Jazz Music In The Summer, All Over Chicago

Monday, July 12th, I went to a concert at Prairie State University. It was held by the Department of Music under the direction of Eugene Vinyard and Roosevelt Griffin. It was actually two mini concerts: Jazz Pioneers Combo and Extreme Big Band.

I heard about this concert from a friend I've been hanging out with recently. He plays in the Extreme Big Band (and several others as well). But this concert was amazing. The first group was a 13 piece jazz band. They played Chitlins Con Carne by Kenny Burrell to start and Footprints by Wayne Shorter to finish. The songs in between were just as good. My love for jazz music extends mostly to the reaches of what I hear live. So I was in heaven enjoying them playing.

They were followed by a big band. I've always loved big band music. I just love the feel of it. It makes me wanna dance, be romantic, be nostalgic, and just relax. It does all this at once. This was a 23 person band and it was amazing! The music really made me want to get up and dance, but I'm pretty sure it would've disrupted the concert for some patrons. Maybe next time I'll sit in the back. They started with Blues in The Closet by Oscar Pettiford arranged by Mark Taylor and ended with Spain by Chick Corea arranged by Paul Jennings. In between, they took me on a tour of Christmastime, New Orleans, and Frank Sinatra. Their vocalist was superb. I may be biased because it was my friend playing, but I particularly enjoyed the saxophone solos.

This concert was part of a concert series for the summer 2010. They'll be at Velvet Lounge in Chicago on July 18th, Sergeant Means Barn in Olympia Fields on July 23rd, and at Caribou Coffee in Homewood on August 6th. If you're looking for live music with jazz or big band, definitely check these out. And you'll be supporting the music department for Prairie State while you do it.

Places Mentioned In This Post: Prairie State College
Things To Do In This Post: Hear live music
Neighborhood in Chicago: Chicago Heights