Bassist, Composer and Educator, Clark has toured and performed extensively throughout the world. He has had the privilege of performing with Cedar Walton, Darrell Grant, Brian Blade, Ernie Watts, Bennie Maupin, Von Freeman, Ira Sullivan, Frank Wess, Charles McPherson, Peter Bernstein, Lin Haliday, Dana Hall, Jodie Christian, Bobby Broom, Jeff Parker, Ron Perrillo, Geof Bradfield, Michael Weiss, George Fludas, Kevin Mahogany, Eden Atwood, Ted Sirota’s Rebel Souls, The Chicago Jazz Orchestra among others.

Clark Sommers W'Ba(SH)

Dearborn Station

Clark Sommers

Rising star Jimmy Farace brings his original music and arrangements to the stage in an exciting trio format. He’s joined by two legends of the Chicago jazz scene: drummer Dana Hall and GRAMMY Award–winning bassist/composer Clark Sommers.

This performance offers a rare chance to hear Farace’s music live just days before the group documents it in the studio—an intimate preview of a sound that blends bold improvisation, deep interplay, and forward-looking creativity with the spirit of Chicago jazz.

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Jimmy Farace Trio

Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

John Wojciechowski Quartet with special guest Albert Einstein Gymnasium Big Band (or A.E.G.) from Boblingen, Germany

John Wojchiechowski w/ Albert Einstein Gymnasium Big Band

Geof Bradfield’s work as a composer and performer on saxophones and clarinets embraces intersections of modern jazz and other streams of African Diaspora music, drawing inspiration from Charlie Parker, Melba Liston, Lead Belly, Shona mbira music, and Gullah spirituals. Born in Houston, TX, Bradfield has performed throughout North America, Europe, Russia, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, sharing the stage with artists such as Randy Weston, Dana Hall, Clark Sommers, Brian Blade, Anna Webber, Orrin Evans, Jeff Parker, Matt Ulery, and Ryan Cohan. His work is featured on 50+ CDs including eight albums as a leader that have garnered critical accolades from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and NPR. Nate Chinen describes his Yes, and…Music for Nine Improvisers (Delmark Records) as “an album of chamber-esque color and oft-surprising texture, because Bradfield is the sort of composer who creates room for departure.” He has received grants and awards from Chamber Music America, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, DCASE, Illinois Arts Council, and the Mellon Foundation. The Downbeat Critics Poll has named him a Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist and Arranger multiple years.

Geof Bradfield Quintet 2025

Lauded as "one of the most sensitive and creative guitarists in a city filled with them" (Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune) and described as “monstrously talented” by Christopher Loudon (Jazz Times magazine), Neal Alger's musical versatility has allowed him to perform with Howard Levy (jazz), New Black Renaissance (R&B/Soul), Bossa Tres (Brazilian samba), and Blend Acoustic (classic rock/pop). Neal has toured Europe, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Russia, and the U.S. with vocalist/pianist Patricia Barber and he is featured on her Blue Note Records releases Verse, Live: A Fortnight in France, Mythologies, The Cole Porter Mix, and Higher.

Neal Alger Quintet

Adam Larson (b. 1990) is an American saxophonist, composer, educator and author currently residing in the Kansas City-area. He holds BM and MM degrees in jazz performance from The Manhattan School of Music and was a part of the vibrant NYC jazz scene for eleven years before relocating in 2019. While a resident of the KC-Metro, Larson has held positions at UMKC Conservatory, University of Kansas and The Kansas City Art Institute. Larson currently teaches Entrepreneurship at KCAI. Larson continues to perform in NYC with some of the greatest musicians in the genre.

The Adam Larson Trio

East Tennessee State University

Join us for a mesmerizing evening of jazz with the Stu Katz / Eric Schneider Quartet at the iconic Jazz Showcase, the heart of where jazz lives in Chicago. This special performance is part of the Charlie Parker Month celebration, taking place from Thursday, August 15, 2024, to Sunday, August 18, 2024, with shows starting at 8:00 PM each night.

The quartet features the legendary Stu Katz, an American jazz pianist and vibraphonist known for his authentic bebop style and collaborations with jazz greats like Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, and Dexter Gordon. Joining him is Eric Schneider, a Chicago native with a rich jazz career, known for his work with Earl Hines, Count Basie, and his passionate solos on clarinet and saxophone. The lineup also includes the talented Clark Sommers and Doug Hayes on bass, with Ernie Adams on drums for a Saturday performance that promises to be unforgettable.

The event will be held at the Jazz Showcase, located at 806 S Plymouth Ct, Chicago, offering a cozy and intimate setting for an evening of world-class jazz. This is a unique opportunity to experience the artistry of jazz veterans who have shaped the genre, in a venue that has hosted some of the most significant figures in jazz history.

Tickets are available for general admission at $25 and VIP preferred seating at $40 for the Thursday show. For Friday, Saturday, and Sunday performances, general admission is $30, and VIP preferred seating is $45. Don't miss this chance to witness a live performance that pays homage to the legacy of Charlie Parker and the vibrant Chicago jazz scene.

Stu Katz / Eric Schneider Quartet

Jazz Showcase

Saxophonist John Wojciechowski, of whom the Chicago Tribune’s Howard Reich wrote: “…technically accomplished, musically profound and harmonically daring” is originally from Detroit and has spent the last 18 years performing and teaching in Chicago. In addition to leading his own groups, he has performed or recorded with The Chicago Jazz Orchestra, The Chicago Jazz Ensemble, The Woody Herman Orchestra, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Clark Terry, Charlie Haden, and Kurt Elling among many others. John was also a third place finalist in the 1996 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. John is or has been a member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Dana Hall’s spring, the Jeff Campbell Trio (w/ John Hollenbeck), the Chicago Yestet, Ryan Cohan’s Sextet, and the New Standard Jazz Orchestra. John has appeared on dozens of recordings as a sideman, and has two recordings as a leader: “Lexicon", released in 2009 and “Focus” which was released in the fall of 2015 on Origin records to critical acclaim.

John Wojciechowski Quartet

A continuation of Dana Hall’s 2015 collaboration with Cheryl Lynn Bruce and Kerry James Marshall, this program reconvenes and commissions Hall and Bruce to further develop and restage the work. Hypocrisy of Justice explores inequities within systems and institutions, along with lived experiences of confinement, redemption, hope, and home. In addition to two performances, there will be a free day-long symposium on October 8.

Clark Sommers

Events

Past events

10 - 13 Sep, 2026

Clark Sommers W'Ba(SH) · Jazz Showcase

Mar 18, 2026

Clark Sommers · Jazz Showcase

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