Kicking off the New Year in swing time
The first weekend of the new year gets off to a brisk start. Among the highlights: Victor Goines. The eminent clarinetist-saxophonist long has been a key player in the Jazz...
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New Year’s resolutions for Chicago jazz
Now’s the time for New Year’s resolutions, and Chicago jazz could use a few: Honor Willie Pickens. The death last month of Chicago piano giant Pickens, at 86, left a...
Two visionaries who made history at the Illinois Holocaust Museum
Just think of it: First in the world. How many cultural institutions can make that claim? In the Chicago area, at least one could in 2017: The Illinois Holocaust Museum...
Gerald Powell and Bethany Pickens: Making history at Kenwood Academy
Gerald Powell and Bethany Pickens, bandleaders at Kenwood Academy High School on South Blackstone Avenue, made history this year. Having collaborated with pianist and MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran in 2014...
How to swing in the new year with Chicago jazz
The sound of jazz will ring in the New Year this weekend. Among the highlights: Roy Hargrove: Trumpeter Hargrove’s end-of-the-year residency at the Jazz Showcase has become a Chicago tradition,...
Nicole Mitchell, Cassandra Wilson top best jazz concerts of 2017
The past year proved rewarding for anyone who ventured to our clubs and concert halls. Following is one listener’s diary of the best jazz concerts of 2017: March 3: Jazz...
Percussionist Juan Pastor says farewell to Chicago
Eleven years ago, a promising young percussionist from Lima, Peru, moved to the Chicago area to see what he could learn in a jazz metropolis. Since then, Juan Pastor earned...
A grand festival to celebrate the genius of Oscar Peterson
The world does not lack for major jazz festivals, but a most promising one will emerge next February in Canada. Singer Cecile McLorin Salvant, trumpeter Jon Faddis, bassist Christian McBride...
David Sanchez plays a profound performance
For some time, the formidable Puerto Rican saxophonist David Sanchez was envisioning his next recording, but he put it aside in the face of tragedy. His wife died in August,...
Chicago piano titan Willie Pickens dies at 86
On Tuesday afternoon, Chicago piano giant Willie Pickens was practicing in a rehearsal room at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Workers heard characteristically thunderous sounds emanating from the...