Chicago Jazzfest line-up

[ejp626]

Well, the direct link to take you to the line-up this year's Chicago Jazz Fest is ridiculously long. I have pasted the schedule below, but if there are changes you will want to check closer to the date (for instance , Steve Lacy was involved with one event, but that has been updated). Search on Chicago Jazz Festival Special Events, and that should get you pretty close.

It looks a bit conservative to me, but there is the opportunity to hear many older jazz artists. I will probably take the time to hear Hank Jones Frank Wess and Frank Foster. In terms of more progressive music, I think the events on Sunday look the most promising to me.

I believe that the Jazz Fest will be relocated to the new Millenium Park (almost all music events other than the Blues Fest are moving to Millenium Park), and that really is quite cool. Certainly worth a trip to check it out. I couldn't stay for all the music this weekend (the opening weekend), but I did hear something called the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, which merged all kinds of traditional ethnic instruments and snippets of songs into a very interesting performance.

Chicago Jazz Festival Performance Schedule

Thursday, September 2, 2004

Dee Dee Bridgewater and “A Salute to the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra” led by Jon Faddis and featuring: Hank Jones, George Mraz, Billy Harper, Cecil Bridgewater, Jerry Dodgion, Garnett Brown, Earl McIntyre, Dennis Wilson, Mark Vinci, Ed Xiques, Frank Green, John Reiley, Tom Garling, Orbert Davis, Art Hoyle, and Pat Mallinger

Friday, September 3, 2004

Ford Jazz on Jackson (Jackson Blvd. and Lake Shore Drive)

12:00 – 12:55 p.m. Joe Rendon and Friends

1:10 – 2:05 p.m. Jerry Dodgion and the John Campbell Trio

2:20 – 3:15 p.m. Jeru

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Toshiko Akiyoshi with Peter Washington and Eddie Marshall

Jazz & Heritage (Between Buckingham Fountain and Jackson Blvd., just West of the Rose Garden)

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. The St. Patrick High School Honors Jazz Band

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Performance Duo “In The Spirit” with Emily Hooper-Lansana and Glenda Zahra-Baker

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. “Art of the Solo” with Hamiet Bluiett and Ray Anderson

Petrillo Music Shell (Jackson & Columbus)

5:00 – 5:50 p.m. Henry Johnson’ Organ Express featuring Chris Foreman and Greg Rockingham with special guest Irene Reid

6:00 – 6:55 p.m. Winard Harper Sextet

7:10 – 8:10 p.m. “Latin Side of Miles” featuring Brian Lynch, Conrad Herwig, Mario Rivera, Edsel Gomez, Robbie Ameen, Pedro Martinez, Ruben Rodriguez

8:30 – 9:30 p.m. “Celebrating Count Basie’s 100th Birthday” with the New Kansas City 7 featuring Clark Terry, Frank Wess, Buddy DeFranco, Frank Foster, Benny Powell, Harold Jones, Buddy Catlett and George Caldwell

Saturday, September 4, 2004

Ford Jazz on Jackson (Jackson Blvd. and Lake Shore Drive)

12:00 – 12:50 p.m. Jeb Bishop Trio

1:05 – 1:35 p.m. Erwin Helfer: “Homage to Art Hodes and Pete Johnson”

1:40 – 2:10 p.m. Kirk Brown

2:25 – 3:20 p.m. Ryan Cohan Sextet

3:35 – 4:30 p.m. Crosswind

Jazz & Heritage (Between Buckingham Fountain and Jackson Blvd., just West of the Rose Garden)

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. “Jammin w/ Kids” featuring Kidd Jordan and Ken Chaney

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Charles Walton interviews Frank Foster

Petrillo Music Shell (Jackson & Columbus)

5:00 – 5:50 p.m. Ten Part Invention

6:00 – 6:55 p.m. “A 100th Birthday Tribute to Coleman Hawkins” with the Bennie Wallace Nonet

7:10 – 8:10 p.m. “Jammin’ at the Petrillo” featuring James Moody, Jon Faddis, Von Freeman, Art Hoyle and the Ron Perillo Trio

8:30 – 9:30 p.m. Orbert Davis’ Chicago Jazz Philharmonic

Sunday, September 5, 2004

Ford Jazz on Jackson (Jackson Blvd. and Lake Shore Drive)

12:00 – 12:50 p.m. Joan Hickey Quartet

1:05 – 2:00 p.m. Swing Gitan

2:15 – 3:10 p.m. “Jazz from Down Under” (small band from Ten Part Invention)

3:25 – 4:30 p.m. The Janice Borla Group

Jazz & Heritage (Between Buckingham Fountain and Jackson Blvd., just West of the Rose Garden)

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. “Percussion Discussion” with Hamid Drake

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Susan May with the Bobby Schiff Trio

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. “Jazz History” with the Jimmy Ellis Quartet

Petrillo Music Shell (Jackson & Columbus)

4:45 – 5:00 p.m. “Bass is the Place” - Remembering Malachi Favors Maghostut

5:05 – 5:55 p.m. Fred Anderson, Kidd Jordan, Hamiet Bluiett, Jeff Parker, Harrison Bankhead, Hamid Drake

6:00 – 6:55 p.m. Butch Thompson’s “Tribute to Fats Waller at 100”

7:10 – 8:10 p.m. The Monksieland Band with Roswell Rudd, Dave Douglas, Jean-Jacques Avenel, and John Betsch

8:30 – 9:30 p.m. Toshiko Akiyoshi with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra

[Chuck Nessa]

I believe Don Byron has been added to replace Steve Lacy in the Monksieland band. I suggested Braxton (on clarinet) but guess that didn't work out.

[Lazaro Vega]

Need to get Anthony Braxton back to Chicago. Times a-wastin'.

[Jim Alfredson]

Petrillo Music Shell (Jackson & Columbus)

5:00 – 5:50 p.m. Henry Johnson’ Organ Express featuring Chris Foreman and Greg Rockingham with special guest Irene Reid

So this is what they went with for the lone organ appearance? Bummer. Henry Johnson is the guitarist that played with Joe Williams for years, isn't he? Good player. Irene Reid, decent singer. Who is Chris Foreman?

Organissimo should be playing this.

[Chuck Nessa]

Chris Foreman is a MOTHER. I tried to use him in some situation for a couple of years but he kept disappearing into the church and/or r&b worlds.

Terry Martin was trying to set up an organ theme for the fest this year - one organ band on each stage each day. It didn't work out.

[Jim Alfredson]

I've never heard him. Is he on any records?

[Chuck Nessa]

Not that I know, but there must be some evidence - I first heard him in the '70s.

[Jim Alfredson]

That's too bad.

Well, Organissimo can't even get into the Detroit Jazz Festival which is in our own back yard, so I guess it shouldn't be surprising that we can't get into Chicago either.

We gotta get a manager of some sort.

[Lazaro Vega]

Henry Johnson has a new record out called "Organic" with Nancy Wilson. It is at work, and since All Music switched their site, the iMAC with Netscape doesn't work there anymore so I can't go hunt it down for you, so I can't confirm who's playing the '3. Good record, though. I believe it is on A-440.

[Jim Alfredson]

Thanks, Lazaro. From Allmusic:

Organic - Henry Johnson

Review by Jonathan Widran

Capable of blinding speed and tremendous thoughtfulness in his playing, the veteran jazz guitarist had a double entendre in mind when titling his debut for the Chicago based label. He recorded his quartet without overdubs or electronic fixes, and more significantly, he returns to the style of his early jazz/blues roots when he played with organist/bandleader Jack McDuff in the mid-'70s. When he's swinging heavy and cool with his boys (featuring saxman Peter Roothaan, and organ whiz Chris Foreman), Henry Johnson is explosive, creative, in full command. The disc gets off to a rollicking start with the jamming spirit of "It Could Happen To You," Organic has its cooler moments on mid-tempo pieces like "Know It All," then speeds back up later with the zippy "Blues for James and Dave" — which features a classic, gravity defying Johnson solo. But when he starts singing, he hits the skids in comparison. No less than Joe Williams taught Johnson to sing once upon a time, but Johnson's clearly a guitarist moonlighting, and his voice is pleasant but ultimately too bland to whip up much emotion. The always inviting legendary voice of Nancy Wilson appears on cuts like "If It's The Last Thing I Do" and "Hello Like Before," but her sharp, unique vocals far surpass that of her duet partner. Johnson fashions the moody "A Man Ain't Supposed to Cry" as a tribute to Williams, and his heart is definitely in the right place. But ultimately, the listener will be hungrier yet for more of his brilliant guitar, and less of his secondary talent, vocals.

[Lazaro Vega]

Oh, he didn't mention my favorite "cut," "Third Rail."

If you want to get on the mainstage at the Chicago Jazz Festival, you need to get on the club stages around town first. Doesn't that make sense? I don't know how politically difficult that may be, but it would seem there's a natural progression to playing from level to level. And the Chi jazz fest is a top level.

[Jim Alfredson]

I would love to play clubs in Chicago and I've been trying to book gigs. So far the only clubs that will take a chance on us want to pay too little to make it worthwhile. I have a family to support, after all.

[Dan Gould]

I would love to play clubs in Chicago and I've been trying to book gigs. So far the only clubs that will take a chance on us want to pay too little to make it worthwhile. I have a family to support, after all.

Jim,

Doesn't a club gig in Chicago offer the possibility of being a "loss leader"? I mean, obviously you couldn't do the gigs regularly and not be making enough bread, but what about subsidizing hoped for opportunity by taking one or two of those offers?

It kind of reminds me of one method of trying to break into voice overs-talk to creative directors and offer to work, for a minimal fee, on their "spec" spots, the spots produced to show a potential client what they can do and hopefully land future business. They get to pitch their client, and you get to show them what you can do.

[Joe G]

Any Chicago members got a pad we could crash in?