Grand Performances presents musician, poet, and social activist Shahin Najafi.

Shahin Najafi is an influential classically-trained Iranian musician, poet, singer, and social activist who gained international notoriety after a fatwa was issued against him by ayatollahs because of the lyrical content of his music, which deals with issues such as theocracy, poverty, sexism, censorship, child labor, drug addiction and homophobia.

Shahin Najafi is defiant artist who refuses to be silenced, delivering his message to enthusiastic audiences wherever he tours. In an industry that often rewards mindless entertainment, Shahin stands apart as a musician who brings both catchy riffs and revelations to every performance -- as he says, "a pitcher of cold water poured on a slumbering society".

Saturday June 24: Sona Jobarteh

West African Kora virtuoso Sona Jobarteh brings her distinctive voice and groundbreaking sound to Grand Performances.

Sona Jobarteh is the first professional female Kora virtuoso to come from any of the West African Griot dynasties. Her lineage carries a formidable reputation for renowned Kora masters, including her grandfather Amadu Bansang Jobarteh and her cousin, the legendary Toumani Diabaté.

The spirit of Sona Jobarteh’s musical work stands on the mighty shoulders of the West African Griot Tradition; she is a living archive of the Gambian people.

With one ear on the family’s historic reputation, one on the all-important future legacy and her heart in both places, she is preparing a place today for the next generation. Her singing and Kora playing while fronting her band, spring directly from this tradition.

Also performing will be The Nubian Sound Group and Passionfruit.

• The Nubian Sound Group is a traditional ensemble that performs the royal sounds of ancient Nubia, curated by Sudanese music director Mekail Eldaw Bakhit and multi-hyphenate Dexter Story.

• DJ Passionfruit collects songs like souvenirs, each recalling precious moments found leafing through dusty foreign record shops or catching sonic fragments weathered by time.

Saturday July 8: Viver Brasil

Grand Performances is proud to present Viver Brasil, an LA-based dance company celebrating Afro Brazilian dance, music and culture.

Founded in 1997, Viver Brasil is a legacy-bearing Los Angeles institution with deep and ongoing ties to Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

The culturally rooted and aesthetically bold Afro-Brazilian dance theater, Viver Brasil, brings their signature blend of ancestral practices, mythological stories, street styles, and live music–addressing contemporary issues of racial and social inequity towards a radically reimagined future.

Also performing is DJ Muñeka, founder of MAPS (Movement Arts Performance Space) cultivating the contemporary & traditional arts of the Afro-Latinx & Caribbean diaspora in Los Angeles.

Saturday July 15: Jazz is Dead: Garrett Saracho

Jazz Is Dead and Grand Performances present Los Angeles' unsung Chicano Jazz Legend, Garrett Saracho, in celebration of the 50 year anniversary of his 1973 masterpiece En Medio.

This will be the first time this album has ever been performed live in its entirety, one night only at Grand Performances.

Presented in partnership with Jazz is Dead, founded in 2017 by music producers Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), concert producer Andrew Lojero and industry veteran Adam Block. Jazz Is Dead is a global movement experienced through community and culture.

Garrett Saracho is a fourth generation Los Angeleno of San Carlos Apache and Mexican descent, with a recording output that spans genres, labels, and decades. Perhaps best known for the mysterious 1973 LP "En Medio", he has recorded numerous other projects that blend pop, electronic, R&B, and indigenous music traditions.

SATURDAY JULY 22:
KCRW SUMMER NIGHTS

In partnership with KCRW Summer Nights Grand Performances brings you an electrifying night filled with live bands and KCRW DJs.

Summer Nights is KCRW’s signature outdoor summer event series that come alive through partnerships with Southern California’s most-esteemed cultural institutions. For over 15 years, Summer Nights has brought dozens of free, all-ages, outdoor shows to communities throughout the greater Los Angeles Area and beyond. The well-loved and annually-anticipated series reaches hundreds of thousands of music fans.

Full Artist Line-Up To Be Announced in June 2023.

Saturday July 29: Martha Redbone 

Drawing upon her African American and Native cultural legacies, Martha Redbone brings a unique and soulful take on folk, blues, and gospel music.

Native & African-American vocalist / songwriter / composer / educator, Martha Redbone, is known for her unique gumbo of folk, blues, and gospel from her childhood in Kentucky infused with the eclectic grit of pre-gentrified Brooklyn.

Drawing influences from her indigenous ancestry, multidisciplinary artist Martha Redbone fuses sounds from deep south musical genres of gospel, bluegrass, and soul for knee tapping, hand clapping musical experience.

Saturday August 5:
A Tribute to
Art Laboe

In honor of the pioneering DJ’s birthday, Dedicated To You: A Tribute to Art Laboe will be a star-studded celebration featuring a diverse constellation of artists covering some of the quintessential “Oldies by Goodies” classics, backed a live band led by Rocky Padilla (Tierra / WAR). This will be a multi-generational concert like no other, paying tribute to the man who helped unite the people of LA.

Featuring performances by

• Aaron Frazer (Durand Jones & The Indications)

• Norman Carter (The Delfonics)

• Greg Esparza (Thee Midniters)

• Diamond Ortiz

• Irene Diaz

Plus DJ’s Ruben Molina, Soulera 5150 and Spiñorita.

Art Laboe (1925 - 2022) was a pioneering disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner whose legacy and impact includes introducing rock and R&B to Los Angeles airwaves, helping end segregation in Southern California, and coining the term "Oldies But Goodies" through his beloved radio show.

Presented in partnership with dublab and Hello Stranger

• A non-profit radio station founded in Los Angeles in 1999, dublab cultivates and supports local cultural ecosystems worldwide. Through community-generated radio, dublab promotes curiosity, experimentation, inclusivity, and connection.

• Hello Stranger is a gift from the past re-imagined through the lens of today. With a deep love for her city and its people, founder Angela Romero has intentionally cultivated a team of LA natives with aligned passions to bring this dream to life.

SAT AUGUST 12:
DJ BATTLECAT
and THES ONE

West Coast Symphony: Grand Performances Celebrates 50 Years of Hip-Hop through the lens of DJ Battlecat & Friends.

Experience a full night of classic hits covered, re-interpreted and accented with original compositions from an extensive list of surprise guests & Grammy winning musicians in his super group G-Funk All-Stars with legendary Hip-Hop producer DJ Battlecat as maestro.

DJ Battlecat is a legendary music producer, DJ, and musician, who was key in developing the “West Coast” sound while working with artists such as Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Tha Dogg Pound, E-40, Tha Eastsidaz, WC, Nate Dogg, Xzibit and Dr. Dre.

Thes One (People Under The Stairs) and Crew present Farewell, My Friend Live -  A Tribute to Michael “Double K” Turner

In a one time only engagement, Thes One and an all star cast of collaborators perform Farewell, My Friend live - a tone poem of grief, loss and redemption dedicated to partner in People Under The Stairs Michael “Double K” Turner.

Featuring a densely layered mosaic of jazz, beats and psychedelia, Thes One’s critically acclaimed instrumental masterpiece celebrates Michael’s life and serves as both a final footnote to their legacy and a love letter to a lost friend. 

Meet us under the stars on Grand Avenue in the heart of DTLA for trip down memory lane and a peek into the future of West Coast Hip-Hop; powered by Fusicology, One Mind Group, Godspeed Radio and Red Bull Music.

Sat August 19:
Mark de Clive-Lowe

A 20-year veteran across the worlds of jazz and club music, Mark de Clive-Lowe returns to Grand Performances with an intoxicating blend of his favorite flavors.

If you’ve ever experienced his epic CHURCH parties, you know what to expect: a summer cocktail of lush instrumentation, soulful improvisation and hip-moving beats with a full roster of collaborators joining the maestro for Jazz in the House.

Equal parts jazz, house, hip hop and broken beat artist, electronic jazz pioneer and pianist Mark de Clive-Lowe blends acoustic, electronic and world music exploring themes of belonging and identity.

Sat August 26: Grupo Kual

For our huge 2023 summer finale, Grand Performances and Discos Rolas present the acclaimed cumbia sonidera band Grupo Kual.

Grupo Kual were born from cumbia sonidera royalty. It was the father and uncles of Ángel Pedraza, Kual’s leader, who formed Super Grupo Colombia, the first cumbia sonidera band, back in the 70s.

Hailing from Mexico City, they were one of the first bands to infuse Colombian cumbia with local influences, as well as from further afield, to create this unique Mexican style we now know as sonidera.

Presented in partnership with Discos Rolas, a record label exploring the cosmic sounds of Latin America through art and anthropology. Started by anthropologist and DJ, Alexandra Lippman (“Xandão”) and artist and archivist Gary Garay (“Ganas”), Discos Rolas traces musical and sonic connections and histories within Latin America through album releases, ethnographic projects, and long-term collaborations with artists, photographers, and musicians.

FOUrTH FRIDAYS:
POETRY NIGHTS

On the final Fridays of June, July, and August, Grand Performances will host three poetry nights at 6pm at the amphitheater next to the main stage at California Plaza:

• June 23: Poetry of Pride with West Hollywood Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace 

• July 28: LA Stories with 3rd generation LA Native Mike the Poet 

• August 25: Black Voices with award-winning author, poet, and educator Shonda Buchanan 
  

Featuring influential voices from all over Los Angeles, Grand Performances will host three nights curated by influential award winning LA-based poets and educators, reflecting the diverse cultures that make up the beautiful city we live in.