Though battered and bruised over the last several years, the Chicago Jazz Festival always comes back swinging.
Never mind that the Mayor’s Office of Special Events has, over the years, whittled the seven-day event to three and pared its budget to $230,000, a pittance for a major music festival.
Never mind that other major jazz festivals, most notably the Montreal and San Francisco events, have become multimillion-dollar extravaganzas stretching several days.
Thanks to the not-for-profit Jazz Institute of Chicago, an assocation of jazz lovers who have programmed the event ingeniously since the beginning, the Chicago Jazz Festival not only has endured its blows but, this year, also shows signs of blossoming anew.
Certainly, the three days of free music in Grant Park, Friday through Sunday, will offer a sumptuous array of jazz idioms past and present. That scores of the most noteworthy and inventive jazz artists in the country will perform for thousands of listeners in a sublime urban setting at no admission charge represents something of a miracle.
As ever, however, there’s good news and bad.
On the negative side, for the first time since 1980, the festival will not be broadcast live over WBEZ–FM 91.5, nor carried live around the country on National Public Radio. WBEZ, in the midst of a $10.6 million move from its Loop offices to larger and more plush quarters on Navy Pier (to be completed next month), could not find the $50,000 to cover costs for the broadcast nor locate a sponsor to pick up the tab.
On the plus side, however, the 17th annual Jazz Festival has expanded its reach: A major, ticketed concert, marking the 75th anniversary of Charlie Parker’s birth, took place Thursday night at the Merle Reskin Theatre (made possible by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Lila Wallace/Reader’s Digest National Jazz Network).
Add to that Wednesday night’s Chicago Jazz Club Tour, another curtain-raiser for the Grant Park festivities, and you have a jazz festival that now offers five days of jazz, indoors and out.
In addition, considering the number of “after-fest” shows taking place at clubs across the city and the emergence of Express Your Self, a new jazz festival this weekend at nearby Cityfront Center (see below), there can be little doubt that the focal point of the jazz universe this weekend will be sweet home Chicago.
Here is a critical guide to this year’s festival, as well as ancillary performances. For more information, phone the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, 312-744-3315, unless another number is noted.
Friday
Petrillo Music Shell (Columbus Drive and Jackson Boulevard)
6 p.m.–Kurt Elling, with Laurence Hobgood and Trio New, featuring tenor saxophonist Edward Petersen. The Chicago Jazz Festival hardly could open on a more fitting note, since singer Kurt Elling and pianist Laurence Hobgood, both Chicagoans, have been touring internationally as recording artists for the Blue Note label. Hobgood will lead Trio New, an adventurous and first-rate ensemble staffed by drummer Paul Wertico and bassist Eric Hochberg, and they will be joined by guest Edward Petersen, a brilliant Chicago saxophonist who moved to New Orleans last year.
6:55 p.m.–Stanley Turrentine Sextet with guest Javon Jackson. Though tenor saxophone giant Stanley Turrentine is a frequent Chicago visitor, one rarely gets to hear his larger-than-life sound in a wide-open setting such as Grant Park. It’s a space he was born to play. He’ll be joined by young Javon Jackson, a Blue Note saxophonist on the rise.
8 p.m.–Cassandra Wilson. One of the most daring singers in jazz, Wilson has given Chicago several magical and incantatory performances in recent years. It will be interesting to see how Wilson, who typically works in intimate and confiding terms, handles the sprawling setting of Grant Park. Considering her ability to tame even the most unruly audiences, however, she’ll probably bring the crowd to a hush.
9 p.m.–Jackie McLean/Bobby Hutcherson Quintet. The young lions in the house likely will learn a thing or two when alto saxophonist McLean and vibes virtuoso Hutcherson step up to the microphones. Though both are seasoned artists, they play with a musical vigor and a technical brilliance that have kept them at the forefront of jazz improvisation for several decades. Because they’ll be joined by drummer Billy Higgins, trombonist Grachan Moncur III and bassist Reggie Workman, they might be considered a Blue Note all-star band, evoking the label’s heyday in the ’50s and ’60s.
Saturday
Jackson Stage (Jackson Boulevard and Lake Shore Drive)
Noon–Jeff Newell’s New Trad Octet. The gifted Chicago reed player and bandleader moved to New York more than a year ago, but Newell has maintained an active presence on the Chicago scene ever since (indeed, he’s still getting more work in Chicago than Manhattan). His New Trad Octet beguilingly blends vintage New Orleans brass traditions with modern and astringent harmonies.
1:10 p.m.–Remembering Sunnyland Slim: Steve Behr/Pinetop Perkins. The venerable pianist-singer-songwriter Albert Luandrew, better known as Sunnyland Slim, was a fixture on the Chicago blues scene for decades, and his death last March at age 87 left a palpable void. Two fine blues pianists, Steve Behr and Pinetop Perkins, will attempt to evoke Slim’s era and style.
2:20 p.m.–Joel Spencer/Kelly Sill Quartet featuring Gary Dial and Chris Potter, with special guest Ira Sullivan. Three generations will converge in what could be one of the more freewheeling jam sessions of the afternoon. Certainly Chris Potter stands as one of the most accomplished young lions of the tenor saxophone, while revered improviser Ira Sullivan remains a remarkably creative be-bop improviser on trumpet, saxophones and whatnot. Talented Chicago rhythm players Joel Spencer and Kelly Sill represent the “lost” middle generation of jazz musicians, too young to be honored as established masters, too old be considered rising stars, but greatly accomplished musicians nonetheless.
3:30 P.M.–Eddie Palmieri Octet. The superb keyboardist/bandleader has been enjoying a popular resurgence in recent years, for good reason. His octet has all the drive and force of a large ensemble, as well as the precision and clarity of a smaller group. With Palmieri at the helm, expect dancing in the aisles.
Petrillo Music Shell
5 p.m.–George Freeman Quartet, featuring Von Freeman on piano. One of Chicago’s great jazz dynasties, the Freeman family has been essential to jazz in this city for several decades. Von Freeman, after all, remains one of the world’s mightier tenor saxophonists, and George Freeman, his brother, is a lesser known but similarly gifted guitarist (Von’s son Chico, incidentally, is a tenor revolutionary in his own right). On this occasion, however, Von will be assisting his brother from the keyboard. If you’ve never heard the tenor titan have his way with a grand piano, you haven’t fully understood the range and depth of the man’s gifts.
6:05 p.m.–Jackie Allen. The Chicago singer has acquired some following in recent years, with appearances in several noted music rooms. Though her recent performances have seemed a bit arch, her singing should best be regarded as work in progress.
6:55 p.m.–Lou Donaldson Quartet. If there were any justice in this world, 68-year-old alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson would be a household name. What the brilliant altoist lacks in popular recognition, however, he receives in adulation from jazz devotees, who respect the mercurial brilliance of his technique, the irrepressible creativity of his improvisations and the plangent tone of his lyric lines.
7:55 p.m.–Ellis Marsalis Trio, with trumpeter Nicholas Payton. Another formidable artist who never quite received the recognition he deserved, pianist Ellis Marsalis is probably best known today as the father of the greatest young trumpeter in jazz, Wynton Marsalis. The elder Marsalis happens to be an imposing musician as well, however, though not so much a piano virtuoso as a thinker and tone-painter of the keyboard. He’ll be joined by Nicholas Payton, a fellow New Orleans musician and the best young trumpeter to come along since Wynton.
9 p.m.–Henry Threadgill’s Very Very Circus Plus. To mark the 30th anniversary of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, a Chicago organization that has nurtured new music in this city and beyond, the Jazz Festival will present AACM veteran Henry Threadgill, who’s now based in New York. Threadgill’s performances in recent years have been somewhat erratic, with a somewhat tepid show earlier this year at HotHouse and a more daring one last July at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Expect music from Threadgill’s newest Columbia release, “Makin’ a Move.”
Sunday
Jackson Stage
Noon–NRG Ensemble. As its name implies, NRG (read “energy”) brings considerable drive and fury to “free jazz” idioms.
1:10 p.m.–Ajaramu’s Sound in Rhythm. Despite the exotic name, this is essentially Chicago tenor saxophone giant Fred Anderson’s Sunday night band, which plays at his club, the Velvet Lounge, on the Near South Side. Ajaramu, the band’s drummer, leads this version of the ensemble, a hard-hitting jam band steeped in be-bop, post-bop and freer traditions.
2:20 p.m.–Blues Swingers Tribute to Floyd McDaniel. Veteran Chicago blues and R&B musician Floyd McDaniel originally was scheduled to play this slot with his Blues Swingers, but McDaniel died shortly after performing at the Green Mill Jazz Club on his 80th birthday, earlier this year. Thus the Blues Swingers will be honoring their fallen leader.
3:30 p.m.–Jodie Christian and the Front Line with Sonny Cohn, Eddie Johnson, Norris Turney, Larry Gray and Wilbur Campbell. No one swings like the jazz veterans, and if you doubt it, check out this set by Jodie Christian, one of Chicago’s most versatile pianists; Sonny Cohn, a brilliant trumpeter and recently retired veteran of the Count Basie Band; Eddie Johnson, a gritty, South Side tenorist; Norris Turney, a sublime, septuagenarian altoist who recently left New York to return home to the Midwest; Wilbur Campbell, still an explosive be-bop drummer; and bassist Larry Gray, at forty-something, the baby in the bunch.
Petrillo Music Shell
5 p.m.–Willie Pickens and the Chicago Children’s Choir. Chicago pianist Willie Pickens, one of the most formidable pianists in jazz, finally has been winning an international following since joining drummer Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine in 1990. The pianist will be venturing into new ground, however, in a collaboration with the Chicago Children’s Choir. Pickens teamed with the ensemble earlier this year in his own arrangements of several jazz standards, and the early reports on that performance suggest that this could be one of the more beguiling sets of this year’s jazz fest.
5:55 p.m.–Marcin Januszkiewicz’s Chicago Coalition. Polish pianist Januskiewicz has been based in Chicago for several years, leading one of the more understated and idiosyncratic bands in town. His septet emphasizes warm ensemble colors rather than ostentatious and fiery solos, his language is pervasively lyric, introspective and tonally radiant.
6:50 p.m.–Muhal Richard Abrams Experimental Big Band. In another tribute to the AACM’s 30th anniversary, the Jazz Festival will feature former Chicagoan and AACM founding member Muhal Richard Abrams, who now lives in New York. With Abrams playing for his hometown fans and leading his large ensemble, the spirit of experimentation and musical adventure ought to be high.
8 p.m.–John Scofield Quartet with guest Eddie Harris. There can be little doubt that Scofield stands as the foremost guitarist in modern jazz, his harmonically unbridled idiom as personal and autobiographical as it is daring and unpredictable. Scofield makes no concessions to commerce or popular appeal, yet his searing sound and unmistakable musical integrity has earned him a large and loyal following. He’ll team here with tenor saxophonist Harris, a former Chicagoan whose tenor saxophone playing has not received the respect it richly deserves.
9 p.m.–“75 and Still Countin’–Clark Terry and Friends,” featuring Harry “Sweets” Edison, Frank Wess, Britt Woodman, Norris Turney, John Campbell, Larry Gray and Charlie Braugham. The Chicago Jazz Festival will close on what’s likely to be a jubilant note, with some of the more esteemed septuagenarians in jazz making a joyful noise. With trumpeter/fluegelhornist Clark Terry, the embodiment of all that is sunny and life-affirming in jazz, and with such formidable sideman as trumpeter “Sweets” Edison and former Ellingtonians Britt Woodman and Norris Turney, the mood should be celebratory.
Express Your Self festival
Thanks to a consortium of Chicago arts advocates, a new festival will be running the same weekend as the Jazz Fest, and just a few blocks away.
“Express Your Self: A Celebration of the Freedom of Expression” will offer a major, free-admission, 30th anniversary tribute to the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. It’s at Cityfront Center, just south of the North Pier Terminal building at 455 E. Illinois St.
Because the AACM concerts will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Monday, listeners will have to choose between the Express Your Self shows and their afternoon counterparts at the Chicago Jazz Festival. Because the AACM lineup is so strong, the best strategy probably is to spend the afternoon at Express Your Self, then head to Grant Park for the evening headliners at the Jazz Festival.
Here’s the schedule (for details, phone 312-846-1001):
Saturday: International Percussion Ensemble; Ritual Trio; Malachi Thompson Triad; New Horizons Ensemble.
Sunday: Vandy Harris; Maggie Brown; Fareed Haque; Samana; Ethnic Heritage Ensemble.
Monday: Edward Wilkerson Trio; Ken Vandermark; Afro-centrix, with David Murray; Cody Moffett Quartet; Tenor Madness all-star band, with David Murray, Edward Wilkerson, Fred Anderson and Ari Brown.
In addition, Express Your Self will feature an outdoor art gallery, and an all-star Poetry Slam with Carlos Cumpian, Daniel X O’Neill, Marvin Tate, Michael Warr, Drapetomania and Funky Wordsmyth.
After Fest sessions
As always, festivalgoers who hunger for more music after the action has ended each night will find “after fest” sessions at various clubs, with music underway immediately following the 10 p.m. close of the Grant Park shows.
Andy’s, 11 E. Hubbard St.–Erwin Helfer and the Chicago Boogie Ensemble, Friday; Jeff Newell Quartet, with Willie Pickens, John Whitfield and Robert Shy, Saturday; 312-642-6805.
Bop Shop, 1807 W. Division St.–Dave Gordon Quintet, Friday; Montage, a jazz/flamenco band, Saturday; bassist Tatsu Aoki, Sunday; 312-235-3232.
Green Dolphin Street, 2200 N. Ashland Ave.–singer Joanie Pallatto and the Southport All-Stars, Friday; Ruben Alvarez’s Sunsounds, Saturday; Marcin Januszkiewicz’s Chicago Coalition, Sunday; 312-395-0066.
Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway.–Jeff Newell’s New-Trad Octet, Friday; singer Kimberly Gordon with Chris Foreman’s organ trio, Saturday; singer-pianist Patricia Barber, Sunday; 312-878-5552.
HotHouse, 1625 N. Damen Ave.–New Horizons Ensemble, Friday; Malachi Thompson’s Freebop Band, with Ron Bridgewater, Saturday; Edward Wilkerson Quartet, Sunday; 312-235-2334.
Jazz Showcase in the Blackstone Hotel, 636 S. Michigan Ave.–trumpeter/reed player Ira Sullivan will be in residence Friday through Sunday, with various Jazz Fest stars dropping in for jam sessions; 312-427-4846.
Metropole in the Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus Dr.–Guitarist Nick Colionne, Saturday; 312-565-8000.
Velvet Lounge, 2128 1/2 S. Indiana Ave.–Kidd Jordan, Douglas Ewart, Fred Anderson, Bill Brimfield, Michael Cristol, Ajaramu, Saturday; Anderson, Brimfield, Cristol, Ajaramu and others, Sunday; 312-791-9050
Miscellany
Breakfast Bash with the Delmark All-Stars, Jazz Record Mart, 444 N. Wabash Ave. The event will feature Jodie Christian, Malachi Thompson, Ed Petersen, Rich Corpolongo, Jim Cooper, Larry Gray and Robert Shy, 10:30 a.m. Sunday; 312-222-1467.
