Cost: Free

Organizer: Jazz Unites, Inc.

What to expect: Jazz performances running the gamut from local high schoolers to internationally known artists at the only black-run music festival in the country.

Why to go: It's routinely one of the most well-attended, well-appreciated neighborhood fests...not to mention the great music and beautiful views at the South Shore Cultural Center.

Additional info: On Friday evening, August 1, the festivities begin with the "We Love You Madly" (WLYM) Awards Gala, which is a benefit for Jazz Unites and the Geraldine de Haas Scholarship Fund. In addition to delicious food and drink, the black-tie evening features various special events throughout the grandly designed first floor of the South Shore Cultural Center. The Robeson Theater is the setting for the awards presentation. Each year the bronze award, created in the shape of a single musical note by artist Debra Hand, goes to national celebrities who are not necessarily musicians but who have worked successfully to promote jazz in their own walks of life.

Centerstage Reviewer: Ben Rubenstein