If students living in Kings Court/English House open their dorm windows on Thursday nights, they might hear the rhythmic beating of a jazz drummer echoing down the street.
Each Thursday, various music groups perform on the corner of 36th and Walnut streets in front of the Penn Bookstore and Cosi. The 36th Street Jazz concert series, sponsored by Penn's Business Services Division, runs between the months of May and October.
The free concerts, which last from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., feature jazz, Latin and swing groups. The Philadelphia-based Arpeggio Jazz and Music Ensemble has been performing in the concert series since its inception four years ago, and has already given five concerts this season, with one more on the calendar.
"The Arpeggio people make the bricks move," College senior and frequent concert-goer Eliot Glenn says.
Though the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble mostly performs jazz music, as group founder and bassist Warren Oree contends, they play "everything."
"Music is a big room, and I don't stand in just one corner of the room," Oree says.
No Penn student groups have performed in the series, but Marketing Manager for Penn Business Services Taylor Berkowitz would like to see that change.
The concert series was started with the intention of attracting diverse audiences and promoting retail business in the area.
"We want to make University Square a destination," says Rhea Lewis, director of communications and special projects for Business Services.
"It makes people feel good about the area," Berkowitz adds. "I see some regulars out there every week."
Oree agrees that the concerts have successfully added vibrancy to the area.
"It's always such an eclectic crowd there," Oree says. "Music is a magnet."
Whether the large crowds actually help business, though, is questionable.
Cosi manager John Duca thinks the concerts have had a minimal positive effect on business, although he appreciates the increased traffic in the area. Michelle Mullally, department manager of Urban Outfitters, agrees that business has not been greatly affected by the concerts.
The 36th Street Jazz concert series is funded by Penn through Business Services, and is free and open to the public.
