May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins Passes Away at 95
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
CHICAGO—The Chicago Jazz Ensemble (CJE) has announced this season’s American Heritage Jazz Series, which features four concerts at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and a 13-city Midwest tour. In addition to these concerts, members of the CJE will perform at various clinics and special events at Columbia College Chicago.
The Harris Theater concerts feature the CJE and include special guest Lalo Schifrin on Nov. 2; “The Music of Duke Ellington: Featuring Ellington’s Sacred Concert” on Dec. 14; “Happy 90th Birthday to Nat, Diz, Ella & Monk” on March 14, 2008; and “A Triumph of Trumpets” on April 11, 2008. All concerts begin at 8 p.m.
The Harris Theater for Music and Dance is located at 205 East Randolph Street, near Chicago’s Millennium Park. Tickets for this series are $45, $35, $20 and $15, with a 10 percent discount to senior citizens and students and a 20 percent discount to groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased at (312) 344-6600, (312) 334-7777 or harristheaterchicago.com. For more details and a complete list of dates for the tour, please see chijazz.com.
Onstage, Rollins would move about restlessly, thrusting his tenor sax in the air as he blew.
May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
To the world, James Blood Ulmer was a legend, a visionary and a musical force whose sound was distinctive and unique. To his family, he was their teacher, their storyteller and a source of strength.
Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
How best to mark Miles Davis’ centennial? By allowing the stories to flow, and cross-discussions to happen.
May 26, 2026 10:40 AM
Editor’s Note: The iconic trumpeter, composer and bandleader Miles Davis would have turned 100 today (May 26, 2026).…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM
The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
Ibrahim was an early jazz acolyte, studying the music via 78s he would buy from soldiers stationed in South Africa — who also gave him the nickname “Dollar.”
Jun 30, 2026 3:19 PM
Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, the NEA Jazz Master from South Africa who helped fuse the folk music of his home country with…
