Chicago Jazz Magazine's January/February 2008

Jazz 'N' U Corner

Date Posted: January 01 2008

Written By: Marsha Noble

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The sounds and quality of Chicago jazz continue to grow, and it's at the top of its game as various jazz artists come out to play at CheckerJazz. That's the weekly presentation of the Hyde Park Jazz Society on Sunday nights at the New Checkerboard Lounge, 5201 S. Harper Court, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

For more than a year, Chicago-area jazz patrons have come out to hear great jazz on Sunday evenings and have not yet been disappointed. The Hyde Park Jazz Society invites Chicago's best jazz artists to bring their classic jazz sound to this quaint and classy place in Hyde Park. And the most recent Sunday I attended was no different.

Headlining the evening's jazz cuisine was drummer Ernie Adams, guitarist (and a good friend of mine) Henry Johnson, keyboardist Charlie Johnson and bassist Eric Hochberg. Just the names of these guys promised a jazzy-good evening. After mixing and connecting with various jazz cronies in the house, I chose a good seat up front and sat down to prepare for this promising performance. Although I had heard Ernie and Henry in other jazz settings, I had never heard them as a band. What I heard when theses guys came together emphasized that jazz is definitely not dead-particularly in Chicago.

They opened with the jazz standard, "Caravan," composed by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, and Juan Tizol. This captured the audience's attention immediately and was by all means a great choice. The exceptional style of each musician made the tune even more appealing, adding a kick to it that was unlike any other.

To sum it up, in a word or two, it was simply amazing. The style these guys have together made "Caravan" sound unique but with a ring of familiarity. "Caravan" was followed by a Horace Silver tune, called "Peace." Once again, the band made a wise choice as it too was a crowd pleaser. We were all clapping quite vigorously by the end of this song. No one wanted either of these songs to end but we were equally satiated by the onset of the next one.

This please went on for the entire evening. Song after song was delivered with such an impressionable dexterity, individual finesse and a one-ness of tonality. I found myself immensely pleased as each artist rendered his solo performance in a way that mesmerized the audience. We lost ourselves in the love for the music they played. They did not try to upstage each other, they just jammed.

Each time one of the players took a solo, the time became theirs, and they embraced it, nurtured and owned it. They left no note wanting. The room had begun to fill up and by this time, the band had lost themselves to each other and the awesome sound of music they made-called jazz.

The harmony, unity and togetherness of this incredible four, made this evening a spectacular night to remember. Their captivating performance had a lot to do with the excellent choice of music. Ernie confessed, during one of his conversational moments between songs, his appreciation of playing before a jazz-educated audience familiar with the music.

He joked that they were playing many of the songs together for the first time and that he and was as pleased as we were that they were a hit. It was unbelievable how they could come together, get on one accord and jam like that without a rehearsal.

It was another reminder that when we love what we do, we do it with everything we've got. These fellas were an awesome team together and they knew it. Later, at the first note of "Black Orpheus," you could see that we were puzzled, because it sounded familiar but their spin on it was clearly unusual. Unparalleled in every way, each chord was incomparable in style and sound. It was without a doubt, the best rendition I've ever heard. And once again, they enthralled the jazz audience and captivated us all.

The night was young and yet, Ernie, Henry, Charlie and Eric made it clear they were not finished with us and by the time they performed their final tune, "Freedom Jazz Dance," by Chicago's Eddie Harris, we were totally satisfied and content with the jazz meal that we had been served. This performance was full of creative innovation and had the makings and markings of greatness.

So hats off to the Fantastic Four for their awesome celebration of jazz music at CheckerJazz. What a night to remember! I can only hope for more of them sometime soon. It will be worth it. I don't expect anyone to duplicate that evening because it is common jazz knowledge that no two performances are ever the same. Thanks for the memories.

If you see the names of Ernie Adams, Henry Johnson, Charlie Johnson and Eric Hochberg on a bill, flyer or ticket, get it and check 'em out. It will be a night to remember.

CheckerJazz is presented each Sunday evening from 7:30 to 11 pm at the smoke-free, New Checkerboard Lounge, 5201 S. Harper Court, in Chicago. Admission is $10, or $5 with a student ID. For more view the website at checkerjazz.org. You may also learn more about the Hyde Park Jazz Society at www.hydeparkjazzsociety.org.

For the best in jazz music, listen to the Jaz'n' U Corner with Marsha Noble, the Jazz Pacemaker, on WSSD 88.1 FM, every Saturday from 7 am until 1 pm, and is also "streaming" on the Internet. Send your jazz information to www.Chicagojazznu.com, or jaznu.com or jazzol.com. for more information about Noble Productions and their jazz scholarship cruise, Soul on the Sea, to Cozumel, Mexico.

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