Chicago Jazz Fest For 2010 Goes Thru Big Change

Changes are a comin' for the Chicago Jazz Fest this year (2010)...
(well one thing that hasn't changed is that the event's programming is still done by the non-profit Jazz Institute of Chicago)...here are the upcoming changes and early news on the fest:

--Grant Park portion of the fest goes from three to two days, September 4th and 5th

--A Chicago Jazz Festival Week will offer major events at Millennium Park, the Chicago Cultural Center and the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies

--Grant Park Headliners are currently former Chicagoan Henry Threadgill, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Elling, the Either/Orchestra, Rene Marie, Brian Blade

--The Chicago Jazz Partnership, a consortium of Chicago corporations and foundations will underwrite events at the Chicago Cultural Center and Millennium Park. CareFusion will sponsor the Chicago Jazz Festival weekend.

--Here is the tentative schedule so far for the new 6-day Chicago Jazz Festival Week concept:

Aug. 31
"A Pride of Trumpets: Celebrating Chicago's Jazz Trumpet Legacy." Includes trumpeters Corey Wilkes, Orbert Davis, Marquis Hill, Bobby Lewis, Brad Goode, Pharez Whitted, Art Hoyle and Robert Griffin, led by Chicago Jazz Ensemble artistic director Jon Faddis. Reception: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Concert: 8 p.m. Location: Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 610 S. Michigan Ave.; $125-$200; 312-427-1676, ext. 3, or jazzinchicago.org.

Sept. 1
2010 Jazz Club Tour. Guided tour of Chicago jazz clubs: 6 p.m. to midnight via the Chicago Trolley Company. Tickets: (includes all transportation and entrance fees) $25 in advance; $30 the day of the event; 312-427-1676 or jazzinchicago.org.

Sept. 2
Pritzker Pavilion Outdoors. Music: noon to 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with "Big Band Birthday Bash: Ahmad Jamal's 80th with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra" Location: Millennium Park, near Randolph Drive and Michigan Avenue; free; 312-742-1168 or millenniumpark.org.

Sept. 3
A Tale Of Two Venues. Music: noon to 3 p.m. Location: Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.
Music: 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Location: Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park (headliners to be announced) free; 312-742-1168 or millenniumpark.org.

Sept. 4 and 5
The Classic Spot:Grant Park. Music: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (four stages, including the newest: the Chicago Community Trust Young Jazz Lions Stage offering high school & college bands); free.

For more info check out the Chicago Tribune article by Howard Reich, here.

Jazz Journalists Association 2009 Jazz Awards Video Highlights Blidget

A little after the fact, but here are the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) Video Highlights from their 2009 Awards show held at the Jazz Standard, NYC on June 16th, 2009...provided to you by a Widgetbox widget a.k.a. "blidget" (designed by ozmos) that you can add to your own webpage...check it out below (Is your AUDIO ON?):

(source: http://oz.ozmoticmedia.com/)

Grammy Award Jazz Winners For 2010

Here are the 2010 Grammy Award WINNERS in the Jazz Category...

Best Contemporary Jazz Album
75 - Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
Dancin' 4 Chicken - Terence Blanchard, soloist

Best Pop Instrumental Album

Potato Hole - Booker T. Jones

Best Pop Instrumental Performance

Throw Down Your Heart - Bela Fleck

Best Traditional Pop Album

Michael Buble' - Michael Buble' Meets Madison Square Garden

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Dedicated to you - Kurt Elling sings the music of Coltrane & Hartman

Other Winners

Chick Corea/John Mclaughlin and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra

The Legendary Clark Terry received A Grammy Awardfor lifetime achievement!

Guitarist -Paul Jackson Jr.

Jazz Trumpeter - Ron Haynes

(source: grammy.com)

Winter Jazz Fest 2010 In Chicago Suburb Features Mambo Zombies

Located in Glen Ellyn, IL, a southwest suburb of Chicago, College of DuPage is the venue for WDCB Jazz at the MAC Winter Jazz Fest featuring among others (Orbert Davis, Kurt Elling, Zvonimir Tot, Ari Brown, Laurence Hobgood, Steve Ramsdell, Tom Tallman to name a few)...the Mambo Zombies on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010, 10 p.m. in Theatre 2...Shifting to this intimate theatre, the late night set features the sizzling sounds of Chicago’s hottest Latin jazz sextet, The Mambo Zombies. But these guys are no zombies; they are alive and kickin’ and will have you up on your feet dancing to the music. Performing musical standards from the United States, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico and the Caribbean, the core of this band is a trio of veteran studio musicians Jose Valdes on keyboard and bass pedals, Dez Desormeaux on sax and flute and Luis Rosario on drums and percussion.

Tickets: $20 adult/18 senior/10 youth

BUY TICKETS NOW!

To order by phone:
Telephone orders may be placed Monday evening from 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., by calling (630) 942-4000. Orders processed less than seven days before performance are held at the Ticket Office. Unless otherwise noted, first performance price denotes regular price. Second price is for seniors, third price is for C.O.D. students and youth.

To order by mail or fax:
Make checks payable to McAninch Arts Center Ticket Office and mail your order form to:

McAninch Arts Center
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137-6599
Or, fax completed order forms to our office at (630) 942-3905.

You may download a ticket order form in a portable document format (PDF). After completing the form, you may mail it to the address above, or fax it to the ticket office at (630) 942-3905.

To order online:
Visit tickets.com to order tickets to select MAC events on-line.