Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
Flea Finds His Jazz Thing
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Chicagoland’s Ravinia Festival will host this year’s Jazz In June festival-within-a-festival from June 10–13.
Under the artistic direction of Ramsey Lewis, Jazz In June features four days of jazz shows supplemented by master classes, preview concerts and after-concert sets by a range of musicians.
Trumpeter Roy Hargrove hosts a 4 p.m. master class on June 10 to get it all started. Henry Johnson’s Organ Express will play a preview concert on the main stage at 6 p.m., followed by sets from headliners Medeski Martin & Wood and Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor. A postlude will feature James Moody, Rufus Reid and artists from the Steans Institute.
On June 11, pianist Renee Rosnes holds a 4 p.m. master class, followed by a preview concert from James Moody. Oscar Peterson will return to Ravinia to headline that evening. Afterwards, the Steans Institute is back with help from Danilo Perez.
Latin jazz is the focus on June 12, with a 3 p.m. master class from percussionist Milton Cardona and a 5 p.m. preview concert from the Ravinia Jazz Mentors and Scholars. The Lincoln Center’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra will headline that night.
The last night, June 13, gets started with a preview concert by Oscar Brown Jr. and Maggie Brown at 5 p.m. The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Marian McPartland Trio and Ramsey Lewis Trio will close out the festivities starting at 7 p.m.
For tickets or more information about seating options and times, visit www.ravinia.org
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
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