Blues, a music form that defines honesty in unforgettable ways, took center stage in Chicago last week. Festivities and concerts were held in scores of venues north, south and west that celebrated all manifestations of the blues while commemorating the 50th anniversary of Alligator Records. Founded and still run by blues fan extraordinaire Bruce Iglauer, …
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 …
As we move further and further away from the isolating days of the Covid-driven lockdown, the more likely we are to forget some of the things that got us through those long often anxious days. Work and school filled a lot of voids but there were few options for activating crucial endorphins that result in …
Ayanna Woods Closes Out Eighth Blackbird’s Sterling Live Streaming Series Read More »
Artists nurturing artists is a phenomenon that may extend as far back as the first cave painters. And it likely includes those early humans who discovered you could create melody, harmony and song through voice. Chicago Artist Workshop (CAW) wears that mantle today as it fosters, helps to produce and presents the work of gifted …
With the latest change in America’s Executive Office, the United States assumes a new, much more cosmopolitan stance in the world. Hothouse’s 4-day musical extravaganza ending Sunday, January 24th seems tailor made to embody all that this momentous change represents. Celebrating its 34th year as an incubator, conduit and promoter of primarily musical art forms …
Hothouse Meets Havana – Delectable Music Odyssey Read More »
News of a vaccine has given the world an encouraging glimpse to an end of this relentless wait. Still, projections for a return to even a semblance of normalcy remain distant. The suffering, death and damage will persist for months to come. For those in industries and fields flattened by the economic toll of this …
There was a natural bond there somewhere. And it was probably in the voice. They both have that kind of rolling soothing tenor that wraps you up and whisks you away on silken sonorous wings. Which highlights one of the reasons Chicago was so disappointed in last year in March when the Jose James concert …
Here in the states, the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) rates as one of America’s oldest and most loved music events around. Held on 20 acres of the Monterey County Fairgrounds, up to 500 jazz artists perform over the festival’s long late September weekend. For musicians, Monterey is a place, very much like Carnegie Hall, that …
Chance encounters can remind you of things you’ve lost. They can also seem like gifts. One of those chance finds, For the Love of Lyric, a concert presented by Chicago’s esteemed Lyric Opera house was both. Conceived by the Lyric’s creative consultant and project’s advisor, celebrated soprano Renée Fleming, and slipped on line earlier this …
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 …