Howard Reich

There were great performances and musical misfires, superb acoustics and poor sound, high-toned presentations and semi-pro antics. Yes, another Chicago Jazz Festival has come and gone. The 39th annual event,...

What happens when a beloved, 88-year-old jazz diva shares the stage with a rising star half her age? In the case of Sheila Jordan and 44-year-old Chicagoan Paul Marinaro, sparks...

Imagine the joy of beholding thousands of admirers singing "Happy Birthday" to you when you reach 90. Chicago jazz legend George Freeman had that rare pleasure Thursday night at Pritzker...

The 39th Chicago Jazz Festival gets into high gear this weekend, with a marathon of performances and After Fest shows. Following are one listener's choices for the most promising sets...

Few living musicians come closer to capturing the spirit and technical brilliance of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's work than Jon Faddis. Not that anyone has yet matched the combination of high-register...

Give Chicago cultural commissioner Mark Kelly this much: Change is coming to the Chicago Jazz Festival. Not as much or as fast or as dramatic as I had hoped. But...

If you didn't know better, you might have thought the Eric Revis Quartet was following something close to a set list Friday night at the Green Mill Jazz Club. For...

For jazz lovers, it's the greatest week of the year. Though this city is alive with jazz 365 days a year, the intensity level goes up a few notches during...

On an indelible night in 2004, trumpeter-composer Orbert Davis introduced to the world a majestic new ensemble: the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. "Give me about five seconds," he told the Chicago...

When eminent New Orleans clarinetist Dr. Michael White stepped into his water-ravaged home after Hurricane Katrina, he was shaken by what he saw. Instrument cases swathed in mold and sludge....