Grant Park; Thu 28-Sun 31
When jazz fans scan this year's lineup, two names will jump off the page: Sonny and Ornette. Sonny Rollins (Pritzker Pavilion), who kicks off the fest Thursday night, may be the exemplar of bebop's thorny relationship to its past. At 78, Rollins remains a mercurial and thrilling live performer, refusing to fit his unpredictable solos into the neat box jazz historians have assigned him. (Aging jazz musicians, take note.) And Ornette Coleman (Petrillo Music Shell)? Ditto what Ken Vandermark said.
But what's truly exciting about this year's fest isn't these New York-based, megawatt headliners--the lesser-known names are just as brilliant. In one of the more thorough lineups in recent memory, the fest features some of the city's most celebrated frequent visitors--many of whom should be honorary Chicagoans--along with some rarely heard local ensembles.
First among the visitors, salsa legend Eddie Palmieri (Petrillo), who easily can convince audiences he's playing piano with three hands, headlines Friday 29 following the elegant jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater (Petrillo). And on Saturday 30, Kenny Burrell (Jazz on Jackson Stage), one of the most sophisticated and soulful practitioners of bebop guitar, plays behind an all-star local trio, including the magnificent Larry Gray on bass and pianist Willie Pickens.
When jazz fans scan this year's lineup, two names will jump off the page: Sonny and Ornette. Sonny Rollins (Pritzker Pavilion), who kicks off the fest Thursday night, may be the exemplar of bebop's thorny relationship to its past. At 78, Rollins remains a mercurial and thrilling live performer, refusing to fit his unpredictable solos into the neat box jazz historians have assigned him. (Aging jazz musicians, take note.) And Ornette Coleman (Petrillo Music Shell)? Ditto what Ken Vandermark said.
But what's truly exciting about this year's fest isn't these New York-based, megawatt headliners--the lesser-known names are just as brilliant. In one of the more thorough lineups in recent memory, the fest features some of the city's most celebrated frequent visitors--many of whom should be honorary Chicagoans--along with some rarely heard local ensembles.
First among the visitors, salsa legend Eddie Palmieri (Petrillo), who easily can convince audiences he's playing piano with three hands, headlines Friday 29 following the elegant jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater (Petrillo). And on Saturday 30, Kenny Burrell (Jazz on Jackson Stage), one of the most sophisticated and soulful practitioners of bebop guitar, plays behind an all-star local trio, including the magnificent Larry Gray on bass and pianist Willie Pickens.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
