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29TH ANNUAL CHICAGO JAZZ FESTIVAL


robviti

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We might be at the fest on Friday and the Velvet that night. We have to be home on Sat since our kids are visiting for the weekend.

Hey Chuck, pm me your cell number or I can send you mine? I'll be around from Tuesday - Monday....would be great to get together!

m~

Edited by sheldonm
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Well, Saturday... we have options. This might be more my wife's speed. The more I think about Kidd Jordan, the less I think it is going to be something that we can both enjoy. Eight Bold Souls on Friday is another story. Maybe a change of plans?

10:00PM

at the Hungry Brain, 2319 W Belmont, 773.935.2118

* After Fest

* Sessions with Keefe Jackson, with special guests from Fast Citizens and the Exploding Star Orchestra

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Also, anyone want to throw out recommendations on what we should definitely see while we're there? Places to absolutely avoid? We've already got a google map going.

Thanks! Looking forward to meeting y'all.

impossible,

To be honest with you, I can't think of a better thing to be doing this weekend then just walking around downtown and enjoying the sights. The weather is supposed to be close to picture perfect this weekend, and its hard to beat a gorgeous summer day in Chicago. I'd recommend starting near the center of the city (State and Madison) and just go wherever your instinct leads you. You should definitely head north and see Michigan Ave., but don't limit your trek to the Mile, as there's lots of cool sights and architecture to see in the general area. The River North/Gold Coast area is very nice for walking and there are lots of good restaurants along the way. When you're in the Festival area, be sure to take some time to see Millennium Park. The Art Institute is nearby and, if you have time, is definitely worth a visit.

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Also, anyone want to throw out recommendations on what we should definitely see while we're there? Places to absolutely avoid? We've already got a google map going.

Thanks! Looking forward to meeting y'all.

impossible,

To be honest with you, I can't think of a better thing to be doing this weekend then just walking around downtown and enjoying the sights. The weather is supposed to be close to picture perfect this weekend, and its hard to beat a gorgeous summer day in Chicago. I'd recommend starting near the center of the city (State and Madison) and just go wherever your instinct leads you. You should definitely head north and see Michigan Ave., but don't limit your trek to the Mile, as there's lots of cool sights and architecture to see in the general area. The River North/Gold Coast area is very nice for walking and there are lots of good restaurants along the way. When you're in the Festival area, be sure to take some time to see Millennium Park. The Art Institute is nearby and, if you have time, is definitely worth a visit.

I think this Friday is the last Friday evening where the Art Institute is open late. Both Thurs and Fri, the Art Institute is free from 5-9. I agree that you should definitely check out Millenium Park. Also, perhaps the Chicago Cultural Centerwhich is free and has small art exhibits on several floors. It's a gorgeous building that was nearly torn down, but was saved through the intervention of the Mayor's mother. If you do go there, I believe you can still get tickets for the El loop tour on Sat. where you get on an el and go round and round the loop hearing about the history of downtown.

There's also an Architectural Foundation that does good architectural walking tours of the downtown. In terms of the neighborhoods, Chinatown is always interesting, as is Andersonville (a mostly Swedish and now Middle Eastern neighborhood).

Dusty Groove is only a few stops away from the downtown on the Blue Line (better to do this during the week than weekend though, due to construction work on the Blue Line). As far as avoiding, I try to avoid River North, but that is also where Jazz Record Mart is, so I do go from time to time.

Edited by ejp626
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I just saw this on the Now-is.org website:

Friday, August 31st 2007

10:00AM-2:00PMat Claudia Cassidy Theater, 78 E Washington, 312.744.6630 (Free)

Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra performs the music of Bill Dixon — open rehearsal led by Bill Dixon

This is at the Cultural Center I was just mentioning above. I might be able to take a long lunch and drop in for a bit, though it is kind of across the Loop from where I work.

Eric

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Its a shame that they don't utilize the Pritzker (sp?) Pavilion at Millenium Park for any of the Jazz Fest shows. Such a great venue with perfect acoustics.

I agree. I think they use the inside venue for classical and the outside is either classical or world music, rarely jazz.

I think my schedule is shaping up. I'm going to try to see most of the evening sets on Sat. and hopefully the afterfest at Velvet. Then Sunday I may drop in to see something called the Matt Geraghty Project, but I will probably need to be home before the Mingus Big Band take the stage.

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We are going to catch a rehearsal probably on Thursday! The weather looks great. I tried to post a link to the google map that we put together. Still figuring that out. I thought it was a shared map, but...

My wife hooked up a room at the Hard Rock Hotel at an unbelievable discount, which is right off Millenium Park. We've marked it, along with a bunch of other things we are thinking about hitting up.

Google maps is great! We have a train diagram layered on top of the Chicago street map. We've marked dozens of places of interest, including the venues, times, etc. Pretty cool.

Edited by .:.impossible
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Matt Geraghty has this cool world-jazz fusion thing going for him, and I absolutely recommend him.

So I think you are playing on Friday at Joey's Brickhouse on Belmont? Are you actually starting at 9:30 or is 10 more likely? And is there a cover? I'll probably drop in for a little while, since I will be in the neighborhood.

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Matt Geraghty has this cool world-jazz fusion thing going for him, and I absolutely recommend him.

So I think you are playing on Friday at Joey's Brickhouse on Belmont? Are you actually starting at 9:30 or is 10 more likely? And is there a cover? I'll probably drop in for a little while, since I will be in the neighborhood.

We'll probably actually start at 9, play till 1am. No cover, and the drinks are reasonably priced. Please make sure you introduce yourself if you come on by. (ditto for anyone else that drops in!)

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It is sad to see that there are three pages on our town's jazz fest and probably a third of it is taken up talking about overrated touristy attractions, especially wrigley. But I guess I should expect it given how many visitors we have coming to town for this. So..who has been so far? How was Wess? And did anyone go to the A Night in Havana concert - that sounded most excellent.

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Not sad... Wrigley was a blast, even though Cubs lost. We had a great time. Saw Bill Dixon rehearsing the Exploding Star Orchestra on Thursday. Saw Eight Bold Souls on Friday. Yesterday, Keefe Jackson at Hungry Brain.

Met Chuck and Mark and Rob. Chuck and Anne were kind enough to give us a lift back to the Carbon and Carbide, where we were staying. Coincidentally, this is the same building where many of Chuck's most impacting sessions were recorded!

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Really sorry we didn't have more time to spend with Mr and Mrs Impossible and our resident "shrink". We had to head home on Sat morning to spend the weekend with our kids - family over music for once.

Great to see a bunch of old friends too - Terry Martin, John Litweiler, Art Lange, Fred Anderson, Joe Segal, etc.

The high point of Friday for me was the Velvet Lounge gig by Ed Wilkerson's Eight Bold Souls + Fareed Haque. Sorry to have missed the rehearsals of the Mazurek band with Bill Dixon.

I look forward to reports on the event(s).

Edited by Chuck Nessa
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Probably the most noteworthy thing on Sat. was that in the "Cookers" show George Cables had to drop out due to health reasons, but they replaced him with Stanley Cowell! That was a real surprise to me, and I thought he was excellent. In general, I thought the Cookers show was good, though it seemed a bit too free for much of the audience back where I was sitting.

I moved up to sit with sal and jazzkrow for the remaining sets. Sal and sheldonm took off to get to the Velvet early, while jazzkrow and I stayed for Charlie Haden and the Liberation Orchestra. I do think they were terrific, and were my favorite set of Sat. They played roughly half the material on their 2005 album Not in Our Name.

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I too loved the Liberation Music Orchestra set as did the crowd, who begged in vain for an encore!

The next night the Mingus Big Band did a terrific set as did Bobby Watson Horizon band with James Zollar substituting for Terrell Stafford and Jeremy Pelt (who was announced to be there but did not show)

It was cool to hang out with Eric....

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What's funny is that there's been no mention of all of the awesome music that was happening on the side stages. Is everyone telling me that they missed out on...

Pete Benson & Jeff Parker

Erwin Helfer & Skinny Williams

Astral Project

Mulligan Mosaics Band

the Charlie Haden jam

the Janice Borla Group

Matt Geraghty

etc, etc, etc?

Most of that stuff was groooooooooving. I'm glad my tent was practically right on top of the Jackson stage.

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What's funny is that there's been no mention of all of the awesome music that was happening on the side stages. Is everyone telling me that they missed out on...

Pete Benson & Jeff Parker LOVED IT!!!

Erwin Helfer & Skinny Williams DIDN'T SEE IT

Astral Project SO-SO...NOT MY CUP OF TEA

Mulligan Mosaics Band EXCELLENT

the Charlie Haden jam EXCELLENT

the Janice Borla Group GOOD....BUT AGAIN, NOT MY CUP OF TEA

Matt Geraghty DIDN'T SEE IT

etc, etc, etc?

Most of that stuff was groooooooooving. I'm glad my tent was practically right on top of the Jackson stage.

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