Barbara Walker at Hawthorne Park

Jazz Bridge and the Hawthorne Empowerment Coalition (HEC), sponsor of “Friends of Hawthorne Park,” will present vocalist Barbara Walker for a free concert at Hawthorne Park, 12th and Catharine Street, on Thursday, July 16. Shows run from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and all are invited to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy. Further information: jazzbridge.org or hecphilly.org

From her musical beginnings as a 16 year old vocalist who first sang professionally with her organist father, Bill Walker, Barbara Walker continues to be recognized as dynamic, passionate and incredibly powerful singer and an artist whose performances exemplify the word “excitement.” Her activities in the worlds of jazz, rhythm and blues, in the theater and in motion pictures have been nothing less than exceptional. Jazz-wise, she’s toured the country with artists such as Grover Washington, Jr., Herbie Hancock, Diane Schuur, Uri Caine, Diana Krall, Les McCann, Bradford Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Chick Corea, Toots Thielemans, Oscar Brown, Jr., Bobby Durham, Nancy Wilson, The Manhattan Transfer, and Maynard Ferguson. In the R & B area, Walker has appeared with Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, and LL Cool J. Theatrically, her work in the American Music Theater Festival’s “Essentially Ellington” received rave reviews. And jazz loving film goers with big ears will certainly recognize Barbara Walker’s rendition of “Here Comes the Morning,” in the hit Hollywood film, “The Score,” which starred Marlon Brando, Robert DiNiro and Angela Bassett....

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Jazz Bridge and the Hawthorne Empowerment Coalition (HEC), sponsor of “Friends of Hawthorne Park,” will present vocalist Barbara Walker for a free concert at Hawthorne Park, 12th and Catharine Street, on Thursday, July 16. Shows run from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and all are invited to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy. Further information: jazzbridge.org or hecphilly.org

From her musical beginnings as a 16 year old vocalist who first sang professionally with her organist father, Bill Walker, Barbara Walker continues to be recognized as dynamic, passionate and incredibly powerful singer and an artist whose performances exemplify the word “excitement.” Her activities in the worlds of jazz, rhythm and blues, in the theater and in motion pictures have been nothing less than exceptional. Jazz-wise, she’s toured the country with artists such as Grover Washington, Jr., Herbie Hancock, Diane Schuur, Uri Caine, Diana Krall, Les McCann, Bradford Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Chick Corea, Toots Thielemans, Oscar Brown, Jr., Bobby Durham, Nancy Wilson, The Manhattan Transfer, and Maynard Ferguson. In the R & B area, Walker has appeared with Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, and LL Cool J. Theatrically, her work in the American Music Theater Festival’s “Essentially Ellington” received rave reviews. And jazz loving film goers with big ears will certainly recognize Barbara Walker’s rendition of “Here Comes the Morning,” in the hit Hollywood film, “The Score,” which starred Marlon Brando, Robert DiNiro and Angela Bassett.

Jazz Bridge, an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to assisting Greater Philadelphia Metro area jazz and blues musicians and vocalists in times of crisis, sponsors these neighborhood concerts throughout the region to keep the sound of Philadelphia alive.

The Hawthorne Empowerment Coalition is a non-profit community organization with the mission of improving the quality of life for all residents—approximately 3,500-- of the Hawthorne Neighborhood of South Philadelphia. The summer concert series in Hawthorne Park is being presented in collaboration with--and via funding from--Friends of Hawthorne Park, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, and the Fairmount Park Conservancy.

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