Archives for January 2008

It’s uniquely Chicago culture – the “can-do” attitude of a committed hardcore jazz community encouraging new music now. The independent nonprofit Jazz Institute of Chicago throws an absolutely free and musically world-class one day Jazz Fair in the depths of frosty January.

Chicagoans won’t be deterred — like other northerners, they shrug off January and find meaning by escaping their caves. At least, I hope so, heading into my hometown for the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s annual winter Jazz Fair at the beautiful Cultural Center.

Merkin Concert Hall nipped and tucked, 14 pianists astride keyboard genres drew an overflow audience from 2 pm to 9 on Martin Luther King Day — free of charge, and this jewel-box holds only 450, but the acoustics are swell, and so was some of the music.

“Everywhere I’ve been in in the past couple of years – and I’ve been everywhere — young people have put aside their indigenous musics and adopted jazz and blues as their Esperanto,” said Quincy Jones, most famous of the 2008 NEA Jazz Masters at the 35th annual International Association for Jazz Education conference in Toronto […]

Education is one aspect of the jazz world in evident ascent; Down Beat last spring listed some 180 North American schools offering degrees in the music born a century ago in taverns and brothels. The 35th annual International Association for Jazz Education conference, in Toronto this weekend, suggests how far swinging blues have come.

From a JBJ reader — and a surprise listening encounter: Writes Paul Botts, first quoting another commenter on my earlier posting: ” ‘He was a jazz pianist for those who don’t really like jazz.’ Oh for…is it really necessary to regurgitate now the same nonsense that Peterson heard for 50 years? His having a grudge […]