The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is one of the best-programmed events of its kind anywhere, thanks to the resilient and resourceful people, many of them volunteers, who organize and coordinate it. It’s also one of the most frustrating, because there’s so much good stuff to see that schedule clashes are inevitable—especially on Saturday, when 31 presentations competed for attention between lunch and the wee hours. Even though I’d contributed photographs to the celebratory presentation Velvet Lounge 40 Years Later: A Legacy of Place, I couldn’t make it to the Logan Center Screening Room to catch the panel.
All the zigzagging around the neighborhood fosters interactions among festivalgoers, though, whether you’re strolling along on the Midway, hunting among ivy-festooned university buildings for the quickest route to the next bank, church, or museum that’s doubling as a venue, gathering in the vestibule of the Logan Center, or riding a packed elevator to its ninth-floor penthouse. You’ll often hear a snippet of commentary in passing: “Did you catch Silvia Bolognesi? For my money, the best set of the fest so far!” (Much of the festival’s on-site revenue comes from donations from attendees.) Or “Did you see Pedrito Martinez? He was killing it!”
Excited exchanges between aficionados and scholars of jazz complement the laid-back enjoyment of the general public, who might just happen by while dog walking or getting a snack at an outdoor concession. A significant fraction of the local populace is hip to the music by now, with the HPJF in its 17th year, but Kate Dumbleton, the festival’s artistic executive director, keeps the bookings resolutely ahead of the curve—there are always surprises and unfamiliar names, often artists on the rise or from out of state or overseas.
“We had more musicians traveling than ever before, and the logistics for so many large projects really challenged our capacity. But we were really happy with the results,” said Dumbleton. “We are always looking to improve the community and musician experience. We tried some new things, like an artist hospitality tent on the Midway with drinks and snacks, upgraded buses for getting around the festival . . . we were so happy to have great weather and no travel problems.”
Sam Lewis, cofounder of Elastic Arts and director of engagement and artist programs for the festival, enjoyed a double celebration, even though he was working. “I thought it was the best festival I have witnessed from a curatorial standpoint. The performances were spectacular,” he said. “Having the festival begin on my birthday was special to me. But it was also John Coltrane’s birthday, so the fest turned into a celebration of Coltrane’s music from many performers.”
Lewis worked the door at Hyde Park Union Church on Saturday afternoon, and the hallowed space was constantly at capacity. The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni, with saxophonist Javon Jackson and heroic poet Giovanni in attendance, drew the biggest crowd—donations at that site were also notably generous. The 80-year-old activist discussed the importance of homeownership, and her voice quavered as she sang “The Folks Who Live on the Hill.” She’s not a singer as such, but she encored triumphantly with stirring words from one of her most potent Black-power poems from the 60s, “Ego Tripping,” punching her hand upward to a rousing ovation.
During the Saturday-evening Logan Center set from Ches Smith’s We All Break, Haitian drummer Daniel Brevil announced that a cousin he hadn’t seen in 25 years, Myreille Bassette, was in the audience. Saxophonist Ari Brown revealed that he’d married again in recent months, and with a broad smile, he introduced the large crowd outside the Smart Museum to his new wife, who was in the audience—and then, to celebrate her, he launched into the trenchant ballad “Cherlyn.” The festival is a humanitarian and inclusive place, where performers and attendees feel free to share aspects of their lives. This extends even to the concessions and vendors on the Midway—their proprietors were Black, white, and Brown, and the majority came from the community.
Stylistic diversity was also abundant, and saxophonist and bandleader Roy McGrath recognized it from the West Stage on Sunday: “Thanks for hiring Latino musicians—bands like this don’t get this space.” McGrath’s tight and exciting group Menjunje, very popular with dancers on the Midway, were indeed unheard by these ears prior to the fest.
“The program this year felt like it showcased the many ways in which jazz musicians and composers are creating in and across the form,” said Dumbleton. “It was an honor to support new works, showcase emerging artists—particularly women—and to feature some of the great masters of the music.”
The latter included veterans Louis Hayes and Kenny Barron, both in their 80s; Ari Brown and Chico Freeman, in their 70s; and pioneering women such as flutist and composer Nicole Mitchell. Mitchell’s Artifacts trio with drummer Mike Reed and cellist Tomeka Reid expanded to embrace contemporary-music group Ensemble dal Niente and the DePaul chamber-music students in Ensemble 20+. Dal Niente performed the world premiere of Southside Love Letter, and then all three groups took the stage together for the U.S. premiere of Decolonizing Beauty.
Over the festival’s two days, almost a third of the 37 presentations were led by or significantly featured women—a much higher percentage than usual in jazz bookings. Perhaps the most spectacular was Dee Alexander’s Ancestors Reign septet, fronted by charismatic dancer Nejla Yatkin in a sweeping vermillion gown.
On Sunday, bassist Clark Sommers premiered his ambitious Feast Ephemera ensemble, whose 12 members stretched the breadth of the Wagner Stage. Closing the night and the festival on that same stage was Chico Freeman’s quintet, and their set coincided with a spontaneous delight typical of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and the classic south-side reciprocity between audience and performer. Dancers Dawud and Lura, married for 22 years and known for their work with the Chi-Lites, emerged from the crowd during a rendition of Freeman’s ballad “To Hear a Teardrop in the Rain” (or it might have been, more appropriately, Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice”).
“We felt the mood and couldn’t just sit there tapping our toes,” said Dawud, 58, after their dramatic twilight pas de deux. “The music was outstanding, and Lura and I never let a good song go to waste.”
All text and photos by Michael Jackson
How’s business this year? Shawna: “Coats have done very well—everyone wants my coats. I sold about 15 yesterday, and some were preordered before I set up here.”
Where else do you sell? “I have a big event I put together in November. The profits go to at-risk women with disabled kids—I Am You Wraparound Services 2.0. It started after a trip to Las Vegas where I was supposed to get married. I met a struggling single mother with four kids and decided to help turn her life around instead of worry about mine.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
What’s your favorite act so far? Deborah: “[Roy McGrath’s group] Menjunje! Fantastic! There were a lot of competing events this weekend, including a dance event on Navy Pier, but we came here too.”
Richard: “We’re waiting for my favorite act, the Chico Freeman Quintet!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Linda is a retired mortgage broker, Ashley is a retired Chicago Public Schools teacher, and Rae is a financial analyst and track and field official. “We enjoyed Joan Collaso, Nikki Giovanni, and Corey Wilkes, who was playing with the lady in the green dress [Meagan McNeal].” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Rahpre: “I like to use my bike a lot. I’m an alto sax player—my influences are Charlie Parker, Coltrane, and Pharaoh Sanders. I have a recording out there called 7 Meditations. I play jazz, reggae, spiritual music. I see some horn players sitting down to play, and I wonder if they’ve maintained their health. I never saw the old masters sit down before. I saw Chico Freeman at Sweet Basil in New York one time with William Henderson on piano and Gary Bartz. He looked skinny. Take care of your health!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Varnice: “We’ve known each other all the way from kindergarten through high school. Then we lost track and picked up again for the next 57 years. Since we were three years old!”
Ken: “We came to catch Tito Carrillo’s set especially.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Fitzgerald played with his trio on Saturday afternoon at Hyde Park Bank, and Hesse played with Clark Sommers’s Feast Ephemera on Sunday on the Wagner Stage. Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Are you busking there with the kalimba? Chris: “I’m just walking through, working on some tranquility and harmony. I’m playing later with Maggie Brown [in Brown Savage World Music] at International House.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Mazzarella appeared as a guest with Bolognesi’s Italian Trio, which also includes Il Pavone and Ginger B. Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Bob Burford, aka Bob the Bubble Man, is 73 years old and has been attending the Hyde Park Jazz Festival for eight years. “They are always cool having me here. Downtown they won’t let you in Millennium Park, say you have to stick to Michigan Avenue—certain licenses, I guess.”
How did you get into the bubble business? Bob: “I was in Guam one time, and I saw someone doing it there. I visited my daughter, who’s a social worker in the air force, in Korea earlier this year. There were no mass shootings in Korea, no policemen with guns like in America. There’s too much access to guns here, and tempers are too short. What’s this [interview] for?”
I’m working for the Chicago Reader, connecting with people in the community. Bob: “I love Ben Joravsky who writes for the Reader—he’s always having a go at politicians. I went to see him talk at the Promontory. [Shouts to passersby:] ‘Can I get a raise? Can I get an amen?’”
Why do you persist, purveying bubbles over bullets? Bob: “Makes me happy, keeps me young!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
“I’ve been a jazz fan all my life. Miles Davis was always my number one. My grandfather Eddie Chapel used to be a vocalist and a drummer.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
How long have you been screen printing shirts? K: “About 20 years.” Which are your favorite musicians? K: “Monk and Coltrane are a close tie.” How’s business this year? K: “Pretty good. People come each year looking for me. In 2019, I sold $500 worth of shirts to one guy from California doing his Christmas shopping. He bought multiple shirts for all his family members!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Why so many images of the same dude? Chris: “Abraham Lincoln is someone I personally admire, and the things he stood for still matter today—being antipoverty, pro-democracy, and for unity and equality.” How have sales of Old Abe been this year? Chris: “I didn’t sell so many here yet, but I did well at Burger Fest and Taste of Lincoln Avenue and in other cities like Minneapolis, at Art-a-Whirl, and at Pittsburgh Pride festival.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Lara: “It’s great to be out here in the sunshine checking out all our friends who are playing—such great local talent.”
Chris: “Tito Carrillo is particularly great. So many underknown but incredible musicians, and the program is so thoughtfully curated.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
What does Dotty make of the fest so far? Karina: “She loves the smell of all the food.” How old is Dotty? Karina: “She’s only two. We found her at Rescue Me Clifford.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Marvin: “I enjoyed the opening ceremony on the Midway yesterday. The vibe is homogenous and centered with people hanging out. The music is like the sunlight.”
Where are you from, Regina? How many jazz festivals so far, and what’s with the flowers? Regina: “I’m from the south side. This is my third festival—I love it. I ride around with flowers in my basket because I’m a character!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Marc: “Yeah, photograph me in front of my alma mater.” What did you study at the University of Chicago? Marc: “Philosophical psychology, a degree they made up for people with an identity crisis so they can get credit for it.” You applied that to your photography work? Marc: “I discovered the writings and images of Minor White, who talked about photography the way Jung talked about alchemy. White held the notion that a photograph could be used to glean psychological information—it could reveal inner states of being. He could look at your photograph and tell what you had for breakfast and what your psychological state was.”
What do you make of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival? Marc: “It’s the most diverse, laid-back, and musically tuned in. The integration of race, economics, and diversity of music is unparalleled.” What is Buddy’s first impression? Marc: “‘Good empanadas, not enough dogs!’” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Rick: “We actually messed up—we clicked on the HPJF website and got a previous schedule, so we thought we were going to catch Makaya McCraven. We stumbled on Pedrito Martinez’s group, and they were superb. We’ve never seen a conga player with that style and fierce energy. No signaling between the band members, just nailing it. The percussion breaks were beyond intellectual—they were telepathic!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Josh, your duo tribute with Ben LaMar Gay to the late Jaimie Branch this afternoon was moving. Josh: “I was deeply honored to get to do that. I wrote eight pieces, and Ben created electronic segments and a gong performance piece. Ben and I have a lot in common.” Where did the title “Everywhere Often” for the performance arise? Josh: “Ben played a part of this piece last February in New Orleans and said, ‘It’s like she’s everywhere.’ I said we should do the pieces again, and he said, ‘We should play it often. Everywhere, often.’”
How about you, Amy? Are you enjoying yourself? Amy: “This festival brings together all the things that make me wish I could duplicate myself and be in several places at once!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Enjoyed your duo with Junius Paul today, Tomeka—what was that African groove you played, where you switched roles holding down the riff as the other soloed? Tomeka: “Maybe that was a Malachi Favors piece, ‘Tutankhamun,’ or maybe Junius’s piece called ‘Cadmium.’” Junius was playing Malachi’s bass, passed down to him from the late Harrison Bankhead—wild history there. Tomeka: “Yes, we paid tribute to a lot of influences, including Malachi, Harrison, and cellists Tristan Honsinger and Abdul Wadud.”
How was it for you, David, catching two concerts with the wife in action? David: “It was nice to see her in two different contexts in one day—that’s quite rare. But she did have a four-night run at the Stone in New York City the other week.” What else did you enjoy? David: “The bassist Endea Owens at the Wagner Stage.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
You come here often? Ed: “Many years, even back to when they had it in the skating rink.” Why do they call you “Cuba”? Cuba: “I’m Jamaican, but I dance like I’m from Cuba!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Dominic: “I used to sell here six years ago and then opened up a new store. So I’m back for my second year the second time around, and business is getting better.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Veteran drummer Louis Hayes performed with his quintet Saturday night on the Wagner Stage. Louis: “It’s always magical to play an outdoor festival. I’ve been coming to Chicago since the 50s. Love the people. I used to play the Sutherland Lounge at 46th and Drexel—played there in 1960 with Cannonball Adderley and Horace Silver too. Played the London House with Oscar Peterson.” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Antoine: “Pedrito [Martinez] was pretty good, and we went to the International House and saw a Brazilian-French lady singing with Oscar Brown’s daughter [Maggie Brown].”
Mark: “The singers were very scholarly, taught us a lot about the history of the music.”
Anand: “This is my second time to the festival, and the quality of the musicians and diversity of what I’ve seen is better than last year.”
Have you lived a lush life, Sean? [He’s wearing a T-shirt of the cover of Coltrane’s Lush Life.] Sean: “I’m always striving to live a lush life, and as a lush myself, I have a leg up. Plus it’s John Coltrane’s birthday today—reason to celebrate!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Nice to hear you with Silvia Bolognesi’s trio today, Nick. How did you connect with Silvia? Nick: “We met through Tomeka [Reid].”
How about you, Russ, have you played with Silvia? She has such a strong approach to the instrument. Russ: “Only a couple of times, but we recorded together.”
You guys are so busy. Nick: “In fact, I have to leave to play in Milwaukee tonight at 7 PM as soon as I’ve finished with Clark Sommers’s Feast Ephemera at five.”
What’s impressed at the fest? Russ: “Ches Smith and We All Break was fantastic. Ches can do anything, but to create something that hasn’t been done, to study music that is not your own, shows great courage and commitment. A deep dive into [Haitian Vodou music] that doesn’t sound self-serving. Luke Stewart’s Exposure Quintet was great too.”
Nick: “And we won’t hear quarter notes like that or a feel like that again when Louis Hayes is gone!” Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
Larry: “Aura Edibles are popular with baby boomers like us who used marijuana in the 70s and then settled down and now are looking for alternatives to answer issues of health and well-being as we’ve gotten older. People looking for an alternative to prescription drugs and opioids that make you high all day, like a zombie—something balanced and holistic.”
Thanks for the sample. So what happens if I have two? Shani: “One relaxes you. Two makes you feel a little jazzy. After three, stay at home!”
I’d better have two, so’s I feel a little “jazzy,” if that’s not surplus to requirement. Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
The edibles sampled by your faithful reporter kicked in during Kenny Barron’s magnificent solo piano set, during which he revisited perennial originals “Sunshower” and “Calypso” and, after paying respects to influence Abdullah Ibrahim and onetime duo partner Charlie Haden, manifested his profound love for the keyboard with an encyclopedic “How Deep Is the Ocean.”
Meantime I channeled Dean Moriarty wigging out to pianist George Shearing at Birdland in 1949 in On the Road. Even without such enhancement, I would’ve been “popeyed with awe,” to quote Kerouac, at the unequivocal equilibrium of Barron’s playing, his mastery of inner and outer tempos, and the perfect clockwork of his left hand. As things were, I felt like “everything was about to arrive—the moment when . . . all and everything is decided forever,” to quote Kerouac again. Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
As penance for my indulgence of Saturday night, at lunchtime on Sunday I ascended the 271 steps of Rockefeller Chapel’s carillon tower. The instrument there is allegedly the second-largest in the world, and I wanted to witness how its players had coaxed ap-peal-ing versions of classics by Antônio Carlos Jobim, Glenn Miller, Paul Desmond, and John Coltrane (plus two recent works by Japanese pianist Hiromi) from its 72 bells, wielding 100 tons of bronze. Credit: Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader
