Aug 29

Aug 29 Chicago Jazzfest--Day 1

Chicago, Chicago Tourism, Festivals, Musicians, Performance, Windows

The 41st Annual Chicago Jazz Festival kicked off today, with afternoon programming at the Chicago Cultural Center on Michigan Avenue across from Millennium Park. For those of us who have been around awhile, we need to constantly remind ourselves that even though jazz is not what it once was in the public’s collective consciousness, the art form is alive and well. Today’s performers may not be as widely known as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Dexter Gordon, Thelonious Monk or countless other innovators who are now deceased, but they are just as talented. Jazz, like pop, rock, R&B, blues, classical, and other musical genres, exists in a world where music just does not command the popular imagination that it once did. The reasons for this are many, but streaming, the demise of radio, and other entrainment alternatives created by computer technology are among the reasons.

Each year, Jazzfest tries to refocus the popular imagination. Anyone who jumped back and forth between Preston Bradley Hall and the Claudia Cassidy Theatre knows all to well that Chicago has some terrific local talent, the musicians continue to innovate, and the music sounds as good as ever.

I began the day in the Claudia Cassidy Theatre listening to the Red Rose Ragtime Band, a group of seasoned musicians—the band has been around since the mid-Eighties—who go back to jazz’s roots by playing the works of Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and other early New Orleans denizens. This music never goes out of style. The Triple R Band highlights the complexity of those early compositions.

I then headed over the the Preston Bradley Hall, where phenom Alexis Lombre was performing with her quintet, which included Corey Wilkes on trumpet, Rajiv Halim on saxophone, and Charles Heath on drums. You would never believe that Lombre was an unknown high school student just a few years ago. She was in command of the stage and the seasoned talent accompanying her.

It was then back to the Claudia Cassidy Theatre to hear a band led by Chicago bassist Anton Hatwich. Joining him were, Jaimie Branch on trumpet, Keefe Jackson on saxophone and Avreeayl Ra on drums. When you see Ra’s name listed, you know that the music is going to swing, but be slightly bent. I contend that there is no better drummer in jazz today than Ra. Just watch his body. At first, he looks like he is flailing about, but every stroke is carefully timed and placed.

And for the rest of the afternoon, I repeated the run between Preston Hall and the Claudia Cassidy Theatre. I particularly enjoyed Ernest Dawkins’ efforts in leading a group of AACM luminaries that included Lombre, Ra, Ed House, Taalib Din Ziyard, and Dee Alexander.

By the time I arrived at the Prizker Pavilion for the day’s main event, I could have easily gone home satisfied, but I was not going to miss Freddy Cole’s tribute to his brother, Nat King Cole. But first, there was Mike Reed and his The City Was Yellow project. Reed has been collecting original works by Chicago jazz artists that were penned over the last 30 years, hoping to both reinvigorate and preserve them for future generations. With him were Rob Mazurek on cornet, Nicole Mitchell on flute, Ari Brown and Geof Bradford on saxophones, Matt Ulery on bass, and Jeff Parker on guitar. We often think of jazz in terms of its blues roots and swing. No doubt, those elements were present in the music offered up by Reed, but what I noticed was the orchestration. Using the jazz label is a bit limiting for the music that these musicians have played in various configurations over recent years. It’s just good music no matter how you label it.

But if jazz rooted in the blues is what you seek, Freddy Cole more than fit the bill. Cole is getting up there in age at 88. He seemed somewhat impaired as he made his way to the piano with the help of his son, Lionel. But I can’t help but root for anyone who has the guts to keep doing what they love as they age. It was readily apparent that Cole still loves performing before adoring audiences. As his set progressed, he became more powerful and forceful. Accompanying Cole were Randy Napoleon on bass, Elias Bailey on guitar, and Jay Sawyer on drums. Together, they worked through such classics as Sweet Lorraine, Straighten Up and Fly Right. Mona Lisa, Nature Boy, and On the South Side of Chicago. His son managed to work some Marvin Gaye into the set, which really wasn’t necessary, but it was an enjoyable interlude. More impressive was Lionel’s affection for his father.

And so the first day of Jazzfest 2019 is in the books.

Note: Some of the images are not up to my standards, but are included for completeness. Unfortunately, my primary lens for photographing concerts was busted. It took me about two days to realize it because the images on the LCD screen looked fine. Many are just a tad soft. For the doubters: It wasn’t my imagination. The repair cost through Sony’s US repair depot was over $800. An entire lens element needed to be replaced.

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