WORLD CLASS JAZZ

WORLD CLASS JAZZ

Date Posted: May 08 2008

Written By: Chicago Jazz

Bookmark it!

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Millennium Park and the Jazz Institute of Chicago present the savory sounds of Chicago jazz during six free concerts at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion this summer. Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz highlights jazz from Chicago, Central America, the Middle East and beyond. For more information, call 312.742.1168 or visit www.millenniumpark.org.

Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz takes place July 24 through August 25, 2008. The sixth concert, on Monday, August 25, kicks off "Jazz Week," culminating with the Chicago Jazz Festival, August 28-31. "We are proud to be working with so many talented Chicago jazz artists, giving them the opportunity to cultivate their work and present it on such a grand platform here in Millennium Park," said Michael Orlove, Senior Program Director at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz is supported by the Chicago Jazz Partnership: The Boeing Company, Kraft Foods, The Chicago Community Trust, The Joyce Foundation. United Airlines is the Official Airline and The Fairmont Chicago is the Official Hotel for Made in Chicago.

Every Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz concert kicks off with young, aspiring musicians from Chicago-area high schools as part of the Jazz Institute of Chicago's Jazz Links Student Ensembles. Groups like the After School Matters Jazz Band improvise and show off their chops before the pros take the stage.

Concert Schedule

50 years of Bossa Nova featuring Paulinho Garcia's Orquestra Brazzilli
Thursday, July 24, 6:30 pm
Paulinho Garcia, Grazyna Auguscik, João Donato, Jim Gailloreto

Celebrate the music of Brazil and 50 years of the Bossa Nova. This marriage of subtle Brazilian rhythms and American bebop jazz inspired the famous song "Girl from Ipanema" by StanGetz and Joao Gillberto. By blending jazz sensibilities with his native roots, Brazilian-born Chicago guitarist and singer Paulinho Garcia takes us on a journey to discover how the Bossa Nova came to be. Accompanied by the warm, pristine vocals of Grazyna Auguscik and a star-studded cast of Chicago musicians including Greg Fishman (saxophone), Jim Gailloreto and The Hawk String Quartet, this innovative ensemble is joined by special guests, Julien Labro (accordion) and bossa nova master musician João Donato (piano).

Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble
Thursday, July 31, 6:30 pm
Inspired by Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra, the fifteen-piece Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble continues its multinational quest of incorporating Afro-Cuban jazz, Brazilian jazz, flamenco, Central American and Peruvian folkloric rhythms into their compositions while staying true to Latin jazz traditions. Founded by Mexican-born trumpeter/composer, Victor Garcia and Nicaraguan-born pianist/composer, Darwin Alejandro Noguera, tonight's concert features Chicago's finest Latin jazz performers, with guests Steve Turre (trombone, shells); Paoli Mejias (percussion); Howard Levy (piano/harmonica) and Brian Lynch (trumpet).

Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers Large Ensemble
Thursday, August 7, 6:30 pm
Chicago-born, Iraqi-American trumpeter and vocalist Amir ElSaffar (pictured) fuses traditional Iraqi Maqam music with modern jazz in a new work written for a 16-piece ensemble of Arabic and Western instrumentation. In this concert, ElSaffar contrasts the Iraqi modalities with the heavy grooves and free textures of jazz, while still maintaining the feeling of the blues. The ensemble includes Chicagoans Jeff Parker (guitar); Rudresh Mahanthappa (alto saxophone); and Zafer Tawil (‘ud, violin, percussion) as well as Amir ElSaffar (trumpet, santoor, vocal); Tareq Abboushi (buzuq); Kinan Abou Afach (cello, ‘ud); Jason Adacewicz (vibes); Jeb Bishop (trombone); Geof Bradfield (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet); Carlo DeRosa (bass); Dena ElSaffar (violin, viola, jowza); Naeif Rafah (nay); Dave Rempis (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet); Nasheet Waits (drums); Wanees Zarour (buzuq, violin, riqq), and more.

Kelan Phil Cohran and The Legacy of Sun Ra
Thursday, August 14, 6:30 pm

Composer, pianist and poet Sun Ra's cosmic philosophy, rooted in the swing music of Fletcher Henderson led many to experiment with connecting new and old jazz traditions. Former Sun Ra band member, trumpeter, educator, composer and fellow shaman Kelan Phil Cohran (pictured) continues to redefine this music. Cohran's ensemble of instrumentalists, vocalists and dancers join his sons' Hypnotic Brass Ensemble to celebrate the revolutionary tradition of Chicago's creative music. Robert Irving III directs and performs on piano.

Celebrating Nat King Cole
Thursday, August 21, 6:30 pm

Freddy Cole
Audrey Morris
Jeff Lindberg

Chicagoan Nat King Cole came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist, then switched to singing, becoming one of the most popular and best-known vocalists of all time. Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra with Chicago chanteuse Audrey Morris along with Nat's brother Freddy Cole – whose suave, elegant, and articulate vocals are among the most respected in jazz – pay tribute to the dancing fingers and velvet voice that wooed millions of listeners all over the world.

Mike Reed's People Places and Things Octet
Monday, August 25, 6:30 pm
Drummer Mike Reed's People, Places and Things Quartet expands to feature three legendary Chicago jazz figures from the 50s and 60s: Art Hoyle (trumpet), Ira Sullivan (multi-instrumentalist), and Julian Priester (trombone), performing new music as well as re-inventions of the music they performed decades ago. Rounding out the octet will be Chicago musicians Greg Ward (saxophone), Tim Haldeman (saxophone), Jason Roebke (bass) and Jeb Bishop (trombone).

ABOUT MILLENNIUM PARK
Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the east, Columbus Drive to the west, Randolph Street to the north and Monroe Street to the south. Convenient parking is located in the Millennium Park Garage (entrance on Columbus at Monroe or Randolph) and at the Grant Park North and East Monroe Garages, all located within a short walking distance to Millennium Park.

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists and designers. Among Millennium Park's prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Gustafson Guthrie Nichols, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture. Since its opening in July 2004, Millennium Park has hosted more than 12 million people, making it one of the most popular destinations in Chicago.

Don't miss anymore Chicago Jazz Information.
Subscribe to Chicago Jazz magazine / Get A Free CD.
Subscribe to our Chicago Jazz weekly newsletter.