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Symphony Center Presents Jazz Series
Symphony Center Presents Jazz Series
Date Posted: November 02 2011
Written By: Chicago Jazz
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The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association’s Symphony Center Presents Jazz series boasts one of the most comprehensive, innovative, and widely heralded jazz series in the country. The complete lineup for the 2011/12 Symphony Center Presents Jazz season includes living legends and today’s top talent presented on 10 Friday nights at 8 p.m. from October through June. The Jazz series also heavily focuses on piano throughout the season, in anticipation of the Keys to the City Piano Festival in May and June 2012. This season-ending celebration of the keyboard spotlights the piano in a variety of repertoire from classical to jazz and features concerts, symposia, and more.
The series kicked off on Friday, October 21 with the trio of Keith Jarrett on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums.
On Friday, November 11, jazz guitar innovator and composer John Scofield performs his signature fusion of jazz, funk, and R&B joined by pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Greg Hutcherson. Scofield, who gained prominence as a guitarist and composer during his time with Miles Davis from 1982–1985, is an acclaimed leader and collaborator with some of today’s top artists, including Charlie Haden, Mavis Staples, and Jack DeJohnette. Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, son of the legendary John Coltrane, makes his debut as a leader of his own quartet at Symphony Center. Coltrane is a versatile artist whose musical interests include everything from straight-up jazz to experimental hip-hop and electronic music. His most recent album as a leader was 2009’s Blending Times.
Percussion legend Roy Haynes, who recently turned 86, brings his Fountain of Youth Band— Jaleel Shaw (tenor saxophone), Martin Bejerano (piano), and David Wong (bass)—to Symphony Center with special guest Roy Hargrove on trumpet on Friday, December 9. One of the most recorded drummers of all time, Haynes is known for his exuberant drumming style, which has earned him the nickname ?Snap Crackle.? He has collaborated with some of the world’s greatest jazz musicians, including Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, and John Coltrane. An eclectic and versatile trumpeter, Hargrove has won two Grammy Awards in two different genres and is known for his innovative explorations in jazz, funk, soul, R&B, and hip-hop. Opening the program is pianist Reginald Robinson, a Chicago native who was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow (popularly known as the “genius grant”) in 2004. Robinson brings his contemporary spin on the classic ragtime genre for his debut appearance on the Symphony Center Presents Jazz series.
On Friday, January 13, acclaimed vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater pays tribute to Billie Holiday with a set drawn from her latest album, Eleanora Fagan (1915–1959): To Billie with Love from Dee Dee, which just won this year’s Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. The versatile Bridgewater, who won a Tony Award for her performance as Glinda in The Wiz and hosts NPR’s weekly radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, brings her signature blend of artistry and theatricality to this special performance that celebrates the life and music of one jazz’s most iconic figures. The Russell Malone Trio, featuring the versatile guitar of Russell Malone, opens the concert with a set showcasing their recent release, Triple Play.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Trey McIntyre Project appear together on Friday, February 17, for Ma Maison, a unique music-and-dance collaboration celebrating the music and spirit of New Orleans. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, formed in 1961 and known for their traditional take on the New Orleans sounds, has in recent years embarked on a series of collaborations with diverse artists, including the rock band My Morning Jacket. The Trey McIntyre Project, the Idaho-based groundbreaking contemporary ballet company, is known for their use of diverse musical genres—rock, jazz, classical, and bluegrass—to highlight the distinctive, athletic choreography of founder Trey McIntyre. Ma Maison fuses music and dance to create an unforgettable portrait of New Orleans encompassing both the festive and the macabre.
After a stellar performance with Allen Toussaint in January of 2011, trumpeter Nicholas Payton returns to Symphony Center on Friday, March 9 with his Television Studio Orchestra. This newly formed big band plays Payton’s own compositions, inspired by contemporary hip-hop and the classic and historic sound of his hometown of New Orleans. Payton has been building a reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in jazz since his time touring with the All Star Brass Band at age 12 to this latest exciting project that showcases his depth and versatility as a musician, leader, and composer.
On Friday, April 13, pianist Brad Mehldau and saxophonist Joshua Redman, two of jazz’s hottest young stars, join forces for an evening of unparalleled music making as a duo. Mehldau—acclaimed for his work as a soloist and in trios, as well as in collaboration with diverse artists such as Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, and John Scofield—is hailed for his adventurous musicality and stunning improvisational skills. Since 1991, Redman has been dazzling audiences and critics alike with his versatility and creativity. The winner of two Grammy Awards, he is a frequent collaborator with all of today’s major jazz artists.
After a sold-out performance in the 2010/11 season, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis returns to Symphony Center for a special three- concert residency, starting with their Jazz series appearance on Friday, April 27. Led by master trumpeter and artistic director Marsalis, this ensemble keeps the big-band tradition alive, playing both unheralded works from jazz’s golden age and new compositions by its members and other top contemporary composers. Following this Friday concert, on Saturday, April 28, they perform a matinee Jazz for Young People concert and an additional Saturday evening performance as part of the SCP Special Concert series.
Part of the season-ending Keys to the City Piano Festival, Danilo Pérez, Bill Charlap, and Renee Rosnes lead a Jazz Piano Showcase on Friday, May 25. The piano’s versatility has allowed it to play a leading role in the development of jazz. This exploration of jazz’s stylistic spectrum features a variety of today’s best keyboardists. The versatile Pérez, known for his distinctive style that contains influences from folk and world music, headlines with a set dedicated to the music of Theolonius Monk. On the second half of the program, Charlap and Rosnes—one of jazz’s premier couples—team up to showcase collaborative piano works as featured on their 2010 album, Double Portrait, which features selections from the classic American songbook and lesser-known jazz standards arranged for piano duet. ·
The 2011/12 series concludes on Friday, June 1 with A Tribute to Fats Waller featuring pianist Jason Moran. Moran—a 2010 MacArthur Foundation Fellow—conceived this tribute concert not only to examine the legacy of the stride piano tradition for which Waller was a seminal figure, but also to demonstrate how Waller’s influence continues to resonate today. Moran re-envisions Waller’s historic music—including such classics as “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” and “Stormy Weather” into a contemporary celebration.
Subscription Information
For more information, please call CSO ticketing services at (312) 294-3000 or (800) 223-7114, Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm; or visit the CSO’s website at cso.org. Groups of 10 or more who are interested in subscribing to the 2011/12 season should call Symphony Center’s Group Sales Department at (312) 294-3040. Symphony Center is located at 220 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago.
nCJM
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