Chicago Jazz Festival 2009

Chicago Jazz Festival 2009

Date Posted: July 02 2009

Written By: Ruth Sze

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The 2009 Chicago Jazz Festival will happen once again this year in Grant Park September 4-6th. Once again this year the festival will have a combination of local Chicago jazz musicians as well as world re-known names. This is the largest jazz event of the year in Chicago with over 300,000 people anticipated to attend the three day festival. Once again Chicago Jazz Magazine will be publishing the official program and will have an expanded booth at the fest complete with live performances featuring members of ChicagoJazz.com.

Here is a complete schedule with information on each group performing at the fest. We hope to see you at the Chicago Jazz Magazine booth throughout the weekend and meet you live and in person. After all this is the best chance to see live jazz all in one place throughout the entire year.

Friday, September 4, 2009
Jazz on Jackson

12:00-12:55 p.m. - Ernie Adams Trio with special guest Richie Cole

Adams is a drummer and percussionist who played with many artists including The Al DiMeola Electric Band and Ramsey Lewis. He has performed in many jazz and funk concerts and is featured in more than 90 recordings.
Cole is recognized for his performances on his alto sax as a jazz/bebop artist and his development of The Alto Madness Orchestra. He arranges and composes for bands and Symphony Orchestras and has recorded over 50 albums. He has collaborated with the Manhattan Transfer, Bobby Enriquez, Freddy Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Boots Randolph, and Nancy Wilson and many more.
1:10-2:05 p.m.- Fareed Haque and the Flat Earth Ensemble

Haque was voted “Best World Guitarist” this year by Guitar Player magazine and has performed in many major guitar concertos. His performances with prominent jazz and classical artists include Paquito D'Rivera, Dave Holland, Sting, Joe Henderson, Joe Zawinul, Javon Jackson, Cassandra Wilson, Kurt Elling, Lester Bowie, Arturo Sandoval, Robert Walter, Karl Denson, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Kahil el Zabar, Defunckt, Ramsey Lewis, Nigel Kennedy, Edgar Meyer, Robert Conant, Stephen Stubbs, Frank Bungarten, members of the Vermeer Quartet and symphony orchestras in the country and abroad.

2:20-3:15 p.m. - Jason Adasiewicz’s Rolldown

Adasiewic is a jazz vibraphonist who performs with 20 bands including the Guillermo Gregorio Trio, Fred Lonberg-Holm’s Valentine Trio + 1, Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra, the Nicole Mitchell Quartet and Ken Vandermark’s Double Quartet.

3:30-4:30 p.m. - Esperanza Spalding

At the age of 24, Spalding has come a long way in her musical career. The bassist and vocalist has worked with many notable artists including pianist Michel Camilo, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Pat Metheny, singer Patti Austin and saxophonists Donald Harrison and Joe Lovano. After graduating from the Berkelee College of Music, she had the opportunity to work as an instructor at the institution.

Jazz & Heritage Stage
12:30-1:30 p.m. - Dudley Owens Quintet
Owens is a saxophonist who has performed with Bunky Green John Faddis, Slide Hampton, Antonio Hart, Donald Harrison, Conrad Herwig, Robein Eubanks, Marvin Samm, Orbert Davis, Ed. Peterson, Willie Picketsn, Smokie Norful, Steve Turre, The Dells and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. He has studied with Ronald Carter, Ari Brown, Dr. Andy Goodrich, Steve Duke, Bunky Green, Charles McPherson, Jon Faddis, Orbert Davis, Donald Harrison and James Carter.

2:00-3:00 p.m. - Diane Delin Quintet
Delin is a jazz violinist and composer based in Chicago. She was booked in Carnegie Hall in 2007, toured the Frank Sinatra opera for four years, and has played for (then senator) Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. She has performed in the various locations such as the Chicago Jazz Festival, New Orlean’s Snug Harbor, Kingston New York Jazz Festival and the Sunset-Sunside in Paris.
3:30-4:30 p.m. - Bob Seeley and Bob Baldori
The piano duo has wowed their audiences with their dynamic performances and improvisations that display their talents. Seeley is a boogie woogie pianist who has been influenced by his good friend and a prominent figure in boogie woogie, Meade Lux Lewis. He has performed several times in Carnegie Hall and major places in Europe. Baldori has played the piano and harmonica with many blues and rock legends and has produced more than 200 albums.

Petrillo Music Shell

5:00-5:50 p.m. - Jeff Parker Quartet

Parker is a guitarist and composer who has played with Tortoise, Chicago Underground, Isotope 217º, New Horizons Ensemble, A Cushicle, SpliceCat, Moment Of Inertia, TriColor, Brian Blade Fellowship, Powerhouse Sound, Fred Anderson Quartet and the Joshua Redman Elastic Band.
6:00-6:55 p.m. - The Trio featuring Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell
Abrams is a pianist and composer who co-founded The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and founded the AACM School of Music. Abrams has written arrangements for Fleming's Jazz Orchestra, played in Walter Perkins' group MJT + 3 (Modern Jazz Two Plus Three) and accompanied performers such as Kenny Durham, Art Farmer, Hank Mobley, Ray Nance, Max Roach and Sonny Stitt.
As a composer, performer, an improviser and interpreter, Lewis has worked with film/video artists Stan Douglas and Don Ritter and many contemporary musicians. His work is present in over 90 recordings.
Mitchell is an improviser, a composer, solo performer and a founding member of the Creative Arts Collective of East Lansing, Michigan, the AACM and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. He has received many awards including the Outstanding Service to Jazz Education Award from the National Association of Jazz Educators, the Jazz Masters Award from Arts Midwest and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Image Award.

7:10-8:10 p.m. - Madeleine Peyroux
Peyroux’s debut album “Dreamland” introduced her to the world and showered her with great reviews and comparisons to Billie Holiday. As a vocalist, composer and guitarist, she has opened for artists such as Sarah McLachlan and Cesária Évora.

8:30-9:30 p.m. - Gonzalo Rubalcaba
As a pianist, Rubalcaba creates fresh and exciting sounds as he blends together Cuban and American jazz. He has won a Latin Grammy for Jazz Album of the Year for “Supernova” and a Grammy for Best Jazz Latin Album for his co-production with Charlie Haden of “Nocturne.”

Saturday, September 5, 2009
Jazz on Jackson
12:00-12:55 p.m. - Greg Ward’s Fitted Shards

Ward is a saxophonist who has performed with prominent musicians such as Von Freeman, Frank Wess, Al Jarreau, Carl Allen, Rufus Reid, Jeff Parker, Brian McKnight and Hamid Drake. He has toured across the world in countries such as Peru, Singapore, Guam, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, France and South Africa.


1:10-2:10 p.m. - Dan Cray Trio with special guest Geof Bradfield

The Trio has been celebrated for its collaborative effort and its works have been featured in the T.V. show “Gossip Girl” and the film “The Merry Gentlemen.” Their studio CDs “No One” and “Save Us” were on the National and College Jazz Charts for over ten weeks.
Bradfield performs with Ted Sirota’s Rebel Souls, Ryan Cohan Quartet, Mike Allemana Quartet, Dan Cray and his own groups. He performs locally and tours across North America and Europe.
2:20–3:15 p.m. - Nicole Mitchell Black Earth Strings
Mitchell is a flutist, composer, bandleader and founder of the Black Earth Ensemble and Black Earth Strings. Mitchell was named "Jazz Flutist of the Year 2008" by the Jazz Journalist Association and also named “Chicagoan of the Year 2006” by the Chicago Tribune.
3:30-4:30 p.m. - Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble
The Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble blends Afro-Cuban Jazz, Brazilian, and Jazz Fusion with Flamenco, Central American and Peruvian folk rhythms. They are dedicated to preserving Latin music yet also believes in the evolution of music. The members of the band have performed alongside legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, TitoPuente, Celia Cruz, Chick Corea, The Temptations, PaquitoD’Rivera and Danilo Pere.


Jazz & Heritage Stage

12:30-1:30 p.m. - Red Rose Ragtime Jazz Band

The Red Rose Ragtime Jazz Band was formed in the early 1980's in the Chicago area, playing pieces that reflect early jazz. They play compositions by Jelly Roll Morton, Tiny Parham, Benny Moten, King Oliver, Scott Joplin, James Scott, Joe Jordan, May Aufderheide and others.

2:00-3:00 p.m. - “Art of the Solo” with William Parker

Parker is an improviser and composer who is also skilled at playing bass, shakuhachi, double reeds, tuba, donso ngoni and gembri. He entered the music scene in 1971 and has played with Bill Dixon, Sunny Murray, Charles Tyler, Billy Higgins, Charles Brackeem, Alan Silva, Frank Wright, Frank Lowe, Rashid Ali, Donald Ayler, Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor and Jimmy Lyons.

3:30-4:30 p.m. -A Tribute to Benny Goodman featuring Eric Schneider
Eric Schneider was born and raised in the Chicago area. After graduating from the University of Illinois and four years of extensive touring with Earl Fatha' Hines and two years with Count Basie and his Orchestra (recording with both), Eric returned to Chicago and embarked on a richly diverse career that blends studio work, concert performances and jazz festivals, both in and out of town. He's in constant demand on clarinet and saxophone by small groups and big bands that need a soloist who possesses both erudition and passion. Along the way he's worked with the who's who of jazz. He walks in the footsteps of the giants while expressing a vision that is entirely his own.

Petrillo Music Shell

5:00-5:50 p.m. - 80th-Birthday Jam with Fred Anderson

Anderson is a veteran jazz tenor saxophone player and a co-founder of the AACM. In the late ‘70s, Anderson ran his first club the Birdhouse, named for Charlie Parker, who greatly influenced him as a saxophonist.

6:00-6:55 p.m. - Amina Figarova Sextet
A composer and pianist from Europe, Figarova and her group have performed at many jazz festivals and clubs and have held concerts in Israel, Europe, United Arabs Emirates, Mexico, U.S., Azerbaijan and many others.
7:10-8:10 p.m. - William Parker presents “The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield”
(See above for info on William Parker)

8:30-9:30 p.m. - Dave Holland Big Band

Holland is a bassist, composer, arranger and bandleader of Dave Holland Quintet and the Dave Holland Big Band. He has collaborated with the ScoLoHoFo quartet and the Herbie Hancock-piloted quartet including Wayne Shorter and Brian Blade.



Sunday, September 6, 2009
Jazz on Jackson
12:00-12:55 p.m. - Mike Allemana’s Come Sunday

Guitarist Allemana has played with saxophonist Von Freeman since 1997. He has also played with Charles Earland, Lonnie Smith, Ron Dewar, Lin Halliday, Mickey Roker, Jimmy Cobb, Sergio Assad, Dennis Carroll, George Fludas, Pete Benson, Perry Wilson, Pat Malinger, Robert Berry, Jon Logan, Chris Foreman, Hinda Hoffman and Kimberly Gordon.

1:10-2:10 p.m. - Solo Piano featuring Ben Paterson and Yoko Noge

Ben Paterson is a pianist/organist who has worked with established musicians such as Von Freeman, Corey Wilkes, Guy King, Eldee Young, George Freeman, Ernest Dawkins, Dave Specter, Isaiah Spencer, Elaine Dame, John Burnett, Dennis Winslett, The Nia Quintet, John Bany and many more.


Yoko Noge is a pianist, singer, and leader of the band Jazz Me Blues. Noge blends African-rooted music and the music of Japan in her compositions.


2:20-3:15 p.m. - James Falzone’s KLANG: The Goodman Project

Composer and clarinetist Falzone has performed in concert halls and jazz clubs throughout the country and abroad with his own Allos Musica Projects. He has also collaborated with a wide range of artists such as Steve Lacy, Richard Stoltzman, Jorrit Dijkstra, Theodore Bikel, Joe Maneri, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Ran Blake and many others.

3:30-4:30 p.m. - “New Apartment Jam” with Von Freeman

Von Freeman is a jazz tenor saxophonist who worked with the Horace Henderson Group during the late ‘40s and Sun Ra's band in the early ‘50s. He played with many of the top jazz musicians including Charlie Parker and has influenced many musicians.

Jazz & Heritage Stage

12:30-1:30 p.m. - Kevin Nabors Quintet

Nabors has studied under Von Freeman, Ernie Watts, Jimmy Health, Pharez Whitted, Ernest Dawkins, Ari Brown and Roxanne Stevenson. Nabors has also performed and done theatre work in many festivals.

2:00-3:00 p.m. - “Percussion Discussion” with Art Burton

Burton is a percussionist and has played the bongo and congo drums for over 30 years. He has been a member of the AACM since 1973 and has performed with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Muhal Richard Abrams, Chico Freeman, Amina Claudine Myers and Lester Bowie.

3:30-4:30 p.m. - Kelly Brand Quintet
The Kelly Brand Quintet is composed of some very creative and symbiotic players; Art Davis, Geof Bradfield, Jon Deitemyer, Kelly Sill and Kelly Brand. They will be performing songs from their recent release The Door as well as some songs by Wayne Shorter and Eddie Harris. Over the years Brand has performed on the festival a number of times, including the very first festival 31 years ago with Roy Eldridge and Barret Deems.

Petrillo Music Shell

5:00-5:50 p.m. - Archie Shepp Quartet featuring Willie Pickens, Avery Sharpe and Ronnie Burrage

Shepp has been in the jazz scene since the early ‘60s and continues to sing and play tenor saxophone and piano around the world. He has collaborated with Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef and many other jazz musicians.
Pickens has played with James Moody, Roy Eldridge, Max Roach and has accompanied many soloists. He has led countless groups and made many appearances at the Chicago Jazz Festival.

Sharpe is a bassist who has played in McCoy Tyner's trio since the ‘80s. He has performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Pat Metheny.

Burrage’s style is a mix of hard bop and bebop with the backbeats of funk, soul and R&B. He accompanied Arthur Blythe, Jackie McLean, Andrew Hill and McCoy Tyner during visits to St. Louis while working with the St. Louis Metropolitan Jazz Quintet in the early ‘80s.

6:00-6:55 p.m. - A Tribute to Art Tatum featuring Buddy DeFranco and Johnny O’Neal

Buddy DeFranco won 20 Downbeat Magazine Awards, nine Metronome Magazine Awards, and 16 Playboy All-Stars Awards as the number one jazz clarinetist in the world. He has appeared in Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia Park with Tony Bennett, Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas and many festivals.

Johnny O’Neal played the pianist Art Tatum in the 2004 film “Ray,” and his performance of “Yesterdays” made it to screen. He is a largely self-taught artist who never fails to entertain his audience with his soulful voice.

7:10-8:10 p.m. - Dee Alexander

Alexander is a vocalist and songwriter from Chicago. Her music spans from Gospel to R&B and from Blues to Neo-Soul. Alexander has performed alongside David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, Gerald Albright, Roy Ayers, Joshua Redman and the O’Jays.

8:30-9:30 p.m. - The Arthur Hoyle Orchestra conducted by Muhal Richard Abrams
(See above for info on Muhal Richard Abrams)

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