Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Vocalist Sheila Jordan Dies at 96
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
The Sutherland Community Arts Initiative (SCAI) will presents “No Room For Squares,” a celebration of jazz solidarity and the renewal of the Bronzeville jazz spirit. “No Room For Squares,” will feature Delmark recording artist and Bronzeville native Malachi Thompson and his Freebop Band featuring legendary saxophonists Gary Bartz and Billy Harper. This event will take place on Saturday, March 1, at The Spoken Word Cafe, 4655 S. King Drive.
Shows at 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $10 with a student ID.
SCAI has received a $500,000 grant from the City of Chicago’s Empowerment Zone initiative to support its programs, projects and events. This concert will be a kickoff for a series of events to take place on 47th street and in the Bronzeville community.
This concert is a prelude to the Freebop Band’s 25th annual season. The Freebop Band got it’s start in NYC in circa 1978 as part of the loft jazz scene in Lower Manhattan and the East Village and has since achieved international acclaim. To commemorate the 25th annual season Malachi is recording his 11th album for the Delmark record label. This project will combine Thompson’s Africa Brass with the Freebop Band. Africa Brass and Delmark records received support from the Aaron Copeland Fund For Music to record Thompson’s Black Metropolis Suite, a musical tribute to the Bronzeville community.
The Spoken Word Cafe is the first in a number of new cultural destinations coming to Bronzeville and the 47th Street corridor. The proprietor, Jimalita Tillman describes The Spoken Word Cafe as “... upscale, with an intimate environment where people can relax, meet with friends and network. My plan is to present seasoned international artists and also be a venue for young up and coming artists.”
Jordan was a dyed-in-the-wool bebopper whose formative musical experiences were with Charlie Parker.
Aug 12, 2025 10:24 AM
Sheila Jordan, a vocalist who was celebrated for her scatting and lyric-improvising abilities, died Aug. 11 at her home…
“I don’t guess I’m going to excite you; I know I’m going to excite you,” Palmieri said in an August 1994 DownBeat feature.
Aug 12, 2025 10:33 AM
Famed Latin jazz composer, bandleader and pianist Eddie Palmieri passed away in his New Jersey home on Aug. 6. He was…
“What I got from Percy was the dignity of playing the bass,” Buster Williams said of Percy Heath.
Aug 26, 2025 1:53 PM
Buster Williams, who at the age of 83 has been on the scene for 65 years, had never done a Blindfold Test. The first…
“I love the place that fate or whatever has positioned me in Gil Evans’ life and legacy,” said Ryan Truesdell.
Aug 5, 2025 12:26 PM
“I originally set out to give two years of my life to Gil,” Ryan Truesdell said of his mindset in 2009, when he…
Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.
Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…
