Golden Gate Park Band:An All-American Program

The Golden Gate Park Band is leaning into the fun side of the American songbook with a program that jumps from John Williams to Scott Joplin, Leonard Bernstein and Danny Elfman. That range is the reason to make time for this one. You get the brassy sweep of “Raiders March,” the ragtime snap of “Maple Leaf Rag,” selections from West Side Story, plus the wonderfully strange pairing of Looney Tunes and The Simpsons themes. Charles Ives’ Circus March adds another left turn, keeping the afternoon from settling into a predictable patriotic concert. The free performance takes place at the Spreckels Temple of Music on Sunday afternoon, making it an easy stop during a Labor Day weekend walk through the park. Bring a blanket and settle in for 90 minutes of big-band arrangements that take familiar American music somewhere a little more interesting.