Though far from ideal, the 16th annual Chicago Jazz Festival has a great deal to recommend it.
Running Friday through Sunday, the Grant Park event will present jazz legends, such as pianist-composer Horace Silver, vibist Milt Jackson, drummer Arthur Taylor and organist Jimmy Smith; Chicago titans, including tenor saxophonists Von Freeman and Fred Anderson and drummer Barrett Deems; rising stars, such as tenorist David Sanchez and bassist Christian McBride; and up-and-coming local players, including trumpeter Rex Richardson and Bill McFarland and the Chicago Horns.
As always, the Grant Park setting will be spectacular and the admission will be free, two undeniable virtues of this festival.
And yet, Chicago’s Jazz Festival could be much more. Since its inception, the event has been whittled down by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events (which produces all the city’s summer music festivals) from seven days to three.
Just as the Chicago Jazz Festival was shrinking, however, its competitors were expanding. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the San Francisco Jazz Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival each run for roughly two weeks, each with a budget in the millions.
The Chicago Jazz Festival operates on a miserly $230,000.
So why are other cities’ jazz festivals bigger, richer and more multifaceted than Chicago’s? The answer can be summed up in a single word: politics.
None of the aforementioned festivals is tied to city government. Rather, each is presented by organizations that raise funds on their own and, therefore, are not virtually subject to handouts from local government.
One hastens to note, however, that the city does not program the Chicago Jazz Festival: the non-profit Jazz Institute of Chicago does. Considering the budget constraints, the institute has worked miracles.
Here is one listener’s guide to the fest. Evening concerts will be broadcast on WBEZ Radio, 91.5 FM. For more information, phone 312-744-3315.
FRIDAY
Petrillo Music Shell (Jackson Boulevard and Columus Drive).
6 p.m.-Barrett Deems Big Band. The Jazz Institute did well to book Deems, because of his exalted age (81), his deep roots in the Chicago swing tradition and the perpetually rising quality of his big band.
6:50 p.m.-David Sanchez Quartet. Several of the headline acts on the opening night of the festival are sponsored by Sony/Columbia Jazz, including Sanchez, one of today’s most promising young tenor saxophonists. Sanchez has a technique and a taste for experimentation that distinguish him from the pack.
7:50 p.m.-New Horizons Ensemble. Chicagoan Ernest Dawkins’ brilliant avant-garde band richly deserves this opening-night slot on the Jazz Festival, for the group extends and deepens the jazz language.
8:40 p.m.-Terence Blanchard Quartet with singer Jeanie Bryson. Blanchard has been a frequent Chicago visitor in recent years, yet the lyric clarity of his trumpet work and the savvy of his arrangements make him a welcome attraction any time. He’ll appear with singer Jeanie Bryson, who will sing excerpts from “The Billie Holiday Songbook.”
9:40 p.m.-Horace Silver and Silver/Brass Ensemble, with tenor saxophonist Red Holloway. Silver long ago accrued legendary status in jazz, but his latest recordings, “It’s Got to be Funky” and “Pencil Packin’ Papa,” prove that the man’s pianism, songwriting and arranging remain on the upswing. Because Silver has not played Chicago in years, this is a must-see set.
SATURDAY
Jackson Stage (Jackson Boulevard and Lake Shore Drive).
Noon-David Kikoski Trio. The young pianist joins bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Leon Parker.
12:45 p.m.-Andy Goodrich Quintet. The veteran Chicago tenor saxophonist will appear with Odies Williams, pianist John Young, bassist John Whitfield and drummer George Hughes.
2 p.m.-Detroit Jr. The pianist will play a tribute to blues artist Jimmy Yancey.
2:45 p.m.-Joe Johnson. The Chicago pianist also will pay homage to Yancey.
3:35 p.m.-West Coast Tenors. Teddy Edwards and Harold Land are the title tenors.
Petrillo Music Shell
5 p.m.-Kevin Mahogany. Though somewhat overrated, Mahogany has proved himself a reliable jazz singer.
5:55 p.m.-The Fletcher Basington Orchestra. In one of the weekend’s most promising bookings, the band (its name refers to swing masters Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie and Duke Ellington) will include several of the most seasoned players in Chicago jazz, including trumpeters Sonny Cohn, Bobby Lewis and Art Hoyle; tenorist Eddie Johnson; and trombonist John Watson.
6:55 p.m.-Marian McPartland Trio, with Mary Fettig. McPartland has appeared frequently in Chicago, her unofficial hometown, but this time she’s featuring altoist Fettig.
8 p.m.-Jon Jang and the Pan-Asian Arkestra. The Pan-Asian Arkestra comes from California billed as “a multicultural ensemble” that merges jazz traditions and instrumentation with its Asian counterparts.
9:15 p.m.-Fathers and Sons. In a somewhat obvious but potentially interesting booking, two generations will converge when Dewey and Josh Redman and Von and Chico Freeman play their tenor saxophones.
SUNDAY
Jackson Stage
Noon-Bill McFarland and the Chicago Horns. One of the most viscerally exciting small bands to come out of Chicago in years, McFarland’s Chicago Horns epitomize the tough, gritty, hard-blowing traditions of this city.
1:30 p.m.-Rex Richardson Quintet, with Hinda Hoffman. The ascending young trumpeter will be joined by singer Hoffman.
3:15 p.m.-Dewey Redman, with Harrison Bankhead and Hamid Drake. Redman collaborates with two of Chicago’s most skilled avant-gardists, bassist Bankhead and percussionist Drake.
Petrillo Music Shell
5 p.m.-Chuck Hedges Swingtet. This should be a jubilant swing set and an upbeat opener for this evening.
5:55 p.m.-Arthur Taylor’s Wailers. Drummer Taylor has been enjoying a thoroughly deserved career renaissance of late, backed by one of the hardest of New York’s hard-bop bands.
6:50 p.m.-Fred Anderson Reunion Band. History will be made during this set, as Anderson-a pioneering Chicago avant-gardist whose experimental work on tenor has yet to be equaled-shares the stage again with trombonist George Lewis, reed player Douglas Ewart and drummer Hamid Drake. They’ll join trumpeter Billy Brimfield, bassist Harrison Bankhead and saxophonist Kidd Jordan.
7:40 p.m.-Houston Person and Etta Jones. In an uninspired booking, the all-too-familiar saxophone-and-vocals duo returns.
8:35 p.m.-Milt Jackson Quartet, with Bobby Hutcherson. With Jackson and Hutcherson sharing the stage, vibes lovers will be in heaven.
9:30 p.m.-Gerald Wilson Orchestra/76th Birthday Tribute. The festival will close with a major artistic event, a de facto reunion of Wilson’s celebrated West Coast orchestra. Wilson, who played and arranged for Jimmie Lunceford, will appear with several pivotal West Coast players, including trumpeters Snooky Young and Oscar Brashear, saxophonists Teddy Edwards and Harold Land.
