The UIC Jazz Fest will continue its annual tradition of hosting masterclasses and clinics with world renowned Jazz masters through a new online format.
This year’s Jazz Fest will host four special guest artists including trombonist Michael Dease, guitarist Dave Stryker, trumpeter Marquis Hill, and vocalist Kurt Elling.
Students will also have an opportunity to learn from UIC jazz faculty through virtual clinics spanning various topics. UIC faculty clinic dates coming soon.
The UIC Jazz Fest is Free and open to the public.
Masterclass with Marquis Hill
Monday, March 8 at 12:00pm CT
FREE admission
From his beginnings as one of Chicago’s most thrilling young trumpeters, to his current status as an internationally renowned musician, composer and bandleader, Marquis Hill has worked tirelessly to break down the barriers that divide musical genres. Contemporary and classic jazz, hip-hop, R&B, Chicago house, neo-soul—to Hill, they’re all essential elements of the profound African-American creative heritage he’s a part of. “It all comes from the same tree,” he says. “They simply blossomed from different branches.”
Masterclass with Michael Dease
Monday, March 15 at 12:00pm CT
FREE admission
Michael Dease is one of the world's eminent trombonists, lending his versatile sound and signature improvisations to over 200 recordings and groups as diverse as Grammy winning artists David Sanborn, Christian Mcbride, Michel Camilo, and Alicia Keys. Born in Augusta, Ga, he played the saxophone and trumpet before choosing the trombone at age 17. In 2001, Dease moved to New York city to become part of the historic first class of jazz students at the Juilliard school, earning both bachelors and masters degrees, and quickly established a reputation as a brilliant soloist, sideperson, and bandleader.
Masterclass with Dave Stryker
Friday, April 2 at 12:00pm CT
FREE admission
Whether you’ve heard guitarist Dave Stryker leading his own group (with 30 CD’s as a leader to date), or as a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and many others, you know why the Village Voice calls him “one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years.”
Hot House magazine awarded him Best Guitarist Fans Decision for 2017. He was recently voted once again as one of the top Jazz Guitarists in the 2019 Downbeat Critics and Readers Polls for the 10th time.
Masterclass with Kurt Elling Friday, April 9 at 12:00pm CT FREE admission Renowned for his singular combination of robust swing and poetic insight, GRAMMY winner Kurt Elling has secured his place among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. Declared “the standout male vocalist of our time” by The New York Times, Elling has garnered unprecedented accolades, including a fourteen-year run atop the DownBeat Critics Poll, over a dozen GRAMMY nominations, and eleven Jazz Journalists Association awards for “Male Singer of the Year.”
Elling’s voice is instantly recognizable, embracing listeners with his warm, rich baritone and navigating the full span of his four-octave range as a virtuoso instrumentalist and a compelling storyteller. Whether transforming timeless standards or crafting his own enthralling originals, Elling balances elegant lyricism and technical mastery with wry humor, emotional depth, and keen observations into the human condition.
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