Results for "Illinois"

New Music From Chicago Soul Jazz Collective And Dee Alexander On Calligram Records

April 4, 2026

Chicago Soul Jazz Collective returns with No Wind & No Rain (Calligram Records, 2026) No Wind & No Rain, their fourth album and most fully realized artistic statement to date. A seven-piece ensemble led by saxophonist John Fournier and featuring the acclaimed vocalist Dee Alexander, CSJC has spent years seeking that elusive sweet spot where Chicago ...

Too Many Zooz at the Metro in Chicago

by Sandra Kozintseva
March 12, 2026

Too Many Zooz are on a tour and on March 6, 2026 they made a stop in Chicago. They might have started in New York's subway, but this time they were playing for a packed hall at Metro. Leo P definitely knows how to get the audience's attention--his energy was palpable in the whole space, from ...

Saxophonist Chris Madsen Releases Threefold On Calligram Records

February 28, 2026

Saxophonist and composer Chris Madsen returns with Threefold, a compelling showcase of original music written specifically for his chordless trio featuring GRAMMY-award winning bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall. Following their 2023 debut The Trio Book, which explored classic jazz repertoire and lesser-known standards, Threefold marks a bold creative shift as Madsen and Sommers contribute ...

Marcus Miller at The Promontory

by Sandra Kozintseva
November 27, 2025

Samara Joy at Thalia Hall

by Sandra Kozintseva
November 26, 2025

Wednesday night might be the middle of the week, but on November 19, 2025, Thalia Hall in Chicago was sold out--Samara Joy was in town. The Grammy Award winner opened with a few tracks from her album, Portrait (Verve Records, 2024). The whole album was recorded in just three days, but, as Samara put ...

Sound & Gravity: Chicago's New Home For Poignant Creative Music

by Hrayr Attarian
September 23, 2025

The inaugural 2025 edition of the ambitious Sound & Gravity Festival took place from September 10th through September 14th at seven different venues on Chicago's Northwest Side. Over 50 musicians, from several countries, performed works spanning genres from contemporary Western classical to jazz, experimental music, and indie rock. The not-for-profit Constellation Performing Arts, which drummer Mike ...

Gustavo Cortiñas: A Jazz Drummer's Call To Action

by Lawrence Peryer
July 19, 2025

Today, the Spotlight shines on drummer and composer Gustavo Cortiñas.Gustavo's latest album, The Crisis Knows No Borders (Desafío Candente Records), tackles climate change head-on through music that's both urgent and beautiful. Working with guitarist Dave Miller, saxophonist Jon Irabagon, and violinist Mark Feldman, he's created compositions that explore how global warming sparks conflicts, drives ...

'Many Moons' The New Album By Trumpeter Markus Rutz

June 17, 2025

Markus Rutz & Third Coast Sounds announce Many Moons, the latest musical expression from the well—regarded trumpeter and composer. The new work is the ninth album from Rutz following the recent albums Storybook (2023) and Penumbra (2024) and features music in small group recorded with contemporaries from the Chicago scene. The ensemble sound is reminiscent of ...

Sharel Cassity: In the Spirit

by Katchie Cartwright
May 19, 2025

Even on an old familiar tune like Charlie Chaplin's “Smile" (1936), it is clear from note one that Sharel Cassity is a child of Bird, an altoist in the modernist tradition of Charlie Parker. Her first influence was actually her biological father, an organist, with whom she shared the stage in New Orleans at age 11, ...

Mbizo: A Gathering For Johnny Dyani

by Ngwako Malakalaka
March 11, 2025

Chicagoan Adam Zanolini, is a an ethnomusicologist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and bandleader whose work embodies the deep and ever-evolving legacy of black creative music. In a collaboration with the players and composers of the mighty AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and Chimurenga SA, they celebrate the music and philosophy of Johnny Mbizo ...