Chicago would seem to be a no-brainer to host International Jazz Day, a joint initiative of UNESCO and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. The city is not only a global jazz capital but the hometown of Hancock himself, who spearheads the effort as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
In truth, it took — and will continue to take — a village to bring the global event to fruition. Chicago’s jazz scene is coalescing around the occasion, which, contrary to its name, actually encompasses a dense week of programming running April 25 to May 1. In fact, some additional affiliate events are already underway, running throughout the month. Jazz combos will even post up at O’Hare and Midway airports throughout the week to welcome out-of-towners.
“Bringing International Jazz Day to Chicago is kind of like bringing the Olympics. You have to fill out forms saying how you’ll be able to support it, not only geographically but in terms of educational outreach,” says singer Kurt Elling, who co-directs the festivities alongside Hancock and led the charge to bring the event to Chicago.
Otherwise, the “Why Chicago?” part of the application was, he says, “the easiest part to fill in.”
“There is a Chicago sound, and there are generations of development of the Chicago sound,” Elling says.
For the full list of events, check out the International Jazz Day website (chicago.jazzday.com). But for a sampler of our Chicago sound, here are some entry points into the festivities, some choices courtesy of Elling.
Milling around
Elling was too modest to shout this one out himself, so I’ll do it for him: He and his quintet kick off the week’s festivities with a two-night residency at the Green Mill. Arrive early if you want a seat or decent sightlines. Kurt Elling Quintet, 8 p.m. April 24-25 at Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, 4802 N. Broadway; $25, greenmilljazz.com
The room where it happened
Decades ago, Bronzeville’s historic Forum hosted living legends like Nat King Cole, Muddy Waters and the Jackson 5. This event doubles as a sneak peek of the Build Bronzeville initiative’s ongoing revitalization of the venue, with live music, historical throwbacks and bites from the forthcoming Forum Café. “The Bronzeville Roots of Chicago Jazz,” 3 p.m. April 25 at The Forum, 318 E. 43rd St., free with RSVP via eventbrite.com.
Chicago’s jazz women
The Chicago History Museum might host this performance, but it’s no history lesson. Singer Tammy McCann joins five of-the-moment local musical luminaries to honor the women who shaped our Chicago sound. “Chicago’s Women in Jazz: The Sound of the City,” 2 p.m. April 26 at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., free with RSVP at chicagohistory.org.
A Steans-Hancock exchange
Besides their Chicago bona fides, Hancock and Elling are both affiliated with organizations training jazz’s next generation — respectively, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz and the Ravinia Festival, which houses the Steans Music Institute. Alumni from both programs link up for a performance alongside Steans Jazz artistic directors John Clayton and Steve Wilson. “Celebrating IJD with John Clayton and Steve Wilson,” 7 p.m. April 26 at Bennett Gordon Hall at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, free with RSVP at ravinia.org
History, remixed
The year 2026 and its bevy of jazz centenaries must be catnip to Orbert Davis — trumpeter, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic artistic director and an inexhaustible composer/arranger of tribute suites. This time, he seizes on Miles Davis’s 100th, reprising his adaptation of the 1960 album “Sketches of Spain.” The performance is followed by a panel featuring not only Davis but the drummer Vince Wilburn, Jr., Davis’s nephew and estate co-manager, radio journalist Mark Ruffin and author/historian Karen Chilton. “Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Presents Sketches of Spain: Revisited,” 1 p.m. April 27 at the Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., tickets $5 at chijazzphil.org.
Club crawl
This choose-your-own-adventure tour brings you to four jazz venues along two different routes: South Side (hitting Parkway Social, Bronzeville Winery, Norman’s Bistro, and The Haven) or Central (to Bassline, Reggies, Jazz Showcase, Winter’s Jazz Club). From there, you can either join the guided bus tour, for a premium, or bring-your-own-wheels and visit venues at your own pace. “The Jazz Institute of Chicago Presents: The Jazz Club Tour Experience,” 7-10 p.m. April 27, $34 for self-guided, $55 for hosted tour, more at jazzinchicago.org.
For the film buffs
“Birdman” (2014) without Antonio Sánchez’s driving, relentless music would be like jazz without improvisation. Sánchez himself plays the essential score for solo percussion live in this high-demand screening co-presented by the Chicago International Film Festival. If you strike out with standby tickets, cinephiles still have a Wednesday panel on jazz and film scoring to look forward to, with composer-performers Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard (“BlacKkKlansman,” “Da 5 Bloods”) and Kris Bowers (“The Color Purple,” “Bridgerton” “King Richard”). “Jazz, Film, and the Improvisational Architecture of Storytelling,” 2 p.m. April 29 at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., free with RSVP at chicagofilmfestival.com. “Birdman Live, Performed by Antonio Sánchez,” 7 p.m. April 27, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., more at chicagojazzalliance.org.
Neighborhood night
To Elling, April 28 is the beating heart of International Jazz Day. That’s the evening neighborhoods all across Chicago light up with concerts and events. For a full listing of neighborhood events, visit chicagojazzalliance.org.
“From the start, my goals have been to find employment for as many musicians on the Chicago scene as we can, and to get a musician in front of every Chicago public school kid, where we possibly can,” Elling says.
Highlights include a new Fannie Lou Hamer tribute by Ernest Dawkins in Englewood (5:30 p.m. at Hamilton Park Cultural Center), trumpeter Victor Garcia holding it down at Austin Town Hall Park (6 p.m.) and a walk through Chicago jazz history with the Chicago West Community Music Center (6 p.m. at Garfield Park Conservatory). As for Elling, he admits he’s partial to the programming happening in and around his Hyde Park stomping grounds. Saxophonist Geof Bradfield and his sextet pay homage to composer-arranger team Randy Weston and Melba Liston for their shared centenaries (7 p.m. at Logan Center for the Arts). Before that, a to-be-announced set will activate the DuSable’s recently opened “Paris in Black” exhibition (5:30 p.m. at DuSable Black History Museum & Education Center).
“It’s going to be killing,” he promises.
Welcome to the chop shop
If you’ve hit the Mag Mile on a recent Tuesday evening, perhaps you’ve already spotted musicians tearing it up at the Nordstrom eBar. They’ll do so all month to gin up excitement for International Jazz Day. “Tulips & Trumpets: A Mile Full of Jazz,” 5-6:30 p.m. every Tuesday through April 28 at The Shops at North Bridge, 520 N. Michigan Ave., free.
An AACM anniversary
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, the legendary South Side collective, turned 60 last year. Current AACM members play music by association founders Muhal Richard Abrams, Jodie Christian, Steve McCall and Kelan Phil Cohran at the organization’s current home base in Woodlawn. Meanwhile, a long-term tribute to the AACM will plant its flag downtown:“Tangible Sound,” an audiovisual installation by photographer Lauren Deutsch and filmmaker Jonathan Woods. “AACM Great Black Music Ensemble Presents: A Power Stronger Than Itself,” 6 p.m. April 28 at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, 6400 S. Kimbark Ave. “Tangible Sound: Arrival to a Higher Ground,” on display April 25 to Sept. 27 in the Michigan Avenue Galleries at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.; both free, more information at chicagojazzalliance.org.
The big day
Of course, we’d be remiss to run this list without the main event, the star attraction, the big kahuna: the All-Star Global Concert, held on International Jazz Day proper. Given that the lineup is a who’s-who of 21st century jazz, plan for steep demand. According to event organizers, free tickets will be reserved for Chicago’s creative community, educators, students and the public. Register for a random ticket drawing (2 maximum) at chicagojazzalliance.org, with recipients notified on a rolling basis beginning April 20. As a fallback, earmark the Logan Center’s watch party in its ground floor café, hosted by alt-radio station WHPK. “International Jazz Day 2026 All-Star Global Concert,” 7 p.m. April 30 at Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. “WHPK Presents: International Jazz Day Global Concert Watch Party,” 7 p.m. April 30, doors 6 p.m. at the Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., free with RSVP at chicagojazzalliance.org.
After-show afterglows
But wait, there’s more! The day after the Global Concert, saxophonic supernova Isaiah Collier and a new iteration of his Chosen Few quartet nod to the centenary of John Coltrane. Across town, drummer/impresario Mike Reed stages a tribute of his own to the city’s avant-garde, delving into everything from AACM bassist Fred Hopkins’ oeuvre to music composed in Chicago between 1980 and 2010. “Isaiah Collier: In Tribute to the Classics of John Coltrane,” 7:30 p.m. May 1 at Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., tickets $12-$43 at chicagopresents.uchicago.edu. “Mike Reed’s Chicago Inspirations,” 8 p.m. May 1 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., tickets $39-$199 at cso.org.
Chicago on camera
When heading to some of the bigger Jazz Day venues, carve out a little extra time: Several events will feature a mobile retrospective of Chicago jazz photography, curated by photographer Michael Jackson. “Haunts & Heroes: The Legacy and Foundation of Chicago Jazz, A Photographic Tribute” at the Ravinia Festival on April 26; at the Logan Center for the Arts on April 27-29; at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave. on April 28; at Lyric Opera of Chicago on April 30; at Symphony Center on May 1-3, more at chicagojazzalliance.org.
Hannah Edgar is a freelance critic.
