During the past six decades, most of the world’s greatest musicians have played the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, but not once has a live telecast originated there.
So history will be made at 8 p.m. Friday, when WTTW-Ch. 11 broadcasts a live performance by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra during the second night of the annual Jazz at Ravinia soiree.
The event is significant, if only because jazz rarely turns up on the tube — and live concert telecasts are even less frequent. That the orchestra will be playing the Chicago premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ “Big Train,” a sweeping orchestral piece that had its world premiere in March in New York, should make matters even more interesting.
Yet one has to wonder why it has taken so long for someone to produce a live telecast from the Ravinia Festival.
“The difficulty is in convincing folks how important it is to have culture on TV,” says Ravinia executive director Zarin Mehta, who began discussing the venture with WTTW executives four months ago.
“TV people often say there’s no audience for culture,” adds Mehta, “but we say: `How do you know until you’ve tried it?’ “
The powers at WTTW apparently couldn’t wait to seize the opportunity.
“It’s the kind of thing that demonstrates what differentiates us from all the other quality TV options in the community,” says Dan Schmidt, the new president and chief executive officer of the public TV station, replacing Bill McCarter.
“But it’s a big financial commitment — we’ve taken a leap here,” continues Schmidt, whose station will spend approximately $75,000 to broadcast the concert.
Apparently neither Ravinia nor WTTW, however, is cutting corners with the jazz telecast. In addition to airing the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra’s complete, two-hour-plus program, the program will include an intermission interview with Marsalis by Ramsey Lewis, Jazz at Ravinia music director.
More important, the program will feature “Big Train,” the evocative, hourlong work by Marsalis. When this listener heard the world premiere of the piece last spring, there was no mistaking its subtext: the difficult but ultimately triumphant journey of Southern blacks north, via rail. Though the first performance may have allowed for too many extended solos, the composed portions of the work were narratively brilliant.
“Wynton always is trying to find out how to get across a lot of ideas (in a composition) without putting too much musical material in his pieces — it’s like a balancing act,” says reed player Victor Goines, who served as copyist for Marsalis on “Big Train” and has collaborated with the trumpeter-composer for years.
“He was very specific in what he wrote down and what he was trying to achieve. There were portions that he wanted to sound very spiritual; there were places where he wanted a (soft) volume that calls for the listener to pay close attention if he’s going to understand what’s going on.”
“Big Train” definitely does not qualify as easy listening. It’s a sprawling work, but one that listeners will be able to savor from the comfort of home.
“What I’m hoping,” says Mehta, “is that people will just turn on their VCRs and come to the park to hear the music.”
Following is the complete schedule for Jazz at Ravinia, as well as an annotated overview of other summer jazz festivals.
– Jazz at Ravinia, June 25-28.
June 25: 6 p.m., Willie Pickens and Bethany Pickens; 8 p.m., Salute to Benny Goodman featuring Eddie Daniels, Count Basie Orchestra with Joe Williams; late show (30 minutes after the 8 p.m. concert finishes), Laurence Hobgood Trio.
June 26: 4 p.m., Wynton Marsalis master class; 6 p.m., Regina Carter Quintet; 8 p.m., Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; late show, Kahil El’Zabar Quartet.
June 27: 4 p.m., Regina Carter master class; 6 p.m., Ravinia Jazz Mentors Sextet; 8 p.m., Oscar Peterson Quartet; late show, Audrey Morris Trio.
June 28: 3 p.m., Ramsey Lewis master class; 5 p.m., George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band; 7 p.m., Joe Henderson and Friends, with Terence Blanchard, and a tribute to John Coltrane featuring the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Kevin Mahogany and Michael Brecker.
Call 847-266-5100.
– JVC Jazz Festival, through June 27.
This enduring event, in various New York City clubs and theaters, will offer several themed concerts, including “Three Tenors” (with saxophonists George Coleman, Chico Freeman and Lew Tabackin), “Latin Jazz Jam” (with Celia Cruz, Tito Puente and Arturo Sandoval’s Hot House Big Band) and “Habana New York” (with Los Van Van and Jesus Alemany’s Cubanismo). Call 212-501-1390.
– Elkhart Jazz Festival, June 26-28.
This Indiana event, which gets bigger and better each season, this year will feature Joe Williams, David “Fathead” Newman, John Campbell, Chuck Hedges, Red Holloway, Bobby Lewis, Rob Parton’s JazzTech Big Band, Ken Peplowski. Call 800-597-7627.
– Chicago Jazz Festival, Sept. 3-6.
Marking its 20th anniversary, the Grant Park festival will present McCoy Tyner, Nancy Wilson, Irakere, Branford Marsalis, Frank Lacy, Andy Bey with Geraldine de Haas, Roy Hargrove, Terry Callier and Randy Weston’s “African Sunrise” with the Chico O’Farrill Orchestra. Call 312-744-3315.
– Montreal International Jazz Festival, July 1-12.
No jazz festival in the Western world approaches the stylistic breadth and artistic quality of Montreal’s. This year’s program includes saxophonist David Sanchez with string orchestra; pianist Michel Petrucciani’s sextet; several concerts by guitarist John Scofield, playing with everyone from bassist Charlie Haden to the Dirty Dozen brass band to saxophonist Wayne Shorter; Terence Blanchard’s “Gospel Project”; a solo performance by pianist Cecil Taylor; a duo performance by pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and saxophonist Joe Lovano; bassist Christian McBride in solo concert; and many more. Call 800-361-4595.
– Miller Midwest Jazz Heritage Festival, July 24-25.
The third annual event, held in Peoria’s Festival Park, will feature singer Rachael Lee, the Bloomington-Normal steel drum band Steely Pan, Latin jazz band Orquesta de Jazz y Salsa Alto Maiz and Chicago’s Mighty Blue Kings. Call 309-685-4276.
– San Francisco Jazz Festival, Oct. 29-Nov. 8.
San Francisco’s event is more intelligently and creatively programmed than any other in the United States. This year’s highlights include Yusef Lateef in the city’s famous Grace Cathedral (the same spot where Duke Ellington unveiled his Sacred Concerts); klezmer giant Andy Statmen in Temple Emanu-El; a Cuban piano summit with Ruben Gonzalez and his band (featuring Ibrahim Ferrer) and the Chucho Valdes Quartet; “Asian Concepts in Jazz,” with Fred Ho’s Monkey Orchestra; a vibes summit with Milt Jackson, Bobby Hutcherson and Stefon Harris; and John Zorn’s “Masada.” Call 415-398-5655.
