Jazz jam sessions have long been the place where musicians gather to connect, perform together, and hone their skills. Historically, jam sessions take place after-hours in the clubs, making it impossible for student musicians to participate. The Jazz Links Jam Session creates a live performance opportunity where student musicians can learn, grow, and connect with their jazz community.

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Jazz Links Jam Session

Jazz Showcase

Bobby’s career has spanned five decades from touring with Jack Teagarden, Tex Bene and the Modernaires, and as conductor and featured soloist with Peggy Lee, to creating and leading several of his own groups in performance and at Jazz Festivals all over the world. He has produced 13 CD recordings of his music, and as a studio musician has played on more than 7500 recording sessions. Bobby’s love affair with music is still growing strong!

Bobby Lewis Quintet

From his beginnings as one of Chicago’s most thrilling young trumpeters, to his current status as an internationally renowned musician, composer and bandleader, Marquis Hill has worked tirelessly to break down the barriers that divide musical genres. Contemporary and classic jazz, hip-hop, R&B, Chicago house, neo-soul—to Hill, they’re all essential elements of the profound African-American creative heritage he’s a part of. “It all comes from the same tree,” he says. “They simply blossomed from different branches.”

Marquis Hill

Trumpeter Corey Wilkes Quartet

The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective (CSJC) is a band driven toward a performer-audience relationship of headshaking, hard-grooving, spirit-lifting original music influenced by the renown of classic soul-jazz. According to SoulTracks, CSJC produces music that "…really SWINGS". 

Chicago Soul Jazz Collective feat. Dee Alexander

At the start of the Great Recession in September 2008, Petra's Recession Seven, an authentic Chicago-style jazz band was born at Chicago's legendary Green Mill. The seven piece ensemble is led by Petra van Nuis, a vocalist praised by the Chicago Tribune for her "interpretive savvy...light-and-silvery vocals and, better still, saucy manner of delivery that emphasizes the art of the double entendre."

Petra's Recession Seven

Saxophonist Tim Warfield's Jazzy Christmas

For Jazz musician, composer, and trumpet player Russell Gunn, life would have been a lot different if his best friend Bruce Green had been interested in piano, or guitar. In fact, Gunn recalls that “when we were just starting music in fourth grade, at ten years old, I just wanted to play an instrument, I just wanted to play something. And initially, I was going to play the saxophone, because that was often the solos on records that you would hear on the radio…[But] my best friend, he wanted to play trumpet, and he asked me to play the trumpet with him, so that’s the only reason I started playing the trumpet.”

Columbia College Jazz Ensemble dir. by Scott Hall Trumpeter Russell Gunn

Bob Lark is recognized regionally, nationally and internationally as a contemporary jazz educator and performer of integrity.  His approach to pedagogy and rehearsal techniques has been noted by participation in professional conferences; publication of articles; compact disc recordings as both a performer and ensemble director; and the direction of numerous student honors ensembles.  Down Beat magazine recognized Bob’s work in 2010 with their Jazz Education Achievement Award.

Bob Lark Alumni Big Band

The Julián and Friends composers showcase, created to celebrate and serve as a platform for young composers-instrumentalists, is in its second year at the Jazz Showcase. Each monthly presentation seeks to expand the intergenerational conversation of Black American Music with experimental and forward thinking original programs.

Julián & Friends

Bob Lark Septet

Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian Dillingham is equally at home in two musical worlds. His parents spun jazz records around the house, while his mother was an avid pianist who loved to play Chopin and Debussy. These childhood experiences left a deep impression and ended up as the foundational philosophy of his career in music. Dillingham is that rare musician who excels in an orchestral setting, yet has an intuitive feel for nuance and the improvisational skills necessary to play jazz.

Christian Dillingham Quartet

Justin Robinson Quartet - Tribute to Roy Hargrove

New Standard Jazz Orchestra

American composer, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and producer Kurt Rosenwinkel is one of the most celebrated musical voices in jazz and is widely renowned as one of the most distinctive and gifted guitarists to have ever played the instrument.

Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Chopin Project

Julian Davis Reid is a pianist, producer, and composer with a focus on jazz, electronic music, and gospel. His style has been described as introspective and hopeful. Hailing from Chicago, Julian’s newest project is Circle of Trust, which is his original music grounded in the sonic worlds of Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner. This show at The Jazz Showcase coincides with the release of his debut single, Candid.

Julian Davis Reid's Circle of Trust

The family and close friends of Jim DeJong invite you to join us on Wednesday November 15, 2023 from 6-9PM at The Jazz Showcase as musicians, colleagues and cohorts celebrate Jim's immeasurable impact on the jazz and larger music and arts community of Chicago with music and remembrances.

Honoring the Man in Black: Celebrating the Life of Jim DeJong

Roosevelt University CCPA

Isaiah Collier is a Chicago/Brooklyn based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, curator, activist, motivational speaker and educator. Collier is most known for his work as a saxophonist, and in addition to him being a drummer as well. Collier's sound and approach is drawn from the influences of other masters saxophonists such as John Coltrane, Roscoe Mitchell, Wayne Shorter, Ari Brown and Gene Ammons. 

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few

Jeremy Pelt has become one of the preeminent young trumpeters within the world of jazz. Forging a bond with the Mingus Big Band very early on, as his career progressed, Pelt built upon these relationships and many others which eventually lead to collaborations with some of the genre's greatest masters. These projects include performances and recordings with Cliff Barbaro, Keter Betts, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Ravi Coltrane, Frank Foster, Winard Harper, Jimmy Heath, Vincent Herring, John Hicks, Charli Persip, Ralph Peterson, Lonnie Plaxico, Bobby Short, Cedar Walton, Frank Wess, Nancy Wilson and The Skatalites, to name a few.

Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt Quintet

This fall, members of our community in Chicago and surrounding areas are invited to attend “When I Am Free”, a benefit concert in support of Rainbow Railroad. The event will be held at Jazz Showcase on November 1, 2023 at 6:45 pm and will feature the talents of platinum award winning composer and artist Ann Hampton Callaway. 

Rainbow Railroad feat. Ann Hampton Callaway & the Urban Knights

Born in Havana, pianist, composer and arranger Chuchito Valdés (Jesús Valdés Jr.) comes from one of the most distinguished musical families of Cuba. The son of legendary Cuban pianist Jesús “Chucho” Valdés, Chuchito also learned from listening to the recordings of his grandfather, Bebo Valdés, one of Cuba’s greatest composers.

Chuchito Valdes Trio

New Orleans born saxophonist Donald Harrison is a musician/composer who master musicians consider a master of every era of jazz, soul, funk, and a composer of orchestral classical music. He is also a genius, according to geniuses like Eddie Palmieri and Mike Clark. In the HBO drama Treme, Emmy winning director David Simon created two characters to portray how Harrison innovated new styles of music. Harrison has appeared as an actor/musician in 9 episodes of Treme, Oscar-winning director Johnathon Demme’s film Rachel Getting Married, Spike Lee’s When The Levee’s Broke documentary, and Marvel’s Luke Cage. This talented artist is the recognized Big Chief of Congo Square in Afro-New Orleans culture and was made a Chief in 2019 by Queen Diambi Kabatusuila in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa.

Donald Harrison Quartet

Shout Section Big Band is Chicagoland’s own professional jazz big band.  Comprised of some of the most exciting veteran and up-and-coming musicians, Shout Section Big Band has become one of the Midwest’s best big bands.  Since its inception a decade ago, S.S.B.B. has performed at numerous dances, weddings, civic concerts, educational clinics, television programs (including the nationally syndicated "The Vampire Diaries" and for the premiere of Amazon Prime's hit TV Series "A League of Their Own"). and radio shows.  The band is popular with jazz fans and swing dancers & performs classic big band jazz from the 1930’s and 40’s, but also adapts modern hits to the big band style.  Just when you think you know where the band is going, they’ll throw you a very entertaining curveball.  Shout Section commissions new arrangements at a furious pace. 

Tatum Langley & Shout Section Big Band

Eddie Harris would have turned 89 on October 20th this year. He was an innovator on his instrument , the tenor sax. He was born in Chicago , went to Dusable high school and recorded many albums of fantastically swinging and funky music ! Juli Wood's tribute to Harris , the quartet Eddie Who ? , will perform two sets of music written by Harris. The band has played at several of Chicago's finest jazz clubs and are thrilled to be back at the Jazz Showcase to celebrate the life and music of Eddie Harris. Please join us for one night only to celebrate this Chicago jazz legend ! Sets at 8:00 and 10:00 

Eddie Who?

Hailed by Variety Magazine as “one of contemporary jazz’s most talented and inventive musicians,” 27-year-old piano wizard and composer Connie Han has established herself as one of the leading innovators in the contemporary jazz piano pantheon. Downbeat Magazine dubs Han “The Jazz Warrior-Goddess,” describing her with “a skill and ferocity unmatched by all but the most accomplished of pianists.”  

Connie Han Trio

Guitarist and composer Dave Miller (Greg Ward’s Rogue Parade, Dustin Laurenzi’s Snaketime, Joe Policastro Trio, Algernon, Ted Sirota’s Rebel Souls), has been a prominent fixture in the Chicago music scene for nearly two decades. His last record, Old Door Phantoms (ears&eyes Records), hailed by Audiophile Audition as “the multi-genre instrumental album of the year”, as well as “a complex and beautiful piece of work”  by New City, explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition through the lens of an instrumental psychedelic garage rock band.

Chicago Jazz Guitar Hang & Jam feat. Dave Miller

There are many moments that can define a man’s life and for Pharez Whitted, this is one of them. He’s taken on the new role as Chicago’s Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO) Jazz Director and Howard Reich at the Chicago Tribune described Pharez perfectly - “Few Chicago musician-educators are more qualified than Whitted to build the new band, for he commands a richly deserved reputation as a trumpet virtuoso, seasoned educator and irrepressible champion of the music.” 

Pharez Whitted Quintet

Chicago Soul Jazz Collective feat. Yvonne Gage

Heralded as one of the most important saxophonists of our time, composer and producer, Chico Freeman has perfected an immediately recognizable approach to music and composition, blending what he has experienced from his past and providing fluidity into a future of infinite musical possibilities.

In the early 2000s, with dozens of recordings as a leader, Freeman moved from New York to Europe to start a new chapter of his life — exploration by focusing on his own self-improvement and self-reflection. His thirst to immerse himself in his music, his curiosity to explore working with different musicians and living in different cultures and challenging himself to be better than he was.

Chico Freeman Group

New York alto saxophonist virtuoso Jim Snidero makes his debut performance as a leader at the Jazz Showcase featuring music from his latest critically acclaimed album Far Far Away, called “a gorgeous, perfectly-crafted take on mainstream jazz in the 21st century” (All About Jazz). Snidero’s quartet features Chicago’s own Michael Stryker (P), Dennis Carroll (B) and Detroit powerhouse drummer Sean Dobbins.

Jim Snidero Quartet

A North Side native, Spencer has studied with Dr. Curtis Prince in Chicago’s All-City Jazz Band, with Dana Hall and Ernie Adams in the Ravinia Jazz in the Schools program, at Roosevelt University, and with legendary jazz educator Ronald Carter at Gallery 37, a paid summer job teaching the arts to youth. He has also studied with Ralph Peterson Jr., Kenny Washington, Greg Hutchinson, Ed Soph, Hamid Drake, Albert "Tutti" Heath, and Wilbur Campbell.

Isaiah Spencer Quartet

This month brings with it a new Julián and Friends, highlighting the music of featured artist, saxophonist Lenard Simpson. The evening of original compositions will also include bassist and vocalist Katie Ernst and drummer Samuel Jewell.

Julián and Friends

Her classical training with Northwestern University Voice and Opera professor, Theresa Brancaccio laid the solid foundation for Julia to now bend and blend the lines of classic and contemporary jazz and soul music. Julia grew up in the traveling and nationally competing Campanella Children’s Choir, and is an alumn of the Chicago a Cappella: High School Apprenticeship Program from 2018-2019.

Julia Danielle Quartet

Rogue Parade is an ensemble that was created by saxophonist and composer Greg Ward.  In late 2015, Ward returned to Chicago after 6 years in New York City.  In February 2016, Ward was contacted by The Whistler, one of Chicago’s newer bar and venues, about presenting a concert for their Relax Attack Jazz Series.  For this performance, Ward assembled a group of highly-creative musicians featuring Dave Miller on guitar and effects, Matt Gold on guitar and effects, Matt Ulery on upright and electric bass, and Quin Kirchner on drums.  He also composed a new set of music with the purpose of exploring this unique instrumentation, which blends the acoustic and electronic sonic worlds.

Greg Ward Rogue Parade

Chicago Calling is a quartet that's all about the jazz greats that came from Chicago or spent some formative years there. The band presents music written by or associated with musicians; Johnny Griffin, Eddie Harris, Dinah Washington, Joe Williams, Sun Ra, John Gilmore, Clifford Jordan, Johnny Hartman, Von Freeman,  Gene Ammons,  Earma Thompson, and Jodie Christian, and they relate the history, circumstances and personalities that made these musicians Chicago legends.

Chicago Calling Quartet

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

Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few

6th Annual Labor Day Jazz Festival

A saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator, Bobby Watson grew up in Kansas City, Kan. He trained formally at the University of Miami, a school with a distinguished and well-respected jazz program. After graduating, he proceeded to earn his “doctorate” – on the bandstand – as musical director of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. The group, created in 1955 by late legendary drummer who died in 1990, showcased a rotating cast of players, many who, like Watson, would go on to have substantial careers as bandleaders in their own right. The Jazz Messengers – frequently referred to as the “University of Blakey” – served as the ultimate “postgraduate school” for ambitious young players.

After Fest Jam Session hosted by Bobby Watson

After Fest Jam Session hosted by Bobby Watson1

Javier Red's Imagery Converter, an unconventional Jazz quartet, has released their second album, "Life & Umbrella." The album explores the lives, emotions, and challenges of autistic children, aiming to inspire empathy, understanding, and love for them. The quartet is touring in Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois, showcasing their unique jazz compositions and spreading awareness for autism acceptance.

Javier Red Quartet

He has performed with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center, Melvin Rhyne, “Killer” Ray Appelton, Chris Foreman, Victor Goines, George Fludas, Ben Paterson and many others.    While Asche is a versatile guitarist adept and comfortable in many different genres, the tenets of his style often find him in the company of many of Chicago’s premier jazz vocalists and Hammond organ bands.  

Chicago Jazz Guitar Hang & Jam feat. Kyle Asche

In August 1979, the ensemble was the opening band on the first night of the First Annual Chicago Jazz Festival. 44 years later, the CJO stands as not only the oldest professional big band in Chicago, but also the second oldest professional civic jazz orchestra in the United States (second only to the Columbus Jazz Orchestra).

Chicago Jazz Orchestra feat. Paul Marinaro

Alto saxophonist Gary Bartz attended the Juilliard Conservatory of Music and became a member of Charles Mingus’ Jazz Workshop from 1962-1964 where he worked with Eric Dolphy and encountered McCoy Tyner for the first time. He also began gigging as a sideman in the mid-’60s with Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach, and later as a member of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers. His recording debut was on Blakey’s Soul Finger album. Tyner formed his famed Expansions band in 1968 with Bartz on alto. In addition, Bartz also formed his own bands at this time and recorded a trio of albums for Milestone, and continued to tour with Max Roach’s band. In 1970, Miles Davis hired Bartz and featured him as a soloist on the Live-Evil recording. Bartz formed the Ntu Troop that year as well, an ensemble that fused soul and funk, African folk music, hard bop, and vanguard jazz into a vibrant whole. Among the group’s four recordings from 1970-1973, Harlem Bush Music: Taifa and Juju Street Songs have proved influential with soul jazzers, and in hip-hop and DJ circles as well. From 1973-1975 Bartz was on a roll, issuing I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies, Music Is My Sanctuary, Home, and Another Earth, all stellar outings. He meandered for most of the 1980s, coming back in 1988 with Reflections on Monk. Since that time, Bartz has continued making records of quiet intensity and lyrical power — notably Red & Orange Poems in 1995 — and has with become one of the finest if under-noticed alto players of his generation. ~ Thom Jurek

Gary Bartz Quartet

Chicago Jazz Orchestra feat. Eric Schneider

Stu Katz (born June 9, 1937) is an American jazz pianist and vibraphonist.

Over his career, Katz has performed with many world-renowned jazz musicians including Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Bud Freeman, Dexter Gordon, Roy Haynes, Milt Jackson, “Philly” Joe Jones, Clifford Jordan, James Moody, Zoot Sims, Sonny Stitt and Phil Woods.

Stu Katz-John Campbell Quartet

This August, Julián and Friends will be highlighting the music of featured guest Micah Collier. The evening of original compositions will bring together the Haitian and Dominican heritage of Collier and Julián Pujols Quall and the intense musicality of CJ Knowles and Will Mallard, to deliver a unique look into Caribbean music. inimae 

Chicago Jazz Orchestra feat. Mardra Thomas

Charles McPherson was born in Joplin, Missouri and moved to Detroit at age nine. After growing up in Detroit, he studied with the renowned pianist Barry Harris and started playing jazz professionally at age 19. He moved from Detroit to New York in 1959 and performed with Charles Mingus from 1960 to 1972. While performing with Mingus, he collaborated frequently with Harris, Lonnie Hillyer (trumpet), and George Coleman (tenor sax).

Charles McPherson Quartet

Steve Schneck grew up in New York with jazz and classical music in the background and a photo of Louis Armstrong in his bedroom. From the beginning, his mother wanted Steve to be a trumpet player. After learning to play the ukulele and piano, Steve began studying trumpet at age 9 and he’s been playing the trumpet and flugelhorn for more than 50 years. Steve’s mother taught classical piano and his father played folk guitar. His extended family, including 4 generations of mandolin players, regularly played music whenever they got together and still do.

Steve Schneck Quartet

Juli Woods Quartet

Chicago Jazz Orchestra feat.  Victor Garcia

Dee Alexander is one of Chicago’s most gifted and respected female vocalist/songwriters.

Her talents span every music genre, from Gospel to R&B, from Blues to Neo-Soul. Yet her true heart and soul are experienced in their purest form through her performance of Jazz music. From a soft, sultry traditional ballad, to a contemporary Jazz-Funk groove; from a high flying swing, to a scat-filled romp, Dee Alexander delivers each style with a passion and love of music that comes across in each and every note, and with a style and grace that is truly her own. Besides being a phenomenal headliner in her own right, Dee has shared the stage with Ahmad Jamal, David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, Gerald Albright, Roy Ayers, Joshua Redman, and the O’Jays. Not being one to ever feel that the spotlight has to belong exclusively to her, Ms. Alexander has lent her considerable talents as a backup vocalist to the live performances of an array of many other well known artists i.e., Michael Bolton, Phil Perry, Willie Clayton, and Zora Young. Dee has also formed the Evolution Ensemble which is an acoustic group that consists of string instruments and percussion with a strong emphasis on original compositions.

Dee Alexander Quartet

Her talents span every music genre, from Gospel to R&B, from Blues to Neo-Soul. Yet her true heart and soul are experienced in their purest form through her performance of Jazz music. From a soft, sultry traditional ballad, to a contemporary Jazz-Funk groove; from a high flying swing, to a scat-filled romp, Dee Alexander delivers each style with a passion and love of music that comes across in each and every note, and with a style and grace that is truly her own. Besides being a phenomenal headliner in her own right, Dee has shared the stage with Ahmad Jamal, David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, Gerald Albright, Roy Ayers, Joshua Redman, and the O’Jays.

Alexander McLean Project

Live the Spirit Residency presents the Young Masters directed by Ernest Dawkins.

Live the Spirit Residency- Young Master dir. Ernest Dawkins

Juli Woods Quartet Eddie Who?

Chicago Jazz Orchestra feat. Denise Thimes

Since his arrival on the Chicago scene in 2015, G. Thomas Allen has continued to use his stratospheric range to break barriers in uncharted waters.  His soul-infused phrases, rooted in sacred harmony, and approach to line shaping have made him the first male, in history, to win the Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Jazz Competition - Downbeat Magazine.

G. Thomas Allen Quartet

Chicago Jazz Guitar Hang & Jam is a monthly feature of Chicago's most talented jazz guitarists.

Andy Brown is a guitarist based in Chicago. Born in New York in 1975, he has played professionally for over twenty five years. He has had a varied performing career that has included stints in Cincinnati and New York City.

Chicago Jazz Guitar Hang & Jam feat. Andy Brown

Chicago Jazz Orchestra feat. John Campbell

Presented as the "World's best vibraphonist" by World Expo 2020 in Dubai, composer and percussionist Thaddeus Tukes honors the legacy of the vibraphone within the jazz tradition and beyond. His virtuosity and creativity "brings poetry to the vibraphone" (Chicago Tribune, 2019), which has captivated audiences from Carnegie Hall in New York to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Thaddeus says he is a proud practitioner of the "Chicago Vibe," and hails his hometown as the foundation of the modern jazz aesthetic. The future of the jazz tradition has arrived, and Thaddeus Tukes is at the forefront.

Vibraphonist Thaddeus Tukes Quartet

This July 18th at the Jazz Showcase, Chicago Human Rhythm Project will honor philanthropic visionaries Philip and Marsha Dowd with the JUBA! Award for Extraordinary Lifetime Commitment to Culture and Community at the Historic Jazz Showcase. Attendees and supporters will also be entitled to a backstage pass and reserved seating to the Pritzker Pavilion July 23 when CHRP will kick off its 35th Anniversary. This JUBALEE! begins with a light buffet, passed hors d'oeuvres and an open bar followed by ground shaking performances by tap dance virtuosos from around the world, the JUBA! Award presentation and a paddle raise and champagne toast. This year's improvisational tap show features the Eric Hochberg Trio and Rhythm World 33 faculty including Victoria Jones from Gary Indiana, master practitioner Jason Janas, legendary tap dancer Sam Weber and special guests. You will witness the preservers here, the groundbreakers and torch bearers of this dance.

Chicago Human Rhythm Project

Dr. Christopher Madsen’s credits as a saxophonist include performances and recordings with
Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, Jeff Hamilton, Makaya McCraven, Michael Dease, Ulysses Owens, Ben Williams, Marquis Hill, Jon Irabagon, and countless others. He is a published composer with Kendor Music, Inc., the UNC Jazz Press, and Walrus Music. He has taught at Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and is currently Jazz Studies Coordinator at Loyola University Chicago. A graduate of the Juilliard, DePaul University, and University of Illinois music schools, Madsen is also a Vandoren and Conn-Selmer artist and member of the College Music Society, NAfME, National Educator’s Association, and JEN. He has presented clinics, conducted ensembles, and performed around the U.S. and the world. He is one of the most in-demand and versatile saxophonists in Chicago, maintaining an active performance schedule and private studio. Formore information, visit www.chrismadsen.net

ADAM LARSON
Adam Larson is an American saxophonist, composer, educator and author currently residing in the Kansas City-area.

Chris Madsen / Adam Larson - Narrative Quintet

Chicago Jazz Orchestra

Originating from Chicago, IL, Charles "Rick" Heath IV is a versatile and renowned musician from local to international levels. Playing anything from Jazz and Blues to Gospel and Latin music, his signature sound is prominent in the recording studios, concert settings, live Broadway theater platforms, and currently as the drummer for pianist and jazz legend Ramsey Lewis. Some of his proudest accolades include works with Donald Byrd, McCoy Tyner, and Slide Hampton. He also served as the resident drummer with the national tour of Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones' theater production of "The Color Purple." He is often rotating hats of composer, band leader, recording artist, musical director, producer and teacher and simply inspires and outreaches to his surrounding communities at all times.

Charles Heath Quartet

Having performed and toured with Joe Henderson, Nancy Wilson, Roy Hargrove and Stan Getz, bassist Marlene Rosenberg has a background of performing with the jazz icons. But she also traffics with the newest generation of jazz artists, including Jazzmeia Horn, Makaya McCraven and Marquis Hill.

Ms. Rosenberg’s festival credits include the Mt. Fuji Festival (Tokyo), The North Sea Festival (Rotterdam, Holland), and the Kristianstad-Ahus Festival (Sweden). As for clubs, Marlene has played The Village Vanguard in NYC, The Chicago Jazz Showcase, The Quasimodo in Berlin and The Magnetic Terrace in Paris.

Marlene Rosenberg Quartet

Bethany Pickens is an award winning pianist and composer. Born in Chicago, she began her musical training under the watchful tutelage of her father Willie Pickens, world-class Jazz pianist. She also was impacted deeply by the 9 years she spent as a member of the Chicago Children's Choir during her formative years. Since graduating from the American Conservatory of Music, Bethany has had the opportunity to perform, record, and conduct clinics with such artist as Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, Bobby Watson, Von Freeman, Steve Turre, Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen, Willie Pickens, Susan Anton, Lizz Wright and Grammy award winners Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roy Hargrove and Branford Marsalis, Rascal Flats, Josh Groban, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and Usher.

Bethany Pickens Soulful Coalition

Chicago based trumpeter Marques Carroll is keeping the tradition of jazz alive while pushing the genre forward into exciting new territory. A bold performer and passionate educator, he is dedicated to preserving the authentic culture of jazz and spreading his holistic love of music around the world.

Trumpeter Marques Carroll Quartet

Chicago Jazz Guitar Hang & Jam is a monthly feature of Chicago's most talented jazz guitarists.

Jazz Showcase

May 8, 2024

Jazz Links Jam Session

Apr 10, 2024

Jazz Links Jam Session

Mar 13, 2024

Jazz Links Jam Session

7 - 10 Mar, 2024

Bobby Lewis Quintet

Feb 14, 2024

Jazz Links Jam Session

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