The 12th Annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival will present three-dozen free performances and programs on 13 stages across the neighborhood on September 29th-30th.

The Festival will spotlight young Chicagoland artists such as Isaiah Collier, Jenna Przybysz, Lenard Simpson, the Kenwood Academy Jazz Band and many more. The Festival continues its partnership with the Logan Center for the Arts to support special projects, this year to include the Chicago premiere of Mike Reed’s The City Was Yellow: The Chicago Suite.

The project features Reed’s original arrangements of notable Chicago jazz composers such as Ari Brown, Ed Wilkerson, Fred Anderson and more created for a septet convened specifically for the Festival.

Performances will be presented at: the Smart Museum, Oriental Institute, Augustana Lutheran Church, Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts, Rockefeller Chapel, Little Black Pearl, Hyde Park Bank, Midway Plaisance (including outdoor dance floor), Hyde Park Union Church, and International House.

Ravi Coltrane will perform at the Rockefeller Chapel to close Saturday, September 29th

Festival program to celebrate the lives of Chicago pianists Willie Pickens, Muhal Richard Abrams and John Wright.

The second half of 2017 marked the passing of three great Chicago-born pianists, each of whom not only significantly impacted Chicago music (and well beyond) but who also made a distinctive and indelible mark on music education, artist organizing, and community building on the South Side. Chicago pianist Miguel de la Cerna will host “John “Poppy” Wright’s Pool Party Jam on Sunday, September 30th on the Wagner Stage on the Midway. The performance will include numerous venerable Chicago musicians in a rotating jam style session.

Critically acclaimed pianist Jason Moran will celebrate Willie Pickens and Muhal Richard Abrams in a special solo performance on Sunday, September 30th at the Logan Center. The performance is a special addition to the Festival program and requires a $15 ticket.

2018 Performance Line Up and Schedule

Featured performances include:

Dee Alexander who will present her new project: What Color is Love? The Music of Terry Collier with musicians Tomeka Reid (cello), Junius Paul (bass), Ernie Adams (drums), Scott Hesse (guitar)

A solo performance by critically acclaimed pianist Kris Davis in the Logan Center Penthouse Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom performs on the Midway with Myra Melford (piano), Jenny Scheinman (violin), Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Todd Sickafoose (bass),

The brilliant New Orleans trumpeter Christian Scott a Tunde Adjuahwill also perform

The rising star young pianist Christian Sands will perform with his Trio (personnel tba) and special guest saxophonist Marcus Strickland.

Chicago pianist and composer Ryan Cohan will present his most recent composition "Originations", scored for a chamber jazz ensemble: John Wojciechowski (clarinet, flutes, tenor saxophone); Geof Bradfield (bass clarinet, soprano saxophone); Tito Carrillo(trumpet, flugelhorn); James Cammack (bass); Michael Raynor (drums) with the Kaia String Quartet synthesizing Middle Eastern and other World music influences.

Multi-instrumentalist Ben LaMar Gay will present solo sets at the Oriental Institute.

The 2018 Hyde Park Jazz Festival will feature a very special performance with Ravi Coltrane at the Rockefeller Chapel to close Saturday, September 29th.

Harpist Brandee Younger will perform with Coltrane in addition to a bassist and percussionist (tba). The performance will feature compositions by Alice Coltrane. In addition to this performance, Younger will present a talk on Alice Coltrane’s work in the Logan Center Screening Room titled: Transcendence: A Glimpse into the Life and Legacy of Alice Coltrane. Younger will also lead her own Trio at the Hyde Park Union Church with bassist Rashaan Carterand flutist Anne Drummond.

2018 HYDE PARK JAZZ FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Wagner Stage, Midway:

1:30-2:30 Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few

3:45-4:45 Chicago Yestet

6:15-7:15 Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom

8:30-9:30 Christian Sands Trio with Marcus Strickland

West Stage:

2:30-3:30 Chicago State University Community Jazz Big Band

5:00-6:00 Majestic Gents & The NuBlu Band: Chicago Steppin’

7:15-8:15 Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

9:30-10:30 DJ Sadie Woods

Logan Center Performance Hall

5:30-6:30 Ryan Cohan’s Originations

7:30-8:30 Mike Reed’s The City Was Yellow: The Chicago Suite

9:30-10:30 Joan Collaso & The Larry Hanks Ensemble

Logan Center Penthouse

1:00-2:00 Ben Waltzer Trio

3:00-4:00 Mardra & Reggie Thomas Duo

5:00-6:00 Kris Davis (solo)

Logan Center Screening Room Talks

1:00-2:00 Brandee Younger: “Transcendence: A glimpse into the life and legacy

of Alice Coltrane”

3:00-4:00 Nate Chinen: “Playing Changes: A Conversation About Jazz in the

New Century”

Augustana Lutheran Church

3:00-4:00 Thaddeus Tukes & Alexis Lombré Duo

Smart Museum of Art

1:00-2:00 JoAnn Daugherty & Friends

2:30-3:30 Gustavo Cortiñas Quartet

International House

7:15-8:15 Maggie Brown’s Vision Ensemble

9:30-10:30 Miguel de la Cerna Quartet

Hyde Park Bank

4:00-5:00 Hannah Marks’s Heartland Trio

5:30-6:30 Lenard Simpson Trio

Oriental Institute

2:00-2:30 Ben LaMar Gay (solo)

3:00-3:30 Ben LaMar Gay (solo)

Little Black Pearl

3:00-4:00 Jenna Przybysz Quartet

4:30-5:30 Julius Tucker Trio

Hyde Park Union Church

2:30-3:30 Ernie Adams Trio

4:30-5:30 Brandee Younger Trio

Rockefeller Chapel

11:00-midnight Ravi Coltrane with Brandee Younger

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th

Rockefeller Chapel

1:00-2:00 Joey Brink (solo)

Wagner Stage

2:00-3:00 John “Poppy” Wright’s Pool Party Jam

4:00-5:00 Junius Paul Quartet

6:00-7:00 Dee Alexander Presents: What Color Is Love?

The Music of Terry Callier

West Stage

3:00-4:00 Kenwood Academy Jazz Band

5:00-6:00 Angel d’Cuba

Logan Center Performance Hall**

8:15-9:15 Jason Moran (solo) Tribute to Willie Pickens and

Muhal Richard Abrams

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