JAZZ PHOTOGRAPHY RECAP: International Jazz Day at the Lyric Opera House Part 1 by Alan Frohlichstein
- 6 hours ago
- 1 min read
April 30, 2026 - The International Jazz Day Global concert was led by Chicago native Herbie Hancock and co-artistic director Kurt Elling. The extraordinary event took place at the Lyric Opera House and was considered a "love letter" to the city.
The concert opened with Dee Dee Bridgewater and Gregory Porter dueting on "The In Crowd." Hancock took a seat at his Fazioli grand piano on stage and performed "Watermelon Man", with James Carter on sax, Mino Cinélu on percussion, Bobby Broom on guitar, Melissa Aldana on baritone sax, and drummer extraordinaire Terri Lyne Carrington.
Blues Legend Buddy Guy and Cristone "Kingfish" Ingram took to the stage with Guy's "Damn Right I got the Blues."
Other artists included Bela Fleck, Fia Ferreira, Robert Glasper, Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Antonio Sanchez, Tiger Okoshi, Dee Alexander, Ernest Dawkins, Lizz Wright, James Carter, the Uniting Voices choir, Helen Sung, Jacob Collier, Jahari Stampley, James Genus, John Beasley, Kurt Elling, Till Bronner, Marcus Miller and Marquis Hill.
Pope Leo also sent a special message and blessings to the city.
The 15th-anniversary concert was widely praised for celebrating Chicago's role as a jazz mecca, successfully blending local talent with international stars.
Visit AlanFrohlichstein.com for more information.
All photos by Alan Frohlichstein
