More than two decades ago, Orchestra Hall launched a jazz series that has become indispensable to music in Chicago.
For though intimate rooms such as the Jazz Showcase, Green Mill, Andy’s, Constellation and Winter’s represent the front lines of the music, it’s difficult to overestimate the impact of jazz presentations in the home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. On a single night, more than 2,000 listeners hear major artists and, perhaps, consider later venturing into more intimate venues.
The 24th annual Symphony Center Presents Jazz series, starting in October, will present several leading figures, including Wynton Marsalis, Chucho Valdes, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Dave Holland, Ravi Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette and Dee Dee Bridgewater.
Rising stars will include Chicago drummer Mike Reed, trumpeter Amir ElSaffar and saxophonist Melissa Aldana, each of whom explores new directions in jazz.
Though no works have been commissioned for the next season, Jim Fahey, director of programming for Symphony Center Presents, says he’s lining some up to celebrate the 25th anniversary season, beginning in fall 2018.
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Following is the complete lineup for the Symphony Center Presents Jazz series, with commentary from Fahey and me. Subscriptions are on sale now; single tickets go on sale Aug. 11; phone 312-294-3000 or visit www.cso.org.
Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra: Oct. 13-14. Few events on the Symphony Center Presents Jazz series command as large and loyal a following as Marsalis’ performances with JLCO. Marsalis often refers to Orchestra Hall as the ensemble’s second home, no exaggeration when you realize these musicians have performed there regularly since 1992. This year’s season-opening engagement will feature a subscription series concert Oct. 13, a Jazz For Young People performance on the morning of Oct. 14 and a nonsubscription concert that evening (featuring a guest soloist to be announced).
Irma Thomas: Oct. 27. Though widely known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans, singer Thomas ultimately draws upon multiple currents of Crescent City music. “She’s such a legend,” says Fahey, “and someone who deserves to be on our stage and our series. I also love making this connection to New Orleans on our series annually, if I can.” Also on the program: The Blind Boys of Alabama and the Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet.
Ravi Coltrane Quartet; Trio Beyond, with Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield and Larry Goldings: Nov. 17. The evening opens with saxophonist Coltrane, who carries the legend of his famous parents — Alice and John Coltrane — as gracefully as one could imagine. For Ravi Coltrane has crafted a translucent sound and an adventurous spirit that mark his work as distinctly his own. Chicago native DeJohnette will bring Trio Beyond, which he formed more than a decade ago as homage to drummer Tony Williams’ Lifetime band. “This really is a concert that’s honoring Jack DeJohnette’s 75th birthday,” says Fahey, for the drummer will have reached the milestone in August.
Melissa Aldana; John Beasley’s MONK’estra: Jan. 26, 2018. Alto saxophonist Aldana stands as a promising voice in jazz, thanks to the complexity and profound understatement of her work. As its name suggests, Beasley’s MONK’estra celebrates music of Thelonious Monk, bandleader Beasley and colleagues re-examining Monk’s groundbreaking compositions through the prisms of New Orleans, Afro-Caribbean and other musical traditions. For this performance, the ensemble will feature two guest soloists: harmonicist Gregoire Maret and trumpeter-singer Dontae Winslow. “It’s the centennial of Monk this year,” says Fahey, referring to 2017, “but there’s reason enough to keep celebrating.”
Mike Reed’s “Flesh & Bone”; Amir ElSaffar: Feb. 9. No program on the series touches upon contemporary issues more explicitly than this double-bill. In 2009, Chicago drummer-bandleader Reed and colleagues were caught up in a violent, neo-Nazi rally in the Czech Republic and, understandably, feared for their lives; the jazz suite “Flesh & Bone,” premiered in 2015, contemplates the implications of this event via music and text. Former Chicagoan ElSaffar released one of the best recordings of 2015, “Crisis,” his Two Rivers Ensemble applying a jazz sensibility to the instrumentation and traditions of music of his Iraqi heritage. He will expand on these ideas with his forthcoming album, “Not Two.” By featuring ElSaffar and Reed, the series will illuminate “two creative artists and how they are approaching current and relevant topics,” says Fahey.
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Chucho Valdes and Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Feb. 23. Valdes and Rubalcaba are not just two of the top Cuban pianists in jazz – they’re two of the most imposing piano virtuosos working today. The prospect of hearing these four gifted hands on two concert grands in a serious listening environment is a windfall for anyone who values state-of-the-art pianism.
Bill Charlap Trio; Cecile McLorin Salvant: March 9. To honor the Leonard Bernstein centennial in 2018, pianist Charlap’s trio will play the composer’s music, which Charlap featured on his album “Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein.” Salvant makes her debut as headliner on the series; here’s hoping she performs Bernstein’s repertoire, its dramatic nature and jazz undertow well suited to her talents.
Dave Holland and Zakir Hussain: May 1. Bassist Holland has made an art of stretching musical boundaries, and he’ll do so again with tabla master Hussain. Their “Crosscurrents” project will feature saxophonist Chris Potter, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan and others. The concert, says Fahey, represents “another example of how jazz can bridge cultures.”
Antonio Sanchez; Terence Blanchard and E-Collective: May 18. If you’ve seen the film “Birdman,” you’re familiar with drummer Sanchez’s music — he wrote the score and will lead his band Migration. Blanchard and E-Collective had been scheduled to perform in 2017 but had to cancel, which set the stage for this date. Like Reed and ElSaffar, Blanchard “is also focusing on relevant topics,” says Fahey, “including the Black Lives Matter movement.”
Dee Dee Bridgewater; Count Basie Orchestra: June 1. Bridgewater, a powerhouse jazz singer, will perform music from her forthcoming recording, “Memphis.” The Basie band, under the direction of Scotty Barnhart, will play music identified with Kansas City, Chicago, New York and other historic jazz centers.
In addition, two non-subscription Symphony Center Presents Special Concerts will be of interest to jazz listeners:
Herbie Hancock: Oct. 21, 2017. The protean pianist-composer-bandleader returns to his hometown, with personnel to be announced.
Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester: April 20, 2018. Raabe and friends specialize in music from Germany in the 1920s.
Howard Reich is a Tribune critic.
Twitter @howardreich
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