Artists Spotlight for the 2026 Chicago Jazz Festival Friday September 4

JAY PRITZKER PAVILION

DEE ALEXANDER

7:45-9 p.m. - Robert Glasper

6:25-7:25 p.m. - Dr. Emma Dayhuff Innovations & Lineage: The Chicago Project featuring Dee Alexander, Corey Wilkes, Isaiah Collier, Michael King, and Jonathan Pinson

On her live 2025 debut album, Innovations & Lineage: The Chicago Project, bassist and composer Emma Dayhuff reflected on her time in Chicago with a cast of local notables. Today, in what will be both a continuation of her exploratory work on that album, with a sampling of her new studio album, Mountains, the Montana native will reunite with beloved singer Dee Alexander and the phenomenal young saxophone star Isaiah Collier in a band including celebrated trumpeter Corey Wilkes, pianist Paul Cornish and drummer Jonathan Pinson. Described by one critic as “a powerful, Charles Mingus-esque bassist with a thick, loping groove,” Dayhuff, now Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, will be joined on one tune by vocalist Aikenya Seymour.

5:05-6:05 p.m. - Luciano Antonio Quintet

Guitarist and singer Luciano Antonio, who owns the distinction of opening for three legends in his native Brazil – Caetano Veloso, Vinicius Cantuaria and Virginia Rodrigues  – has become a headliner with his own following since moving to Chicago. He first came here, commuting from Kansas City, to play in the popular Brazilian music group Chicago Samba. He has since recorded two albums of original material plus Live at the Jazz Showcase, on which he shows off his considerable range in moving from notes of plaintive simplicity to harmonies of great fullness and complexity. His band today will include Hana Fujisaki on piano, Marcel Bonfim on bass, Gerald Martinez on reeds, Chad McCullough on trumpet/flugelhorn, Matt Kowalski on trombone, Luiz Ewerling on drums and Heitor Garcia on percussion.

4-4:45 p.m. - The Jo Ann Daugherty Trio with special guest, Henry Johnson

Pianist Jo Ann Daugherty, a frequent performer at the festival, returns with her trio, including bassist Joshua Ramos and longtime drummer Ryan Bennett – plus standout guitar veteran and singer’s favorite Henry Johnson. Daugherty’s playing “has kick, bounce and a structural precision that recalls the nimble smarts of Cedar Walton” (DownBeat). One hopes that as an interpreter of songs by Abdullah Ibrahim she will pay tribute to the recently deceased South African legend.

VON FREEMAN PAVILION (NORTH PROMENADE)

3-3:45 p.m. - Scott Burns Quintet

If you judged an artist by the company he keeps, hard-hitting tenor saxophonist Scott Burns would score impressively high. His 2006 debut album Passages features an A-list rhythm section with Ron Perrillo, Dennis Carroll and George Fludas. On the acclaimed 2022 album, Tenor Time, he joins forces with the superb tenorists John Wojciechowski and Geof Bradfield. As fierce a swinger as Burns is, wrote one critic, “He is always melodic and telling a story.” Today, performing mostly originals, the Ohio native will lead a formidable quintet including trumpeter Eric Jacobson, pianist Ryan Cohan, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Neil Hemphill.

1:50-2:45 p.m. - Maison Electronique

The ever-inventive electric guitarist Nathaniel Braddock returns to the festival with an expansive, grooving trio that reflects the Chicagoan’s recent time living in the Congo and touring in Ghana and Togo. He established his interest in West African and Central African music as leader of the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, which featured musicians from Ghana – and drew upon the indie rock he grew up on, including the music of the Smiths and Sonic Youth. Maison Electronique, featuring Ugandan bassist Alex Donsal Kateregga and Italian-born drummer Giuseppe Paradiso, continues Braddock’s exploration of a particular kind of world music.

12:40-1:35 p.m. - Lily Finnegan's Heat On

When you’ve played with remarkable artists such as Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Dave Rempis, Katie Ernst and Ken Vandermark, your reputation precedes you in all CAPS. And that list doesn’t include the non-Chicago greats drummer Lily Finnegan has backed, including James Brandon Lewis, Fay Victor and Brandon Seabrook. But it’s as the leader of her own band, Heat On, that Finnegan gets to show off the full range of her creativity. Featuring the great saxophonist Edward Wilkerson Jr., first-rate reed player Fred Jackson Jr. and versatile bassist Nick Macri, the group pays the best kind of tribute to Chicago jazz – one that connects the dots from the AACM on the South Side to the Green Mill (or “Green Milk,” as one of her originals is titled) up north. In addition to tunes from her terrific debut album, Heat On, today’s set will feature compositions from her forthcoming effort, 150 Swirl.

11:30 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. - Stephen Parisi with Kabir Dalawari

Bassist Stephen Parisi and drummer Kabir Dalawari have created plenty of memorable moments together, both as a deep-diving acoustic duo and in larger settings including Buffalo native Parisi’s quintet (featured on his recent album Buddy!) and DePaul alum Dalawari’s sextet (featured on his album Last Call). The sextet drew comparisons to the Brian Blade Fellowship, high praise indeed. Today’s band will feature saxophonist Jordan Lerner, pianist Oliver Scott and guitarist Josh Achiron.

WDCB JAZZ LOUNGE

6:45-7:45 p.m. - Marlene Rosenberg Quartet

Nancy Wilson, Roy Hargrove, Stan Getz, Joe Williams, Frank Morgan, Christian McBride, Cedar Walton, Marian McPartland, Frank Wess – the list of greats with whom bassist Marlene Rosenberg has performed and/or recorded with goes on and on. The steadiest and most adaptable of accompanists, she has the skill to disappear into the music while leaving her melodic as well as rhythmic mark. In recent times, she has emerged as a leader on such albums as Dialogue and MLK Convergence. The letters on the latter effort stand for Marlene, drummer Louis (Nash) and pianist Kenny (Barron) while also evoking the legacy of Martin Luther King. Today, she’ll lead a quartet including trumpeter Dakarai Barclay, alto saxophonist Eli Sullivan, pianist Lara Driscoll and drummer Kyle Swan.

4:30-6:15 p.m. - Constantine Alexander Firetet

As you might guess from a band called Firetet, trumpeter and flugelhornist Constantine Alexander’s longstanding quintet – including tenor saxophonist Roy McGrath, pianist Julius Tucker, bassist Ben Dillinger and drummer Greg Essig – has energy to burn. Inspired by trumpeters including Clifford Brown, Nicholas Payton and Sean Jones, Alexander mixes hard bop burners inspired by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and reflective pieces. There’s a good chance the Firetet will add to the festival’s celebration of John Coltrane with “Deez,” their playful “contrafact” of his famous tune “Giant Steps.”

2:15-4 p.m. - Raíces Latin Jazz Quintet

Thriving on a pared-down, tuneful, lightly swinging approach, vibraphonist Joe Sonnefeldt’s hornless band recalls the popular sound of Cal Tjader’s sixties ensembles. The quintet features pianist Stuart Seale, bassist Eric Ferrer, drummer and timbales player Bobby Delgado and conguero Jorge Leal. It’s perfect afternoon music, filled with sunlight and welcoming shadows.

Noon - 1:45 p.m. - Chris Greene Quartet

Now on the roster of Chicago’s classy Pravda label – he was the first jazz artist it signed –saxophonist Chris Greene proudly represents Evanston, where he frequently performs at Space and contributes to his hometown in ways that go beyond music. In a remarkable streak, he has been leading his quartet – pianist Damian Espinosa, bassist Marc Piane and drummer Steve Corley – for more than 20 years. During that time, they have been named Best Jazz Ensemble in the Chicago Reader’s annual Best of Chicago poll three times. In their first appearance at the festival in a decade, the CGQ will draw from their deep body of work, including their excellent 2004 album Conversance. Expect smart originals and offbeat covers, with touches of funk, blues, Latin jazz and beyond.