Strap on your helmets for Southeast Queen’s first-ever jazz historical bike tour.
The Jazz and Heritage Bike Tour, hosted by the Southeast Queens Center for History &Culture (SEQCHC), will take locals through several sites of local and historical significance.
The event will be held on Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning at the Black Spectrum Theatre, located at 177-01 Baisley Blvd. in Jamaica.
Ayanna Telfort, president and co-founder of the SEQCHC, said she hopes the bike tour will attract participants of all ages eager to learn about Queens’ rich jazz history. “There are so many landmarks and places of note in the area, and we said this is something different. There have been walking tours and events in the parks, so we wanted to do something different but still bring all these different types of folks together,” she said.
Telfort said SEQCHC drew inspiration from the Queens Jazz Trail, an annual event hosted by Flushing Town Hall and the Kupferberg Center for the Arts. The organizations draw attention to the jazz legends that lived in the borough, and host summer-long jazz concerts for music lovers across the city.
Participants will ride past the former homes of Count Basie, located near the St. Alban’s LIRR, jazz Legend Ella Fitzgerald, and wall murals relating to Southeast Queens’ Hip-Hop history. During each stop, SEQCHC guides will share the history of the previous owners and their significance in Queens’ historical jazz scene.
Telfort explained how significant it is to learn how previous Southeast Queens locals shaped the Black history and historical landscape of the neighborhood.” Music connects us all, and jazz is something is truly an American art form, started by African Americans and Black people in this country,” she said.
Historically, Southeast Queens was a safe haven for jazz legends, business owners, and other successful Black professionals who were barred from living in Manhattan and other parts of New York City. “It was really important that they found a haven here. They felt a sense of safety and built a sense of community. You think about folks like Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong, all of them found Southeast Queens as a refuge. I really think it’s important for folks to understand that the derivative music that they listen to now came from these folks,” she said.
Telfort said that she hopes the experience will inspire reflection on Southeast Queens’ rich history and motivate residents to be involved in future advocacy.
“Hopefully, this inspires pride in their local community, and that pride then fuels them to say, you know what? I want to make sure that this community stays strong. That can fuel economic development, other cultural advances in the area, and really connect people more,” she said.
Since the trail begins and ends at Black Spectrum Theatre in Roy Wilkins Park, Telfort is encouraging attendees to visit the theatre to learn its role in Southeast Queens’ Jazz and Hip-Hop history.
Nonriders interested in joining in the fun can head to the Black Spectrum Theatre to view its mini museum display of artwork and historical archives. Live music, refreshments, and t-shirts will be available for all registered attendees. Officers from the 113 precinct will guide all riders through each leg of the tour.
All registrants will receive a free t-shirt, and same-day registration will also be on-site.
Registration Fees: adults:- $ 25, minors (12-17): $10, Non-riders-$15
To register, click the link here or scan the QR code on the flyer.
