2018 Chicago
Jazz Festival -- Story and photos by Greg Turner
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| Kurt Eling |
There were 2 major changes to this
year’s Chicago Jazz Festival. The festival started one week earlier
than usual because of festival sponsored concerts in neighborhoods
throughout the city. Another was that the main stage Pritkzer
Pavillion performances at Millennium Park started and ended one hour
earlier, to encourage festival goers to visit Chicago’s many jazz
clubs. With many different sounds and styles that come up under the
word “jazz” these days, including large groups of musicians
staring at sheet music, I looked to the elders appearing on the main
stage to give me what I needed.
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| Jeff "Tain" Watts |
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| Jeff "Tain" Watts |
Vocalist Kurt Elling, 50, returned to his hometown to collaborate with a
group of Chicago musicians, and added 2 special guests, trumpeter
Marquis Hill, also a returning Chicago
native, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts,
58, to close out Thursday evening. Featuring mostly music from
Elling’s latest “The Questions” the group raised the bar for
the rest of the fest, with Tain driving them with his joyous,
powerful drumming.
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| Kenny Barron |
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| Mike Rodriguez |
Also appearing on
the festival main stage with the same group as on his recent Blue
Note CD was pianist Kenny Barron. At 75
years of age Barron has been long been regarded as one of the best
players and leaders in this music, and it was certainly evident in
his quintet’s Saturday night performance. I really enjoyed the
slower-than-usual arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Bebop” and
the unified sound of trumpeter Mike Rodriguez
and saxophonist Dayna Stephens. In what he has said will be
his last public performance, pianist Ramsey Lewis, 83, closed
Saturday evening, delighting the huge crowd with renditions of his
“hits” such as “The In Crowd” and Sun Goddess”.
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| Charles McPhersion |
Sunday’s festival highlight for me
was the music from alto saxophonist Charles
McPherson, 79, and pianist Barry Harris, 88. Working with
veteran Chicago players, bassist Larry Gray and drummer George
Fludas, the quartet overcame a shaky start to fall into a nice
straight ahead groove, including 2 Monk pieces. The festival closed
with an appearance by alto saxophonist Maceo Parker and his band, and
the less said about it the better. Guess the festival programmers
wanted something the people could dance to concluding the festival…
And that’s my report of this year’s
Chicago Jazz Festival . Even though I can’t get around to see as
much as I used to, I always have a great time and I look forward to
returning again next year.
Greg Turner
