Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
In Memoriam: Jack DeJohnette, 1942–2025
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
Chick Corea’s Trilogy, which also includes bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade, are set to play the 2019/20 Symphony Center Presents Jazz series in Chicago on Nov. 1.
(Photo: Courtesy CSO)The 2019/2020 Symphony Center Presents Jazz series in Chicago is set to return Nov. 1.
During the past two-plus decades, the series has featured some of the jazz world’s most feted players, including performances last year by Joshua Redman and Zakir Hussain’s Crosscurrents, which featured bassist Dave Holland and saxophonist Chris Potter. This season’s planned events dip into local talent with an appearance of Chicago drummer and bandleader Makaya McCraven, while also marking the genre’s legacy with a celebration of saxophonist Charlie Parker, who was born in 1920.
All shows are planned for Chicago Symphony Orchestra at 220 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago and are slated to begin at 8 p.m.
Nov. 1: Chick Corea Trilogy (with Christian McBride and Brian Blade)
Nov. 15: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Nov. 16: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: South African Songbook
Jan. 31: Makaya McCraven In These Times (with Marquis Hill, Jeff Parker, Junius Paul, Greg Ward, Brandee Younger)
Feb. 14: The Piano Soul of Nat King Cole featuring Jeff Lindberg’s Chicago Jazz Orchestra (with Kenny Barron, Benny Green, Russell Malone)
Feb. 28: Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya
March 21: SFJAZZ Collective and special guest vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater mark the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way and Sly & the Family Stone’s Stand!
April 3: Fly Higher: Charlie Parker @ 100 (Rudresh Mahanthappa, Terri Lyne Carrington, Charenée Wade, Adam O’Farrill, Kris Davis, Larry Grenadier and DJ Kassa Overall) + Sean Jones Quartet
April 17: Artemis (Renee Rosnes, Anat Cohen, Melissa Aldana, Ingrid Jensen, Noriko Ueda and Allison Miller) + Jazzmeia Horn
May 1: Kurt Elling marks the 25th anniversary of Close Your Eyes
June 5: Dianne Reeves Beleza Brazil
For additional information about the series, visit the CSO website. DB
Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.
Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
“Think of all the creative people I’m going to meet and a whole other way of thinking about music and a challenge of singing completely different material than I would have sung otherwise to my highest level in dedication to the moment,” Elling says about his Broadway run.
Sep 9, 2025 1:18 PM
Kurt Elling was back at home in Chicago, grabbing some family time in a late-June window between gigs. Sporting a smile…
Pat Metheny will perform with his Side-Eye III ensemble at Big Ears 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee, next March.
Sep 9, 2025 12:19 PM
Big Ears has announced the lineup for its 2026 festival, which will take place March 26–29 and include 250…
“[That’s] the thing of the beboppers,” Bradford said. “These guys were important for not only playing that wonderful music, but they knew a sort of social stance, you see?”
Sep 9, 2025 1:07 PM
It was a calm, balmy, near-perfect evening in Westwood, California, not far from UCLA, in the expansive courtyard at…
Esperanza Spalding closed an audacious Chicago Jazz Festival set with “Endangered Species.”
Sep 9, 2025 11:50 AM
The 45th Chicago Jazz Festival kicked off its headline events with two erudite individuals, Esperanza Spalding and…