Chicago Jazz Fest 2011

[ejp626]

I don't think the entire line-up has been released, but it seems they have their opener:

Sept. 1: "Spiritual Source: Randy Weston and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble featuring the arrangements of Melba Liston.

This would be incredible -- and it looks like it will be moved over to Millennium Park where the sound is so much better. I've never seen Weston -- just missed him a couple of times -- so this will be a special treat. Quite possibly this will be my last Chicago Jazz Fest (looks like I will be moving westward in late Sept/early Oct.), so I'm glad it's looking like a strong one (after one last year that left me kinda cold).

Not related to the Fest, but still a really promising event is Von Freeman playing at Millennium Park on July 28 as part of this event -- "Truth Be Told: Celebrating the Legacy of Von Freeman." Saxophonist Steve Coleman and others will celebrate the great Vonski.

Edited April 5, 2011 by ejp626

[ejp626]

Looks like the line-up has been released, though subject to change. Line-up

Chicago Jazz Festival Schedule - September 1, 2011

(schedule is subject to change)

The complete Chicago Jazz Festival schedule for Thursday, September 1st is listed below.

Chicago Cultural Center - Randolph Café

77 E. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60602

12:00 - 1:00 pm - Rich Corpolongo Trio

1:30 - 2:30 pm - Curtis Robinson Trio

Chicago Cultural Center - Claudia Cassidy Theater

78 E. Washington St., Chicago IL 60602

11:30 - 12:00 pm - Mwata Bowden Lecture/Discussion

12:15 - 1:15 pm - Mwata Bowden “The Maze Factor”

1:45 - 2:45 pm - Shanghai Stories featuring Francis Wong

Chicago Cultural Center - Preston Bradley Hall

78 E. Washington St., 3rd Floor, Chicago IL 60602

12:30 - 1:30 pm - Bob Dogan Quintet

2:00 - 3:00 pm - Jim Gailloreto’s Jazz String Quintet

Millennium Park - Jay Pritzker Pavilion

201 E. Randolph St., between Michigan Ave. and Columbus Ave. Chicago, IL 60602

Made In Chicago: World Class Jazz

6:30 pm - Spiritual Source: Randy Weston and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble featuring the arrangements of Melba Liston

The complete Chicago Jazz Festival schedule for Friday, September 2nd is listed below.

Roosevelt University - Ganz Hall

430 S. Michigan Ave., 7th Floor, Chicago, IL 60605

5:00 pm - Orbert Davis Trio with Brandon McCune and Stewart Miller

Millennium Park – Jay Pritzker Pavilion

201 E. Randolph St., between Michigan Ave. and Columbus Ave. Chicago, IL 60602

6:30 - 7:30 pm - Bobby Broom and the Deep Blue Organ Trio with special guest Bobby Watson

8:00 - 9:30 pm - Saxophone Summit featuring Joe Lovano, David Liebman and Ravi Coltrane

The complete Chicago Jazz Festival schedule for Saturday, September 3rd is listed below.

Grant Park

Jackson Blvd. & Columbus Dr., Chicago IL 60604

Jazz on Jackson Stage

12:00 - 12:55 pm - Brian OHern and the Model Citizens Big Band

1:10 - 2:05 pm - Marquis Hill Black-tet

2:20 - 3:15 pm - Jeremy Khan and the Pepper Adams Project

3:30 - 4:30 pm - Gerald Clayton Trio

The Chicago Community Trust Young Jazz Lions Stage

12:00 - 12:30 pm - Curie Percussion Combo

12:45 - 1:15 pm - Jones College Prep Combo

1:30 - 2:00 pm - Whitney Young Magnet Jazz Combo

2:15 - 2:55 pm - Fatum Brothers Jazz Orchestra

3:10 - 3:50 pm - Kenwood Academy Jazz ensemble

4:05 - 4:55 pm - DePaul University Jazz Ensemble with special guest Phil Woods

Jazz and Heritage Stage

12:30 - 1:30 pm - Miguel de la Cerna Quartet

2:00 - 3:00 pm - Petra’s Recession Seven

3:30 - 4:30 pm - Latin Inspiration

Petrillo Music Shell

5:00 - 5:50 pm - Maurice Brown Effect

6:00 - 6:55 pm - Trio 3 + Geri Allen featuring Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman and OliverLake

7:10 - 8:10 pm - Orbert Davis’ Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble

8:30 - 9:30 pm - Cassandra Wilson

The complete Chicago Jazz Festival schedule for Sunday, September 4th is listed below.

Grant Park

Jackson Blvd. & Columbus Dr., Chicago IL 60604

Jazz on Jackson Stage

12:00 - 12:55 pm - Pat Mallinger / Bill Carrothers Quartet

1:10 - 2:05 pm - Orbert Davis' Quartet

2:20 - 3:15 pm - Matt Ulery’s Loom

3:30 - 4:30 pm - Occidental Brothers Dance Band International

The Chicago Community Trust Young Jazz Lions Stage

12:00 - 12:30 pm - Lakeview High School Jazz Combo

12:45 - 1:15 pm - Chi Arts Jazz Combo

1:30 - 2:10 pm - Pritzker College Prep Jazz Ensemble

2:25 - 3:05 pm - Rich Central Jazz Ensemble

3:20 - 4:00 pm - Orbert Davis’ Jazz Academy

4:15 - 4:50 pm - Curie Jazz Ensemble with Victor Garcia

Jazz and Heritage Stage

12:30 - 1:30 pm - Reginald Robinson Sextet

2:00 - 3:00 pm - Ernest Dawkins’ New Horizons Ensemble

3:30 - 4:30 pm - Joan Collaso Quintet

Petrillo Music Shell

5:00 - 5:50 pm - Mike Reed’s Myth/Science Assembly

This project is commissioned by the Experimental Sound Studio’s Creative Audio Archive, with generous support from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation

6:00 - 6:55 pm - Ira Sullivan 80th Birthday Celebration

7:10 - 8:10 pm - David Sanchez with special guest Stefon Harris

8:30 - 9:30 pm - Roy Hargrove

There's a lot that looks pretty interesting, particularly Randy Weston, and then the last day. While I would like to see Cassandra Wilson, I've found that the acoustics at Petrillo are pretty tough for singers, so I may pass on her show.

[Chicago Expat]

Can't say I'm blown away by that line-up. I'm glad to see that Orbert Davis is getting plenty of slots. There's a couple things on there that might float my boat, but not sure. Of course, there's a bunch of names on there I'm not familiar with, which is where the real fun is. Every year I go to the Chicago Jazz Fest, I wind up seeing (at least) one musician/ensemble I was unfamiliar with that suddenly becomes the greatest thing my ears have ever heard. Last year, Nicole Mitchell's ensemble had me floating on air after their outstanding performance. That's the kind of thing I look forward to.

[sonnymax]

One of the lesser-known but not-to-be-missed musicians performing this year is Jeremy Kahn and the Pepper Adams Project.

Again, that's this guy:

Not this guy: