Exceptional Summer Jazz in Hyde Park

Summer in Chicago usually means live music spilling out of parks, swirling through neighbor streets and rising from stages set up on hotel rooftops and assorted cultural and commercial patios; as well as in standard music forward venues.  Ravinia, that grand dame of outdoor entertainment is in full swing for the summer but some of the biggest June through September draws to downtown’s Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park are being postponed until 2022. The Museum of Contemporary Art’s (MCA) extremely popular and free outdoor jazz series is back; but with limited seating and a requirement to register before attending.  A few of its Tuesday on the Terrace tickets are still be available on walk-up the day of the show, but there’s no guarantee a spot will be available for those who choose to gamble.  This uneven journey back to normalcy makes another less publicized musical happening in Hyde Park worthy of a second look.

 A relative newcomer to usually abundant warm weather jazz options in Chicago, DuJazz turns out to be one of those little nooks of entertainment that gets overlooked and undervalued.  Presented under the auspices of DuSable Museum of African American History, the jazz program is part of a mix of music offerings held on a comfortable patio adjacent to the museum’s Roundhouse; just south its main building.  Sponsored by Walgreens Boots Alliance, the museum’s Du Summer events programs are held every week.  Wednesday nights feature jazz, Thursdays spotlight Latin rhythms, Fridays are dedicated to House music and Saturday switches to dance where the patio transforms into a “Steppers” paradise. The music schedule  began on June 2^nd and will continue through September 30. 

With its stage set deep in the patio’s center and its privacy walls festooned with brightly painted murals, many of them carrying positive messages of unity and hope, a welcome sense of seclusion and serenity is pervasive.  Perhaps 40 tables for four, covered in fabric, are loosely arranged facing the stage and an alcohol concession sits patiently on the west wall.  Food is not currently available but organizers are very lenient in permitting patrons to bring their own snacks and beverages of all kinds. 

The patio’s privacy, efforts to give tables a more dressed presentation and the caliber of jazz musicians invited to perform at the venue gives the whole affair an air of exclusivity.  Unlike other similar jazz offerings, the Du Summer venues at the museum are not free.  Wednesday Jazz nights require a $25 admission fee.  The other musically themed evenings have a cover charge of $10. 

On an evening leaning into cool, last Wednesday’s show on the 21^st proved the ideal time to drop in and get a feel for the space’s personality.  Most of the tables were already filled by the 6pm start time and the atmosphere was relaxed and unhurried as table mates talked or simply waited for the show to begin. 

Richard Johnson headlined the show.  A Pittsburgh native, the jazz piano Phenom ended up relocating to Chicago several years ago; probably to shorten his commute between gigs.  He’d been doing quite a lot of work accompanying a wide and respected circle of Chicago jazz musicians and decided to become one of them.  He’s also married to an exceptional jazz saxophonist, Sharel Cassity, whose made her way back to Chicago from New York.

A graduate of both the Berklee School of Music and the Boston Conservatory, his professional resume includes a long stint with elite ensembles including the Jazz of Lincoln Center Orchestra headed by Wynton Marsalis as well as accompanying icons likes of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Arturo Sandoval.  As he manned the piano Wednesday night, Grammy award-winning Christian Dillingham joined him on bass, while the ever versatile and popular Dana Hall added his magic on drums and cymbals.

Johnson’s naturally warm and open on stage and, while conducting the standard dialogue with the audience, does the courtesy of announcing the names of the songs he and the band are about to play or have just played.  He also takes the time to briefly place the songs in a context, usually historically and in a way that invariably add their appeal.   

Fine and mellow, the first set easily charmed everyone in attendance judging from the intent attention paid to the music and the tell-tale head bopping that signifies complete approval.  The first hour still seemed to possess an exploratory element as if the that ethereal connection between the musicians was still gelling.  A shift came 10 minutes before the first set was about to end around 7pm when the trio introduced swinging blues to their repertorie.  The up-tempo shift flipped the switch on the evening’s mood, turning it after hours playful and a time to dance.  Saxophonist Rajiv Halim sat in as the special surprise guest during the second set as well; delivering memorable renditions of Jitterbug Waltz and more than one of his own compositions.  If this Wednesday night in July is a sample of what the DuSable Museum’s DuJazz series offers, it well deserves becoming a staple of summer.

For more information about the museum’s summer events, visit:  https://www.dusablemuseum.org/events/