Chicago Jazz Festival

[blake]

...just got a note that the afterfest sessions at the Velvet will be Fred Anderson, Kidd Jordan, Harrison Bankhead and Isaiah Spencer + special guests.

\

.....and on the 30th (Saturday night), the special guest will be Henry Grimes....!!!

That Saturday show just keeps getting better and better... I'm there!

[Larry Kart]

Howard Reich's annual pissy think piece about the Chicago Jazz Fest:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainmen...42.story?page=1

The key paragraphs probably are these:

"Counterparts such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the San Francisco Jazz Festival, for instance, spend fortunes on programming ($10.6 million for Montreal, $1 million for San Francisco).

"The Chicago Jazz Festival—produced by the Mayor's Office of Special Events, which obtains funding from corporate and foundation sponsorships—musters an almost laughable $250,000....

"Consider the Montreal festival, where free outdoor events share the bill with handsomely produced, ticketed indoor concerts."

One suspects apples versus oranges, and a fair amount of disingenuousness on Reich's part, but it would be nice to know in particular what accounts for the size of the Montreal fest's $10.6 million annual budget versus Chicago's $250,000. Are the tickets at Montreal's "handsomely produced, ticketed indoor concerts" that pricey? If it's mostly a matter of sponsorship, who are the sponsors in Montreal and where does their money come from and why? Also, in terms of acts, is the Montreal fest really a worthwhile jazz event by reasonable standards. I seem to recall complaints that it was not.

In any case, HR excretes these little streams of piss at the Fest every year. Also, about his let's fill the neighborhoods with mini-fests idea. If that works for the city's World Music fest, it's because, I'm pretty sure, the World Music Fest's acts are matched to neighborhoods in ethnic terms, a stroking of constituencies. But the idea of the Chicago Jazz Fest -- noble in spirit, I think, and often in realization -- is to bring listeners of all stripes together, to expose fans of one sort of jazz to all sorts of jazz. It's ecumanical and educational. Otherwise, It seems, we're just sliding back toward the realm of sponsored club gigs, and Chicago doesn't need those I think.

[ejp626]

Howard Reich's annual pissy think piece about the Chicago Jazz Fest:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainmen...42.story?page=1

The key paragraphs probably are these:

"Counterparts such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the San Francisco Jazz Festival, for instance, spend fortunes on programming ($10.6 million for Montreal, $1 million for San Francisco).

"The Chicago Jazz Festival—produced by the Mayor's Office of Special Events, which obtains funding from corporate and foundation sponsorships—musters an almost laughable $250,000....

"Consider the Montreal festival, where free outdoor events share the bill with handsomely produced, ticketed indoor concerts."

One suspects apples versus oranges, and a fair amount of disingenuousness on Reich's part ...

I think a better comparison is Chicago and Detroit Jazz Fests. I've learned to my dismay that most years Detroit's Jazz Fest beats the Chicago one. This year looks to be an exception.

[Larry Kart]

Howard Reich's annual pissy think piece about the Chicago Jazz Fest:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainmen...42.story?page=1

The key paragraphs probably are these:

"Counterparts such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the San Francisco Jazz Festival, for instance, spend fortunes on programming ($10.6 million for Montreal, $1 million for San Francisco).

"The Chicago Jazz Festival—produced by the Mayor's Office of Special Events, which obtains funding from corporate and foundation sponsorships—musters an almost laughable $250,000....

"Consider the Montreal festival, where free outdoor events share the bill with handsomely produced, ticketed indoor concerts."

One suspects apples versus oranges, and a fair amount of disingenuousness on Reich's part ...

I think a better comparison is Chicago and Detroit Jazz Fests. I've learned to my dismay that most years Detroit's Jazz Fest beats the Chicago one. This year looks to be an exception.

OK, but three (I think) key questions: What is the Detroit fest's budget? Where does it get the money it spends? Are its concerts free to the public, as Chicago's are? One can argue that free-to-the-public concerts are an idea whose time has past, but any comparison between a fest of that type and a pay-to-listen fest is no comparison at all IMO.

[Jim Alfredson]

Detroit is free. It is four days long. It pretty much blows away the Chicago fest and that's coming from someone who's played both. I was actually quite surprised at how small the Chicago Jazz Festival was when we played in 2006. I envisioned a much bigger ordeal. If their budget is really $250,000, then they are doing a spectacular job with such limited funds.

Isn't the Chicago Blues Festival huge in comparison? Where do they get the funds? What is their budget?

[Larry Kart]

Detroit is free. It is four days long. It pretty much blows away the Chicago fest and that's coming from someone who's played both. I was actually quite surprised at how small the Chicago Jazz Festival was when we played in 2006. I envisioned a much bigger ordeal. If their budget is really $250,000, then they are doing a spectacular job with such limited funds.

Isn't the Chicago Blues Festival huge in comparison? Where do they get the funds? What is their budget?

Chicago Blues Fest budget was roughly $1 million in 2006; it attracts about 750,000 over four days, far more people than the Jazz Fest, but that's to be expected -- Chicago Blues is a brand a la Chicago Cubs, and many Blues Fest fans treat it like a "let's get smashed" sporting/groping event.

My history of all this may not be precise -- Chuck or others can correct me -- but the Jazz Fest was launched near spontaneously and quite independent of city support by the Jazz Institute of Chicago in 1978; the city and corporate (mostly tobacco co. sponsors, this kind of sponsor longer feasible) climbing on board in following years when it became clear that the fest was a going thing. At some point, the Mayor's Office of Special Events began to see all this as semi-political plum -- let's add a Blues Fest (which will draw more; to no one's surprise it did and does), a Gospel Fest (to in part serve a constituency), and a World Music Fest (to serve in part other constituences of potential voters). The more fests, and the more clout they had, the smaller the Jazz Fest's wedge of the budgetary pie was and threatened to become -- remember, jazz fest was never the city's baby in the first place, as the other fests were/are, and its constituency in politcal/ethnic terms is utterly diffuse and therefore virtually without value in that regard. At one point (late '80s, maybe) Howard Reich tried to get the Jazz Fest (i.e. Jazz Institute people) people to attack the city/Mayor's Office of Special Events; he wanted them to demand more funds from the city or else, and he said that he and Tribune would support them in this crusade. The Jazz Institute people demurred; knowing the nature of Chicago's powers that be, they felt that this would be suicide (they'd end up with little or no budget and thus no fest). HR said directly, "Either you're with me in this, or I'll screw you," and since then, every year, he has from almost every imaginable point of view. Not that the fest is perfect, but HR's journalistic behavior in this has been unfair (because it sprang from the unfair proposition-threat I've just described), disingenuous, often simply uninformed about the nature and value of particular artists, and generally just vile.

[Werf]

Detroit is free. It is four days long. It pretty much blows away the Chicago fest and that's coming from someone who's played both. I was actually quite surprised at how small the Chicago Jazz Festival was when we played in 2006. I envisioned a much bigger ordeal. If their budget is really $250,000, then they are doing a spectacular job with such limited funds.

Isn't the Chicago Blues Festival huge in comparison? Where do they get the funds? What is their budget?

I usually prefer the lineups at the Chicago fest, for their variety and the inclusion of the so-called avante-garde. Plus, the plethora of after hours jam sessions at the clubs is the real strong meat.

[AllenLowe]

well, there was Wilhelm Reich and than Robert Reich - so I always think of Howard as The Third Reich -

[Chuck Nessa]

Ann and I are driving in tomorrow night. We will be there thru Sunday. If anyone needs to contact me, my cell is 231 944-8096. Hope to see old friends and make some new ones.

[.:.impossible]

It was great meeting you guys last year... we wish we were heading out there again this year. Maybe next year!

[jazzypaul]

Ann and I are driving in tomorrow night. We will be there thru Sunday. If anyone needs to contact me, my cell is 231 944-8096. Hope to see old friends and make some new ones.

whilst probably pointless, I will remind you that if you're up for a trip up the red line, my trio is playing at Joey's Brickhouse on Friday after Jazz Fest.

It'd be cool to see some of the O boarders that are from Chicago or that are coming to Chicago.

[jimi089]

Larry pretty much nailed it based on my knowledge.

FWIW, the Detroit budget dwarfs Chicago's, and they have a cushion of a multi million dollar endowment, something neither the Jazz Institute of Chicago nor the City of Chicago can boast. The interest earned on that alone is probably more than the Chicago festival's budget.

[Mark Stryker]

The budget for the Detroit festival has reached $2 million this year. After years of living on the brink of extinction, a measure of financial stability has come since 2006, when Gretchen Valade -- a Detroit philanthropist, heir to the Carhartt Clothing forune, jazz lover, owner of Mack Ave. Records and a new restaurant-jazz club in Grosse Pointe Farms called the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe -- created a non-profit foundation to manage the festival with an initial $10 million bequest. Even drawing income from the endowment, the festival still has to raise a ton of money every year to break even and, as everyone in the arts can tell you, that's no picnic in this economy, especially in Michigan, where things are literally worse than anywhere in the country. Investment income gives the festival about a $500,000 annual head start in funding and if there are deficits they can dip into the principal to cover the debt. However, finance 101 tells you that's a recipe for disaster longterm because if you keep drawing from the endowment principal, pretty soon you got bupkis.

The Detroit festival is all free. Six stages. More than 100 national, local and school acts. It's the largest free jazz fest in North America. Chicago's programming I think has always been more sophisticated, but Detroit has really sharpened its profile in the last couple years under a new executive/artistic leader. One thing I've always appreciated about the Detroit festival is its intimacy. If you've never been, the sound is very good for these kinds of events and even the bigger stages have a coziness to them far different from Grant Park.

That $250,000 figure for Chicago's budget has to be a misleading apples-to-oranges number. Hell, Sonny and Ornette each cost in the $75,000 range so that's 60 percent of the budget on two headliners. You still gotta pay for the rest of the music, the stages, labor, travel, administration, equipment rental, etc. No way that's being done on $250,000 -- maybe that's the figure for the talent alone. Not sure.

Lots more about this year's Detroit festival here: http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID...me=JAZZFEST2008

The Detroit-Philly bass story is mine -- check out the video of Rodney Whitaker and Ralphe Armstrong. (Another writer did the Marvin Gaye piece). Also, we'll have lots more stuff coming starting tomorrow and continuing over the weekend for anyone who's interested.

MS

Edited August 27, 2008 by Mark Stryker

[Jay]

Ann and I are driving in tomorrow night. We will be there thru Sunday. If anyone needs to contact me, my cell is 231 944-8096. Hope to see old friends and make some new ones.

whilst probably pointless, I will remind you that if you're up for a trip up the red line, my trio is playing at Joey's Brickhouse on Friday after Jazz Fest.

It'd be cool to see some of the O boarders that are from Chicago or that are coming to Chicago.

Whoa - my office is literally spitting distance from Joey's (across the street). Never thought I'd see something like that here.

Interesting comments about Reich and his annual hissy fit (well, he is always bitching about something and his tastes are bizarre). I think I've seen him write that article at least on six different occasions, maybe more. I would almost rather have no jazz coverage - perhaps he should stick to Van Cliburn

[robviti]

Larry pretty much nailed it based on my knowledge.

FWIW, the Detroit budget dwarfs Chicago's, and they have a cushion of a multi million dollar endowment, something neither the Jazz Institute of Chicago nor the City of Chicago can boast. The interest earned on that alone is probably more than the Chicago festival's budget.

too bad that festival is held in america's most miserable city.

[Jim Alfredson]

That's why you come hang with the Alfredsons afterwards!

I think Reich has a point, frankly.

[Rupertdacat]

Some after-fest venues to consider:

Greg Osby Five

Fri, August 29 : 9 p.m.

Sat, August 30 : 8 p.m.

Green Mill Jazz Club

4802 N. Broadway Ave.

Chicago, IL 60640

773.878.5552

greenmill@comcast.net

Price: $12

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Velvet Lounge

Fri: 10pm Jazz Festival AfterFest Session AACM Great Black Music Ensemble with special guests

Sat: 10pm Jazz Festival AfterFest Session with Fred Anderson, Kidd Jordan, Harrison Bankhead, Isaiah Spencer with special guests

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hungry Brain

2319 W. Belmont Ave.

Chicago, IL 60618

773-935-2118

Saturday, 30 August 2008

10:00PM | After Fest Sessions

Misha Mengelberg - solo piano

11:00PM | Gerald Cleaver's Violet Hour

Gerald Cleaver

J.D. Allen

Andrew Bishop

Chris Lightcap

Jeremy Pelt

Ben Waltzer

Rupe

[Larry Kart]

That's why you come hang with the Alfredsons afterwards!

I think Reich has a point, frankly.

What point would that be? Seriously.

[ejp626]

That's why you come hang with the Alfredsons afterwards!

I think Reich has a point, frankly.

What point would that be? Seriously.

Here's a case where the ideal is the enemy of the good. I don't think any of us would object to more money being spent on the Jazz Fest, and perhaps even coming up with more creative funding sources. However, what is the point of running down a festival that does quite a bit with the funding it has got? Going along with Reich and challenging the mayor in public is simply going to get the Jazz Fest shut down permanently. Period.

[Larry Kart]

That's why you come hang with the Alfredsons afterwards!

I think Reich has a point, frankly.

What point would that be? Seriously.

Here's a case where the ideal is the enemy of the good. I don't think any of us would object to more money being spent on the Jazz Fest, and perhaps even coming up with more creative funding sources. However, what is the point of running down a festival that does quite a bit with the funding it has got? Going along with Reich and challenging the mayor in public is simply going to get the Jazz Fest shut down permanently. Period.

Just to be clear, I don't think that "challenging the mayor in public" is Reich's current recommended strategy for the Jazz Fest; that was back in the day, when such a crusade would, he felt, suit his own needs/ego and that of the Tribune. His current recommended strategy is to generate more money for the fest out of Lord knows where, and to imitate the city's World Music Fest and set up venues in various neighborhoods rather than hold the fest in one central spot. I've explained why I think that last might be irrelevant and even counterproductive, but that's just my opinion.

[jazzypaul]

Some after-fest venues to consider:

Greg Osby Five

Fri, August 29 : 9 p.m.

Sat, August 30 : 8 p.m.

Green Mill Jazz Club

4802 N. Broadway Ave.

Chicago, IL 60640

773.878.5552

greenmill@comcast.net

Price: $12

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Velvet Lounge

Fri: 10pm Jazz Festival AfterFest Session AACM Great Black Music Ensemble with special guests

Sat: 10pm Jazz Festival AfterFest Session with Fred Anderson, Kidd Jordan, Harrison Bankhead, Isaiah Spencer with special guests

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hungry Brain

2319 W. Belmont Ave.

Chicago, IL 60618

773-935-2118

Saturday, 30 August 2008

10:00PM | After Fest Sessions

Misha Mengelberg - solo piano

11:00PM | Gerald Cleaver's Violet Hour

Gerald Cleaver

J.D. Allen

Andrew Bishop

Chris Lightcap

Jeremy Pelt

Ben Waltzer

Rupe

and the Paul Abella Trio at Joey's Brickhouse! Come support your fellow O boarder!!!

[ccex]

The Chicago Jazz Festival started tonight in great form with Sonny Rollins performing a free concert for thousands in Millennium Park. (In recent years, the opening headliner played in Symphony Center with tickets around $25). I won't give a concert review here, but only wish to say that the crowd was thrilled and my only disappointment was that the performance was pretty much what I expected (and that's not damning it with faint praise, either). At least the announcers didn't mention the corporate sponsors who kept admission free. I've never had so many good conversations with strangers leaving a concert as I had tonight.

After reading previous posts, I guess I'll have to check out Detroit's counterpart.

I'm thrilled with this year's changes in the Chicago Jazz Festival, which was shortened by a day a couple of years ago. I'll skip work tomorrow and Saturday to be in Grant Park, but it's Sunday to which I most look forward (Ed Wilkerson's 8 Bold Souls with Dee Alexander before Ornette closes it.) The Aftersets look great this year, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago has seen fit to include Southside places like Bernice's Twilight Zone and Lee's Unleaded Blues (where most Chicagoans fear to tread) in their bus tour.

[Jim Alfredson]

That's why you come hang with the Alfredsons afterwards!

I think Reich has a point, frankly.

What point would that be? Seriously.

What I gleamed from his article is that Chicago should be spending more money on the festival. How to achieve that is open for debate, but I have to say I was underwhelmed by the festival when we played there (which is not to say I was ungrateful). I was expecting something much more grand from a city like Chicago.

[Larry Kart]

That's why you come hang with the Alfredsons afterwards!

I think Reich has a point, frankly.

What point would that be? Seriously.

What I gleamed from his article is that Chicago should be spending more money on the festival. How to achieve that is open for debate, but I have to say I was underwhelmed by the festival when we played there (which is not to say I was ungrateful). I was expecting something much more grand from a city like Chicago.

More money, sure. If how to achieve that is open to debate, I don't recall that Reich offered a single feasible suggestion, other than his "let's send it to the neighborhoods" notion. The underlying problem is that all the other Chicago music fests are either inherently more successful in that they draw more people and/or are connected to political/ethnic constituencies and the politicians that serve them. The jazz fest is not. The only answer I can think of is some corporate sponsor with very deep pockets who wants to improve things (as in, make things more professional in the good sense) but doesn't want to control things overmuch (as in, turn it into a pop/R&b fest under the "jazz" name).

IMO, the Rollins concert last night was very boring, but based on recent recordings and accounts of other recent SR concerts, that's what I expected it to be. There were moments of, gestures toward, an interestingly complex, oblique-notey shagginess on Rollins' part, but these were just moments and gestures in the midst of pieces that, typically of SR of these times, more or less circled in place. And SR's sound, with that attached-to-the-bell mike, was (I'm sorry) virtually goat-like, though it might have sounded better if one were more close-up than I was. Gives me no pleasure to say the above; just my honest reaction.

[sheldonm]

I've been in Chicago since Tuesday...saw/photographed the James Brown tribute which was funky and fun...Bobby Broom up in Evanston on Wednesday night.....then the Rollins show from the middle of the front row. I liked the show a lot and it appeared most of the massive crowd did as well. It was pretty much what I expected...was happy there was only one calypso tune played (St. Thomas). ........then on to the Jazz Showcase to see Ira Sullivan....a handful of musicians stopped in as well...Bob Cranshaw, Bobby Broom and others...

Spent the morning running around to pick up some new tunes and then on to the festival....AACM show with Roscoe/Wadada Leo Smith/Amina Claudine Myers, Michael Logan and Thurman Barker was very good........dee dee bridgewater was over the top and too dramatic for me but was ok...TS Galloway's tribute to Capt Walter Dyett with Julian Priester was excellent....and left the Eddie Palmieri show a little early to go photograph Greg Osby at the Green Mill. Looking forward to tomorrow (now today as it's 2:00 a.m.) and Sunday!

I'm here with Jazzshrink...ran into ejp626 at the Osby show....meeting up with him, Sal, LWayne and others tomorrow. Saw Larry Kart walking through the venfor midway today but lost him. Haven't see Chuck N .....or Blake yet.

Will post some photos soon.

m~