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The weather on the drive from Chicago to Milwaukee today was pretty intense. No precipitation. Just large cumulus clouds hanging above. As we got closer to Milwaukee, the clouds became more dense, losing their form and dimensionality, but after lunch the sun kept popping through, creating interesting light.
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Several weeks ago, I received a notice that the Chicago Tribune was offering a two-hour tour of its Chicago Avenue printing and distribution plant, referred to as the Freedom Center. My impression was that this was a one-time event, so I immediately purchased two $25 dollar tickets. It turns out that the Tribune offers the tour nine times a year
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Tonight, Chicago's jazz community staged a benefit concert at the University of Chicago's Logan Center to help Ellis cover medical and rehab bills. That community loves her so much that the organizers had to turn away musicians who wanted to participate in the 2.5 hour concert.
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Whatever. Today, with towel in hand, Tail Dragger gave a mesmerizing performance. On the surface, it was rooted deep in Chicago blues traditions that many others have sucessfully mined over the years. Yet, Tail Dragger is the real deal. There are not too many veterans like him around any more. I am glad I dragged myself out of bed into the heat.
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Earlier in the day I had the opportunity to see Big Bill Morganfield, who is Muddy Waters' son. Absolutely terrific. Solid band, talented showman, and great guitar player. He was sitting behind me tonight during Nellie Travis' set. Very nice guy.
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Today, I saw what I perceive to be my first pro-Trump rally in Chicago. Ostensibly the rally was to protest the possibility that Sharia law would be instituted in the United States, but at the end of the day, at least some of those present were Donald Trump supporters who were making a symbolic stand in front of the bronze statue of an 11-foot high George Washington on the northwest corner of Wacker and Wabash. Not surprisingly, a group of counter-protesters was in place at the northeast corner, which often serves as the locus for Trump protests in Chicago.
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Many people expressed a lot of concern when the City decided to move the 2017 Chicago Bluesfest to Millennium Park rather than continuing to use the longstanding location at Petrillo Music Shell and the side stages in Grant Park. People did not want to substitute concrete for grass. Overall, I think the City did a great job in prepping Millennium Park for the onslaught of blues enthusiasts and casual passersby who heard the music wafting from the four stages as they enjoyed the Bean and the Crown Fountain.
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Each year, a group of elementary school students shows attendees of the Chicago Blues Festival what they have learned. Whether or not the next Muddy Waters, Lonnie Baker, or Guy Clark Jr. emerges from the program won't be known for at least a decade or two. In the meantime, the kids are having a rollicking good time. If nothing else, I suspect we will see many of these kinds in the audience in future years.
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Marshall Field and Company exists now only as a sign that Macy's hasn't removed out of fear of alienating the Chicago market and its fond remembrances of the once venerable Field and Company. Much the same can be said of Maxwell Street Market, which has been moved to a new location and is a shadow of its former self. Yet, Brian Doroba (guitar)
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I spent two hours earlier in the evening at the Chicago Cultural Center enjoying Sam Lay stories, listening to Chicago blues harpist Corky Siegel and Lay perform two numbers together, and watching director John Anderson's terrific new documentary Sam Lay in Bluesland. Those are the component parts of the evening, but so much more was going on.
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Surprise, Surprise! At about noon, I was within a block of Daley Plaza (the location of the Picasso statue) when I heard the sweet sounds of some Chicago Blues reverberating off the buildings, sounding just like it did when Muddy Waters plugged his guitar into an amp.
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Over the last several years, I have noticed an interesting phenomenon as I travel throughout the city: Skyscrapers create their own micro climates. Traveling south on Lake Shore Drive toward the John Hancock Center, I sometimes see fog drifting in that pretty much obscures the skyline, only to discover clear skies once I cross North Avenue heading south on LaSalle.
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Covfefe made it into the demonstration lexicon at Chicago's March for Truth today. This was the poster of the day, even though the Photoshopping is less than desirable.
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Everyone who visits Chicago inevitably sees the skyline, with the Willis Tower on the south end and the John Hancock Tower on the north end. The Trump Tower is in the middle, as is the Amoco Building (now the Aon Center) . What many don't see is the spiral drum immediately to the east of the Hancock Tower. It is part of the ramp that leads to the parking garage on the lower floors of the Hancock. It is made of concrete, and looks similar in shape to the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, although on further reflection, there are big differences.
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Rain was in the forecast today, but on North Avenue Beach, it was nowhere to be found. Sunny, warm, but none of the July and August humidity was in the air, which probably kept beach attendance down a bit, but there were still plenty of people milling about. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Volleyball, touch football, castles in the sand, and the smell of a little reefer in the air.
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Given what a delightful day it was, I found it odd to stumble across these rather sinister looking bottles, high on a windowsill. The first feature I saw was the white light, but then I noticed that the bottles were casting a rather large and sinister shadow. It was the setting sun that provided an intense source of light.
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If you are looking for somewhere over the rainbow in Chicago, walk along the Riverwalk toward the Lake Shore Drive Bridge. Centennial Fountain is located on the north side of the river. Dedicated in 1989, the fountain commemerates the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
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As you walked into the old section of the Art of Institute of Chicago, you pass a grand staircase. On the first landing is a bronze sculpture of a torso created by Roussillon-born sculpturer Aristide Maillol in 1906. It is entitled Enchanted Action. The white light in the staircase always tickles down to the toes, and yet the torso has no toes to tickle.
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Several years back, Nutella was the rage on college campuses. The little single serving packets were replacing salt, sugar, and butter packets in college cafeterias, with administrators being forced to keep a sharp eye on students loading pockets, purses, and backpacks with dozens of those packets filled with delicious chocolate hazelnut goo.
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Gerhard Steidl, the German master publisher of photography and art books, delivered the annual Hugh Edwards Lecture at the Art Institute of Chicago this evening. Toward the end of the lecture, Steidl said he is a technician, not an artist. Most devotees to the books that he publishes would strongly disagree.
