Chicago Jazz Festival Announces 2015 Dates & Headliners

Chicago Jazz Festival Announces 2015 Dates & Headliners: AACM at 50: The Muhal Richard Abrams' Experimental Band; Chicago Jazz Orchestra Celebrates Billy Strayhorn; José James; Dee Dee Bridgewater; Butler, Bernstein & The Hot 9; and many more to be announced…

Festival to Take Place SEPTEMBER 3-6, 2015 At CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER & MILLENNIUM PARK

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

AACM at 50: THE EXPERIMENTAL BAND (MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS, HENRY THREADGILL, WALLACE MCMILLAN, WADADA LEO SMITH, AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS, GEORGE LEWIS, LEONARD JONES, THURMAN BARKER, REGGIE NICHOLSON)

SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

Rising Star Male Vocalist & Blue Note Recording Artist JOSÉ JAMES Pays Tribute To Billie Holiday With Yesterday I Had The Blues

BILLY STRAYHORN CENTENARY CELEBRATION: CHICAGO JAZZ ORCHESTRA Performs New Arrangements of Strayhorn’s Classic Repertoire; Guest Arrangers Include JOHN HOLLENBECK, TOM GARLING, EDWARD WILKERSON, STEVEN BERNSTEIN & More To Be Announced

SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

World Famous Vocalist/Actress/Public Radio Host DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER

SEPTEMBER 6, 2015

New Orleans Pianist/Singer HENRY BUTLER, Slide Trumpeter STEVEN BERNSTEIN & THE HOT 9, Presented With ADA 25 CHICAGO To Recognize 25th ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is pleased to announce the 37th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival. The favorite Labor Day Weekend tradition will take place in Millennium Park and at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington Street), September 3-6, showcasing the very best of jazz music from noon to 9:30pm daily. The FREE admission Chicago Jazz Festival is produced by DCASE and programmed by the Jazz Institute of Chicago (JIC).

A favorite Labor Day Weekend tradition celebrating both the mainstream of the national jazz scene as well as Chicago’s unique contributions to the art form, the Chicago Jazz Festival has historically made a special point of placing its own local artistic stamp on the musical proceedings.  Fittingly this year’s local programming takes on an especially unique local flair.

One of the most important contributions the city of Chicago made to 20th century American music was the formation of an organization called the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), founded on principles of creativity, collective organization, unyielding creativity and not beholden to any one style of music. The year 2015 is the 50th anniversary of the AACM.  Thus throughout the year, a number of celebrations of this milestone will go on in Chicago and beyond. During the 37th Chicago Jazz Festival and the months leading up to it, the AACM will be particularly highlighted.

Muhal Richard Abrams

Fittingly, one of the most notable headliners of the 37th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival is a very special reunion of pianist and composer Muhal Richard Abrams’ Experimental Band, the band that is commonly thought of as one of the first, if not the first, AACM ensembles.  Says Abrams, “I am honored to have been asked to perform at the 37th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival. Performing on the Chicago Jazz Festival on previous occasions and presently, is, and always was important to me. Also, the AACM 50th Anniversary Celebration makes this occasion very special.”

This special lineup will feature Abrams on piano; alto saxophonist, composer and Mills College professor, Roscoe Mitchell; saxophonist, flutist and composer Henry Threadgill; baritone saxophonist, flutist and composer Wallace McMillan; trumpeter, composer and former California Institute of the Arts professor Wadada Leo Smith; pianist, organist and composer Amina Claudine Myers; trombonist, composer, MacArthur Fellow, AACM historian and Columbia University professor George Lewis; bassist and composer Leonard Jones; drummer, vibraphonist, percussionist and composer Thurman Barker; and drummer and composer Reggie Nicholson. Several of these musicians were present at the founding of the AACM in 1965.

Billy Strayhorn

Additionally, festival organizers will honor the centenary of the late composer and arranger William Thomas ‘Billy’ Strayhorn with new arrangements of his iconic repertoire, made famous predominantly by the Duke Ellington Orchestra, here performed by The Chicago Jazz Orchestra under the direction Jeff Lindberg. Featured guest arrangers interpreting Strayhorn’s music will include Chicagoan Edward Wilkerson, drummer and composer John Hollenbeck, trumpeter and arranger Steven Bernstein, trombonist, composer and arranger Tom Garling and others.

Strayhorn family member and Billy Strayhorn Songs President, Alyce Claerbaut states “We the members of Billy Strayhorn’s family are honored that the Chicago Jazz Festival will salute the Strayhorn legacy on the occasion of his centenary. Chicago holds a special place in Billy Strayhorn’s life and career as he served as musical director for the 1963 presentation of Duke Ellington’s ‘My People’ at McCormick Place. Chicago was one of his favorite cities and he often spoke of his great respect for Chicago musicians.”

José James

Rising star vocalist José James (a Minneapolis native) who has been noted for melding R&B, singer-songwriter sensibilities with his core jazz training, brings his I Had the Blues Project, celebrating the 100th birthday of the iconic and tragic Billie Holiday.

Dee Dee Bridgewater

Also noted vocalist, public radio host of NPR’s JazzSet, Dee Dee Bridgewater will perform. Bridgewater has previously paid her own tribute to Holiday on the 2011 GRAMMY-winning album Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie with Love. Bridgewater also portrayed the late singer on Broadway in the acclaimed musical biography Lady Day.

Butler, Bernstein & The Hot 9

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and CJF, DCASE and JIC are proud to recognize this civil rights milestone and promote full inclusion of people with disabilities by partnering with ADA 25 Chicago to present New Orleanian pianist Henry Butler with slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein & The Hot 9. The debut recording by this frolicking bluesy New Orleans second line band, Viper’s Drag, recently revived the legendary Impulse! Records label, which had been dormant for at least a decade.