Gowanus jazz

Gowanus most likely isn’t the first place you think of to go hear some good jazz, but for this month, it is.

For the next three Saturdays, the Gowanus Jazz Fest is coming to the Douglass Street Music Collective.

“Brooklyn has a lot of great musicians, so the idea was to highlight some of the local talent that tends to perform all over the world, but not always so much in Brooklyn,” said festival founder and pianist Frank Carlberg, who lives in South Slope.

Saxophonist Sam Newsome (pictured) kicks things off on May 8, performing music from his new CD, “Blue Soliloquy.”

“Many people see playing solo saxophone as some type of novelty, but I take it much more seriously,” said Newsome. “I foresee a day of when solo saxophone will as viable a format as solo piano.”

Carlberg will also be featured prominently throughout the festival, playing new music set to poetry by Ken Mikolowski with Big Enigma on May 8, with The Carlberg/Urie City Band on May 15, and with Tivoli Trio on May 22, where they’ll play compositions by Carlberg that mainly draw from cinematic and circus inspirations.

While hosting the festival at the Douglas Street Music Collective – of which Carlberg is a member – was a natural choice, the musician had another motive.

“Gowanus is a bit of a forgotten neighborhood,” said Carlberg. “I thought it would be a good idea to do something right here.”

Gowanus Jazz Fest at Douglas Street Music Collective [295 Douglass St. near Third Avenue, no phone] May 8, 15 and 22, with sets at 8 pm and 9:30 pm each night. Suggested donation $15. For info, visit www.gowanusjazzfest.com.