Dana Hall takes on a tough job: Leading the Chicago Jazz Ensemble

November 22, 2010

Not bad for a first outing.

Joan Curto celebrates Jerry Herman with panache – and plenty of voice

November 19, 2010

"This man wrote a damn good show tune," Joan Curto told the crowd Wednesday night at Davenport's.

AACM celebrates 45th with a bang

November 19, 2010

Forty-five years ago, a group of musicians from the South Side of Chicago changed jazz — or at least started to.

Can drummer Dana Hall keep the Chicago Jazz Ensemble swinging?

November 15, 2010

The news came as a shock:

Risky business: Patricia Barber and Kenny Werner unveil a bold work-in-progress

November 14, 2010

Two great jazz artists took the stage of Pick-Staiger Concert Hall over the weekend and struggled valiantly to bring a daring concept to life.

Saxophonist Bobby Watson opens with a roar at the Jazz Showcase

November 12, 2010

All Souls brings Polish jazz revelations to Chicago

November 9, 2010

Poland has embraced jazz for more than half a century, the music coursing through cities such as Krakow, Warsaw, Poznan and more.

Victor Goines explores the mysteries of 'Body and Soul'

November 8, 2010

The tune has haunted jazz musicians – and audiences – since at least 1939, when tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins cut his immortal recording of "Body and Soul."

Eye of the hurricane for new music in Chicago

November 5, 2010

Can a jazz drummer change the world?

Umbrella Music Festival lineup

November 5, 2010

Here's the complete lineup for the fifth annual Umbrella Music Festival. For details, visit umbrellamusic.org

Ol' Blue Eyes on DVD – 14 hours of revelations

November 1, 2010

Even at this late date, we have yet to take the full measure of Frank Sinatra's art.

A light, bright look back at 'America 1957' – in story and song

October 31, 2010

No single evening possibly could capture the narrative of an entire year in American life, but over the weekend one ambitious show heroically tried.

Jazz giant Phil Woods swings hard with DePaul Jazz Ensemble

October 29, 2010

By now, alto saxophone giant Phil Woods practically can be considered a member of the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble.

DePaul ensemble, Woods a great fit

October 29, 2010

When students perform with a pro, they play better.

In Prague jazz, smoke still gets in your eyes

October 25, 2010

PRAGUE – The smoky jazz club has vanished in Chicago and, incredibly, has been banished even in the nicotine haven that was Paris. Anti- smoking laws around the world have turned once-hazy jazz rooms into venues where the air is clear and the oxygen fit to breathe.

Three jazz divas hit the high notes at Chicago Humanities Festival

October 22, 2010

It was a great night for singing.

Fall music scene reaching fever pitch

October 22, 2010

The fall jazz season started last month, but now it goes into overdrive.

Penn + Teller´s pianist makes a great recording in Chicago

October 18, 2010

When you're Penn & Teller's house pianist, you tend to be overshadowed by the headliners.

Can't stress enough: Menzie worthy

October 15, 2010

When Chicago singer-pianist Beckie Menzie strides onto the stage of the Park West on Sunday night — to accept an award from the city's leading cabaret organization — she'll be marking more than just a career triumph.

Chucho Valdes' Havana jazz storms Symphony Center — a decade later

October 12, 2010

Why do Cuban jazz musicians stride the globe like giants?

Surprising sounds from Chick Corea's all-star trio

October 9, 2010

A jazz trio staffed entirely by stars can be problematic, with each artist taking the music in a different direction.

'Queen of Gospel' led Caravan of stars

October 9, 2010

When Chicago gospel singer Albertina Walker sang in church, you believed the stained glass windows surely would shatter.

Under a new mayor, summer festivals may have to seek new cash to survive

October 9, 2010

They entertain hundreds of thousands of listeners each summer.

Key recordings by Albertina Walker

October 9, 2010

"Tell the Angels" (1960). Walker steps out as solo artist.

Guitarist Pat Martino hits hard at the Jazz Showcase

October 8, 2010

An enormous surge of energy rushed through the Jazz Showcase on Thursday night, thanks to the work of a 66-year-old guitarist who three decades ago completely lost his ability to play.

Valdes makes a rare swing into town

October 8, 2010

It has been seven years since the colossal Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes played in the United States, and fully a decade since he performed in Chicago.

Nicole Mitchell's European triumphs end in a theft

October 4, 2010

It's one of the worst things that can happen to a musician – a prized instrument gets stolen.

Ponticelli's buoyant salute to Django's 100th birthday

October 3, 2010

Chicago's year-long celebration of the Django Reinhardt centennial informally ended over the weekend, with a joyous homage at the Green Mill Jazz Club.

The cerebral side of saxophonist Chris Potter

October 1, 2010

It wasn't until midway in his first set Thursday night at the Jazz Showcase that saxophonist Chris Potter started getting some traction.

What's better than 1 Pickens pianist? 2

October 1, 2010

Father-daughter piano duos are not exactly plentiful in jazz, but there's one in Chicago that commands particular interest.

Celebrating Chopin's 200th birthday – in jazz

September 28, 2010

Polish jazz musicians have been improvising on music of Chopin for decades, but this year Chicagoans have been able to bask in more of this remarkable work than ever.

Analyzing Michael Jackson: The genius behind the music

September 27, 2010

Was Michael Jackson a genius?

The Raelettes strike again – at Hyde Park Jazz Fest

September 26, 2010

Ray Charles died six years ago, but the Raelettes still can render an audience nearly hysterical.

Mahanthappa brings a global perspective to American jazz

September 24, 2010

Fifteen years ago, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa was busily working third-rate Chicago clubs, trying to forge a musical identity. Even then, he stood out for the ferocity of his playing, if not yet its discipline.

A listener's guide to the far-ranging World Music Festival

September 24, 2010

When was the last time you danced to Ethiopian pop music? Or hummed along with an Australian didgeridoo? Or savored the hypnotic bachata guitars of the Dominican Republic?

World Music Festival will shake up Chicago

September 24, 2010

When was the last time you danced to Ethiopian pop music? Or hummed along with an Australian didgeridoo? Or savored the hypnotic bachata guitars of the Dominican Republic?

Seductive music from India launches World Music Festival

September 22, 2010

Chicago overflows with summer music festivals, but we had to wait until the last day of the season for the best fest to begin.

Hyde Park fest realizes big dreams

September 20, 2010

Four years ago, a group of Hyde Park residents decided to put on a jazz festival, hoping to attract some visitors to their historic neighborhood.

Fasten your seat belts for a big weekend of music

September 17, 2010

If anyone wondered whether the jazz season has gotten fully under way, this weekend's offerings should lay doubts to rest.

The luminous art of cellist Tomeka Reid

September 15, 2010

Chicago has a knack for producing distinctive voices in jazz, and one of the most promising belongs to cellist Tomeka Reid.

The balm of jazz comes to Englewood

September 13, 2010

For a long time, many Chicagoans have associated the Englewood neighborhood with crime. The July killings of police officer Thor Soderberg and teenager Anthony Cox have tragically underscored the point.

Alden and Brown rekindle the spirit of Django

September 12, 2010

Is it possible to turn back the clock on jazz history without slipping into mere nostalgia?

Tia Fuller steps out of Beyonce's shadow

September 10, 2010

She has been playing backup for Beyonce for the past four years, but on Thursday night alto saxophonist Tia Fuller flourished as a bandleader in her own right.

A hard-swinging season of jazz

September 10, 2010

Big deals

Miles' set mammoth; Wilson blends old, new

September 8, 2010

The most anticipated recordings in the fall jazz season:

Chicago Jazz Festival gets a makeover – at long last

September 6, 2010

Yes, it's still possible to change your ways at 32 – as the Chicago Jazz Festival just proved.

Leaps of faith

September 5, 2010

Two prominent Chicago musicians went way out on a limb over the weekend at the 32nd Chicago Jazz Festival.

Top jazz shows this fall

September 5, 2010

The most tantalizing shows of the season, in chronological order:

Reviving South Side jazz, despite occasional obstacles

September 5, 2010

Have you noticed the jazz surge on the South Side?

Ahmad Jamal launches Chicago Jazz Festival with fiery set

September 3, 2010

"I'm back," Ahmad Jamal told a roaring crowd Thursday night at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and he meant it.

Notable changes for Chicago Jazz Festival

September 3, 2010

The Chicago Jazz Festival just got bigger — physically, that is.

Chicago Jazz Festival week opens with a blaze of trumpets

September 1, 2010

There can't be many cities in America that could gather up "A Pride of Trumpets" like the one that prowled the stage Tuesday night at the Spertus Institute.

New sounds from Ramsey Lewis – at 75

August 30, 2010

Most jazz musicians who reach age 75 don't get a birthday party attended by thousands.

A gypsy jazz band blows hot and cold

August 29, 2010

This year's centennial of Django Reinhardt's birth has been a boon to gypsy jazz, with Reinhardt-inspired musicians turning up more frequently than ever.

The star of the upcoming Chicago Jazz Festival

August 29, 2010

Chicago flutist Nicole Mitchell remembers the incident well.

Must-see shows at Chicago Jazz Festival

August 29, 2010

Here are highlights of Chicago Jazz Festival week (unless otherwise noted, phone 312-427-1676 or visit jazzinchicago.org):

Together again

August 27, 2010

It was standing room only at the Jazz Showcase on Thursday night, and for good reason.

Jazz riches abound at festival time

August 27, 2010

It's the greatest week of the year: six days and nights of music leading up to the Chicago Jazz Festival.

'Louis': A 'silent' film that illuminates the great Satchmo

August 26, 2010

Silent films periodically have been revived with full orchestral accompaniment, Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" and Abel Gance's "Napoleon" among noteworthy examples.

How Andy's got its groove back

August 23, 2010

Yes, Club Blujazz closed in July after just four months in business, and jazz lovers are praying that the Velvet Lounge can thrive after the death of owner-saxophonist Fred Anderson in June.

At 70, Hancock searches for a global sound

August 22, 2010

When great musicians turn 70, they tend to bask in past triumphs.

A silent jazz film?

August 22, 2010

Tony Andriacchi: Comeback, Part II

August 20, 2010

A couple of years ago, Chicago singer Tony Andriacchi figured his career was finished.

Chicago celebrates Django Reinhardt's gypsy jazz at 100

August 16, 2010

It's some of the most joyous music ever created: upbeat, exuberant, surging with energy.

Pianist Mulgrew Miller hints at greater work

August 13, 2010

Whenever Mulgrew Miller plays the piano, you get the sense he holds so much more in reserve: more sound, more speed, more power – more everything.

New thrust for jazz at Mayne Stage

August 13, 2010

There may be hope yet for jazz at the Mayne Stage (formerly the Morse Theatre).

Chicago deejay Dick Buckley dies at 85

July 22, 2010

Deejay Dick Buckley – the resplendent voice of jazz in Chicago from the 1950s until 2008 – has died at age 85.

Only open since March, Club Blujazz closes

July 1, 2010

Club Blujazz, which opened last March at 1540 W. North Ave., has closed

Tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson nurtured generations of Chicago jazz

June 24, 2010

It may be impossible to fully measure saxophonist Fred Anderson's impact on music in Chicago--and around the world.

Filming 'DuSable to Obama' – with a jazz beat

June 1, 2010

The idea seems so obvious, it's a wonder no one thought of it until now: a feature-length documentary film telling the story of "DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis."

Ron Hawking finally offers songs from his own heart

February 3, 2010

It has taken a very long time, but veteran Chicago singer Ron Hawking finally has found his own voice.

A Chicago jazz wish list for 2010

January 5, 2010

In a perfect world, here's what would happen in Chicago jazz in 2010:

Coming soon: A renamed, revived Morse Theatre

January 4, 2010

The refurbished Morse Theatre -- shuttered in March in a dispute between its operators and its principal owner -- will reopen in spring as the Mayne Stage.

DownBeat magazine's 75-year history is one for the books

December 29, 2009

Seventy-five years ago, a new Chicago publication began chronicling a fast-growing music: the big bands.

Letters: Honoring Marian Catholic's marching band

November 19, 2009

Readers from across the country responded to "Marching to Glory," a three-part series by Tribune critic Howard Reich on the Marian Catholic High School marching band and its journey to the Grand National Championships, led by band director Greg Bimm.

Grand National championships: Victory defined

November 16, 2009

On the eve of war, leaders rouse their troops to vanquish the enemy, but not this time.

Marching to glory with the Marian Catholic High School marching band

November 12, 2009

The kids in the Marian Catholic band look as if they're about to collapse.

Michelle Obama subject of jazz ode

September 3, 2009

The Obama presidency may have sparked controversy in recent months, but the hope and promise it represents for many Americans were plain to hear Tuesday night at the Spertus Institute.

Lincoln, Obama linked in two jazz celebrations

July 28, 2009

For Chicago jazz listeners, Presidents' Day arrives Thursday.

Telling Michelle Obama's story -- in language of jazz

July 14, 2009

Jazz tributes to Barack Obama have been pouring in since well before the Inauguration, but later this summer Chicago will hear something different: An evening-length work honoring First Lady Michelle Obama.