Stirring back to life, Chicago’s jazz scene is taking careful and cautious steps to regain its former strength and vigor. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be an easy recovery. Phase 4, Illinois’ Revitalization phase, is significant. Gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, effectively greenlighting arts related entities to finally open their …
One you didn’t get the chance to hear live nearly enough even before the lockdown and the other was completely unknown until Friday night. Thankfully, the post showing them in concert together will stay live for at least a few more weeks, giving a greater number of people the chance to enjoy two wonderful musical …
Early on during this rocky and perilous crisis, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts in Hyde Park has been presenting culturally exciting online options for public access. A few weeks ago, they managed to outdo themselves. Like expert tailors dabbling in magic, they wove together a lavish suite of artistic components commemorating …
Last week’s (May 8th) Cocktail Hour with jazz vocalist Kurt Elling turned out to be such a joy ride, waiting for this week’s installment is little like looking forward to a birthday present. What on earth is he going to do this week? Perfectly in tune with the times, and through the fortunate sponsorship of …
Music lovers may be keenly feeling the loss of live sounds; but as we all know, it’s the musicians who are suffering the full brunt of its absence from the city’s stages. They’ve joined the mass migration to the world-wide-web out of necessity, playing from home and broadcasting their performances via Facebook Live or another …
Jazz lovers have long memories and pride themselves on their loyalty to trusted music resources. That dedication explains why the Jazz Showcase was bulging at the seams Tuesday night with fans honoring retiring 90.9 WDCB radio host Barry Winograd. Winograd will be leaving his daily 10am to 2pm slot September 20th with early morning host …
It’s hard to say whether the story of Blue Note Records is the most implausible of love stories or an incredible and fascinating odyssey. The brainchild of a young refugee who discovered and fell intractably in love with an American music form while a teenager in Germany, the Blue Note label has come to represent …
Pssssst. What do you like most about summer in the city? Beautiful surroundings. Top flight music. A cold beer or a nice refreshing glass of wine on a beautiful summer night. Good food. A vibrant crowd. Sinking into a polished vibe. It’s all there every summer Tuesday night in the Museum of Contemporary Art’s backyard. …
Tolstoy had it right. Happy families are all the same but every unhappy family has its own special brand of sad. He didn’t mention the broad middle ground. That space where families skew one way or the other but can’t truly be called either happy or unhappy. Because of their unpredictability, these are the families …
There was no master plan. When the creators of the wildly successful musical Six came up with their concept to reintroduce the world to Henry the VIII’s many wives, their goal was simply to create a work that made women the centerpiece of the story and let them to flaunt their talent as if it …