Celebrate African American history at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park.

During February, the park will host a special series of concerts by prominent jazz musicians to celebrate Black History Month. The series starts on Saturday, February 7, with a kickoff program featuring New Orleans jazz interspersed with historical narration.

Carl Leblanc, a well-known jazz guitarist and historian, will lead the program and will be backed by a six-piece band playing a combination of jazz, blues and R&B music.

The fun and free events continue on Valentine’s Day with Joe Lastie and the Lastie Family gospel choir. This family is steeped in the New Orleans musical tradition and performs regularly at Preservation Hall, a local historic jazz venue.

All of the concerts are free and will take place every Saturday through the end of February. Unless otherwise noted, concerts start at 2 p.m. at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Site visitor center. Check the park’s calendar of events for more dates.