Throughout the year, VISIONS presents free jazz concerts by the acclaimed Boston-based jazz group The Makanda Project.  The concerts mostly take place in community-based settings in Roxbury, MA: the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library, First Church in Roxbury, the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, and Bartlett Place.  There are additional events at public housing developments elsewhere in Boston.
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The arts—and the community spirit achieved through these particular events—are an ideal vehicle for the principles that VISIONS represents. Presenting these concerts is another way that VISIONS is involved in the community where we work. The Makanda Project is a 13 piece ensemble formed in 2005 to play the previously unrecorded compositions of Makanda Ken McIntyre (1931-2001), a Roxbury native who was a significant yet under-recognized jazz innovator in a career that spanned over four decades. The Makanda Project includes several of Boston’s most accomplished jazz musicians. Many of the concerts also feature internationally renowned guest artists, as well as performances by community youth.  Some of the concerts also include a live painting activity facilitated by Massachusetts College of Art & Design’s sparc! the ArtMobile.