DJ Scratch, Summer Stage, Central Park, 2009

Woah. So much going on this summer, so much free goodness that we decided to break it down for you with the ultimate guide to conquering the metropolis.

For every show, DJ set and new venue listed below there are countless more we could have included. But all you need to do is click through on the venues and festivals for their own full listings.

All of the shows listed below are ABSOLUTELY FREE unless indicated otherwise ($ = a few pesos, $$ = nuff dollars, $$$ = silly dinero), and preference has been given to events that are free and outdoors, although man I would love to see Drake and Trey Songz, “which one of y’all, is going home with Trigga?!” Love that shit.

Some info on the venues follows, but please note that for events like the NYC Jazz Festival, small affordable gigs are included at the expense of Carnegie Hall all-star Herbie Hancock & Keith Jarrett style line-ups, but if that’s your jam, that’s your jam. We cool. Also note that “Summer Stage” organizes gigs all over the city although to most people it means Central Park. Gigs outside Manhattan are noted with Borough abbreviations. If you can’t work them out you might be best off staying near your hotel.

MAY

25-30 Tues-Sun 8pm/10:30pm – Ahmad Jamal, Blue Note – $$
30 Sun 1130-630pm – Loisaida Festival, Lower East Side between 14th and Houston, Avenue A and the East River

JUNE

1 Tues 7pm – Jay Electronica, Summer Stage, Red Hook Park (BK)
2 Weds 7pm – Roy Ayers, Summer Stage, Betsy Head Park (BK)
6 Sun 3pm – Los Van Van / Jose Conde and a DJ tribute to Fania + Bobbito – Summer Stage, Central Park
6 Sun 630pm – Hot 97 Summer Jam 2010 with Usher, Drake, Trey Songz, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Gucci Mane – Meadowlands Arena (NJ) – $$$
12 Sat 5pm – Louie Vega Birthday Bash, Water Taxi Beach (QN) – $
14 Mon 7pm – Baaba Maal, Summer Stage, Central Park
16 Wed 7pm – Big Daddy Kane, Summer Stage, Herbert Von King Park (BK)
17 Thurs 730pm, Sun Ra Arkestra, Marshall Allan, NYC Jazz Festival, Studio Museum in Harlem – $
22 Tues 8pm – Joao Gilberto, NYC Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall – $$
23 Wed 7pm – McCoy Tyner Quartet with Ravi Coltrane, NYC Jazz Festival, Summer Stage, Central Park
24 Thurs 7pm – Revive Da Live Big Band featuring Nicholas Payton and Talib Kweli, NYC Jazz Festival, Poisson Rouge – $
27 Sun 3-9pm – Kenny Larkin, Sunday Best @ Brooklyn Yard – $
27 Sun 3pm – Gil Scott Heron, Summer Stage, Central Park
30 Wed 7pm – DJ Kool Herc, Summer Stage, Crotona Park (BX)
30 Wed 7pm – Mose Allison, Madison Square Park

JULY

2 Fri 8pm (sharp!) – Mr Scruff, Rocks Off Boat Party – $$
4 Sun 3-9pm – Rich Medina, Sunday Best @ Brooklyn Yard – $
11 Sun 3pm – Jimmy Cliff / Trevor Hall and Victor Démé, Summer Stage, Central Park
11 Sun 7pm – OkayAfrica World Cup 2010 Finals Party with The Roots, Talib Kweli, Blitz the Ambassador, Celebrate Brooklyn, Prospect Park (BK)
15 Thu 7pm – EPMD / Funkmaster Flex, Summer Stage, Queensbridge Park (QN)
17 Sat 12-9pm – Siren Festival, Coney Island (BK)
17 Sat 3pm – Raphael Saadiq and guests, Summer Stage, Central Park
20 Tue 7pm – The Metropolitan Opera, Summer Stage, Brooklyn Bridge Park (BK)
21 Wed 7pm – Burning Spear, River To River, Rockefeller Park
21 Wed 6pm – Somi, Madison Square Park
24 Sat 5pm – Die Antwoord (supporting MIA), The Beach @ Governors Island – $$

AUGUST

1 Sun 3-9pm – Linkwood, Sunday Best @ Brooklyn Yard – $
4 Weds 7pm – Robert Glasper Experiment with Q-Tip and Bilal, Lincoln Center Out Of Doors
5 Thurs 7pm – Gil Scott Heron, Summer Stage, Marcus Garvey Park (Harlem)
7 Sat 7pm – Daptone Revue with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Budos Band and more, Celebrate Brooklyn, Prospect Park (BK)
8 Sun 730pm – Soul Rebels Brass Band, Lincoln Center Out Of Doors
15 Sun 3pm – Public Enemy and Blitz the Ambassador, Summer Stage, Central Park
22 Sun 3pm – The Specials, Summer Stage, Central Park
28 Sat all day – Rock The Bells feat. Wu Tang Clan, Rakim, KRS 1, Slick Rick & more, Governors Island - $$ (see below)
28/29 Sat/Sun 3pm – The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, Summer Stage, Marcus Garvey Park / Tompkins Square Park

For all events noted Summer Stage click here for the website with further details and directions to venues. Note that if you have not previously attended Summer Stage in Central Park, it is an enclosed outdoor venue with a reasonable but not huge capacity so go early. And take a hat and sun cream. It gets hot in there.

The Martin Luther King Jr Free Concert Series, Monday nights at Wingate Park Field in Brooklyn, has not yet been announced, so look out for that in a couple of weeks. Last year included Anita Baker, The O’Jays, Robin Thicke and Jazmine Sullivan, and in 2008, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and Estelle.

Rock The Bells, which can only really be described as a hip hop-a-thon, will announce its line-up this week has announced its line-up, see above, and new location, thank the lord.  That’s gonna be a lively ferry ride!  Last year included Nas, most of the Wu Tang, Big Boi, Common, Talib Kweli and Pete Rock. So no one you’re likely to have heard of.

PS1 Warm-Up parties kick off July 3rd in the grounds of the MOMA off-shoot in Queens, where the atmosphere is always raucous and the hairstyles ridiculous.

Finally, if none of that interests you, you’ll have the option to host your own free concert this summer on one of the 60 upright pianos which will be installed around New York between June 21 and July 5 for the artist Luke Jerram’s installation, Play Me, I’m Yours.