Given the number of people who regularly show up at Tuesdays on the Terrace, the Museum of Contemporary Art’s weekly treat of free jazz during summer, you can’t call it an undiscovered treasure. By 6:30pm, it’s usually teeming. Deceptively large and divided into several tiered levels, the space meanders peacefully over an acre of developed and natural grounds.
The terrace proper is just a short walk directly opposite the museum’s front door. It’s a handsome place to sit around a table with friends and take in a scene that, in many ways, can be considered posh. Set on the south end of the terrace, it’s a world unto itself. Food and drink concessions anchor the north end.
Another less casual “room” sits just over a wall. Chairs are set up in rows and push your attention to the stage, a good distance in front of you and just to the right. Sitting there, it’s all about the music as strategically placed speakers bring the stage to you.
The lawn, where picnic blankets and committed chill abound, lies immediately west. Even at its busiest there’s not a hint of things stifling or congested. Here, the music simply accents the vibe. If it’s a particularly well attended show, the wide stairs leading down to it are often lightly carpeted in people.
And then there’s the section for the jazz junkies. They take up their positions in colorful seating right in front of the stage. On the first day of August, there were no vacant slots at show time. This crowd takes no chances and probably arrived at 4. To their credit, they were grandly rewarded for snagging the best seats in the house that evening.
Dee Alexander, a Chicago native and stellar vocal artist delivered a show worthy of a hot night at Minton’s back in the day. When jazz rocks, fireworks ensue. Accompanied by her A team, Miguel de la Cerna on piano, Junius Paul on bass and Yussef Ernie Adams beating the sticks, Ms. Alexander and the band jumped out scorching with their version of Perdido. From there they kept the tempo on a rolling boil with an occasional dip into soft reflection to keep a little balance.
Drawing heavily from her own noteworthy CDs, Songs My Mother Loved and Wild is the Wind, Ms. Alexander switched tempo from her studio work and took it uptown. The affect was one of power, speed and astonishing flow. An unfettered flight in the joy of making music.
When Isaiah Collier appeared out of nowhere to further inflame an already smoking rendition of Afro Blue with his solo sax, the second set locked in the gold standard of performance exceptionalism. For those in the inner bubble, energy and hearts soared.
Fashion ruled off stage. And the ladies weren’t the only ones upping the ante. Guys went from high bohemian to pressed and polished perfection. Women showed a strong preference for linen in all manner of color and cuts as long as it was as stylish as it was comfortable. And there were plenty of other highly fashionable tributes to summer on the feet as well as on peoples’ backs. The variety of personal expression was thrilling as it usually is at this venue.
At this outdoor party, cosmopolitan and sophistication click together as finely as the pistons in a Ferrari.
Tuesdays on the Terrace
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Ave.
312-280-2660
https://mcachicago.org/Programs/Music/Tuesdays-On-The-Terrace