2017 is the 100th birthday of Jazz icons Ella Fitzgerald and Thelonious Monk, and Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP) is celebrating in style! The CJP Chamber Ensemble debuts new arrangements in a one-night only centennial concert, featuring Chicago songstress Tammy McCann and pianist Leandro Lopez Varady at Governors State University’s Center for Performing Arts on April 29 at 8 p.m.
“Chicago Jazz Philharmonic has been recognized with the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions and this honor is well deserved. We are honored and thrilled to welcome back the Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic to our campus for the third time with a unique program that celebrates the legendary First Lady of Song Ella Jane Fitzgerald and the giant of jazz Thelonious Monk,” says Lana Rogachevskaya, Executive Director of the Center.
This is the first time vocalist Tammy McCann has performed with Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. Tammy brings her unique blend of classical vocal technique and gospel aesthetic to create a powerful, sultry, and emotionally charged jazz sound that is completely her own. She has been celebrated for delivering the “Best Jazz Vocal Performance” for several years by the Chicago Tribune, whose Arts Critic Howard Reich applauds her as “a voice that soars in all registers, at all tempos, on all occasions…a voice that inspires wonder!”
Southland residents will also meet Argentinean born Leandro Lopez Varady, who has been active in the Chicago music scene, regularly performing in the Green Mill, Harris Theater at Millennium Park, Auditorium Theater at Roosevelt University, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Taste of Chicago, South Shore Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and many more.
This event is the closing night of the Chicago Southland’s “Let Them Eat Jazz” festival. The festival showcases 100 years (1917 – 2017) of flavor in music and food, and the jazz masters who had the recipe for success! The festival is presented by the Southland Arts, Municipalities, and Business Alliance (S.A.M.B.A.), a regional collaboration of arts and businesses, and has been designed to showcase the power of the arts to drive people to the Southland region. For a complete schedule of events visit CSJazzfestival.org. The festival is supported by BMO Harris Bank, Standard Bank & Trust, and Providence Bank.
For Tickets and Information
Tickets: $38/$28/$23 for Seniors, and $10 for Students
Online: CenterTickets.net
Parking is free.
About Center for Performing Arts
The Center for Performing Arts welcomes over 60,000 people annually, offering quality cultural and arts education experiences, including comedy, dance, theatre opera, family programs and concerts. The Center is located on the vibrant Governors State University campus where the arts are not an afterthought, but an intentional part of campus life. At GSU, we believe that an education and a community infused with the arts are better places to live, learn, work and play. The campus also offers free Visual Arts exhibitions for the community and year-round access to The Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, a contemporary collection of sculpture showcasing the intersection of art and nature with 29 master works in the permanent collection.