Mar 4, 2025 1:29 PM
Changing of the Guard at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
On October 23, Ted Nash – having toured the world playing alto, soprano and tenor saxophone, clarinet and bass…
Shemekia Copeland is set to headline the Jay Pritzker Pavilion on June 5 as part of The Chicago Blues Festival.
(Photo: Mike White)The Chicago Blues Festival returns to Chicago June 5–7 and marks the 70th anniversary of Chess Records, the label that brought music by Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf to the world.
One day before the festival begins its main slate of programming, Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation and Chicago Blues Revival will host a Record Row walking tour, with a musical celebration to follow at 2120 S. Michigan Ave., where Chess Records was located. Music is set to run from 6 p.m. to 8.
A list of main-stage performers headed to Millennium Park is below.
June 5 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion
7:50 p.m.–9: Shemekia Copeland
7 p.m.–7:40: Jimmy Johnson and Billy Branch
5:45 p.m.–6:45: Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling
4:30 p.m.–5:30: Marquise Knox
June 6 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion
7:50 p.m.–9: Candi Staton
7 p.m.–7:40: John Primer and Steve Bell
5:45 p.m.–6:45: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
4:30 p.m.–5:30: The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra featuring Terrie Odabi and Sugaray Rayford
June 7 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion
7:50 p.m.–9: Eric Gales
7 p.m.–7:40: Erwin Helfer and Katherine Davis
5:45 p.m.–6:45: Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials
4:30 p.m.–5:30: Catherine Russell celebrating the Classic Blues Women Centennial
Other performances on ancillary stages include singer Mary Lane and guitarist Cedric Burnside on Friday; guitarists Tab Benoit and Johnny Burgin, and singer Mud Morganfield on Saturday; and singer Johnny Rawls and guitarist Tinsley Ellis on Sunday.
For additional information about the event, visit the City of Chicago homepage. DB
As Ted Nash, left, departs the alto saxophone chair for LCJO, Alexa Tarantino steps in as the band’s first female full-time member.
Mar 4, 2025 1:29 PM
On October 23, Ted Nash – having toured the world playing alto, soprano and tenor saxophone, clarinet and bass…
Larry Appelbaum with Wayne Shorter in 2012.
Feb 25, 2025 10:49 AM
Larry Appelbaum, a distinguished audio engineer, jazz journalist, historian and broadcaster, died Feb. 21, 2025, in…
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall.
Apr 8, 2025 1:23 PM
Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the 14th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York, featuring…
“You’ve got to trust that inner child, keep exploring, even though people think it’s wrong,” says Fortner.
Feb 25, 2025 11:20 AM
Every week at the Village Vanguard fosters its own sound. No one really knows how the music might evolve by Sunday, but…