The North End Music & Performing Arts Center programs a free summer jazz series on the Rose Kennedy Greenway’s North End Parks, the lawns at Cross and Hanover streets where the neighborhood meets downtown. On Thursday evenings, some of Boston’s best jazz players stretch out on contemporary and globally influenced sets as the after-work crowd settles onto the grass.

Expect a relaxed, picnic-friendly scene: blankets, takeout from Hanover Street, kids orbiting the fountains. The programming leans adventurous — this isn’t background standards but working musicians mixing cultures and styles. Concerts are free and open to all, and a nearby indoor backup keeps the music going when the weather turns. A natural pairing with dinner in the North End.