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Continuing College of DuPage’s long history of supporting and promoting jazz music, the McAninch Arts Center and 90.9 fm WDCB Public Radio present Winter Jazz Fest, a two-day celebration of the best in jazz, performed by Chicago artists, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15 and 16, at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn, as part of the WDCB Jazz at the MAC series.
For MAC Director Stephen Cummins, the collaboration with WDCB was a natural choice and a continuation of a long partnership on such events as Jazz Fest Glen Ellyn and Jazz at Sunset.
“Over the years, College of DuPage has really become the jazz hub of the Western suburbs,” he said. “The MAC and WDCB strive to present some of the best Chicago jazz talent to our concert goers and listeners, exposing people to something they may not have heard before and providing an intimate venue for that first venture into jazz.”
WDCB is the only daytime jazz station in the Chicago area. Established in 1977, the station offers music, news, features and information that reach a weekly audience of about 175,000 listeners. WDCB has received two Chicago Music Awards.
“As many venues are cutting back, we are increasing our jazz offerings,” said Ken Scott, WDCB Director of Marketing and Fundraising. “This new two-day jazz festival further solidifies and demonstrates our commitment to jazz – both to our audiences, and to Chicago jazz musicians.”
Sponsored in part by Hursthouse Landscape Architects, Chicago Jazz Magazine/ChicagoJazz.com and the Illinois Arts Council, Winter Jazz Fest features four unique concerts and a special kid’s performance celebrating great Chicago musicians and their American music.
The series begins with an 8 p.m. performance Friday, Jan. 15, by the Orbert Davis Quintet, featuring Ari Brown. Davis, a trumpeter, composer and co-founder of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, was named “Y2K Best Trumpeter in Chicago” by Chicago Magazine. Saxophonist and pianist Ari Brown, meanwhile, has recorded four albums with Davis and has worked with Von Freeman, Bobby Watson, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Stitt and others.
Tickets are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors and $20 for youth.
The evening’s music continues on Jan. 15 with a late night set in the MAC’s Theatre 2 at 10 pm. by Mambo Zombies. The Chicago Latin Jazz trio’s sizzling sounds evoke the musical styles of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico and the Caribbean. Regular performers at Chicago’s Green Dolphin Street, group members have collectively played with Celia Cruz, Otis Clay, Bo Diddley, Tito Puente, Lou Rawls, Ronnie Earl and others.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for students and youth.
Young jazz fans and their parents can learn more about the genre and even join in with kazoos at Kidjazz! with the Arts Center Jazz Ensemble at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 16. This interactive Mainstage performance features sing-alongs and dancing, showcasing greats, including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis.
Tickets to Kidjazz! are $12.
Eight-time Grammy Award nominee and Chicago jazz vocalist Kurt Elling returns to the MAC for a Mainstage performance at 8 pm. Saturday, Jan. 16. The ground-breaking jazz artist brings his poetry, imagery and movement-injected style to the stage, resurrecting the art of vocalese.
Elling, known for his work with his quartet as well as collaborations with such artists as Al Jarreau, The Yellowjackets and Terence Blanchard, brings his rich baritone voice to original compositions as well as modern interpretations of standards. Known for his command of rhythm, phrasing and dynamics, he’s written multi-disciplinary works for Steppenwolf Theater and the City of Chicago’s Millennium Celebration.
Tickets are $38 for adults, $36 for seniors and $28 for students and youth.
Steve Ramsdell and Zvonimir Tot continue the evening’s musical offerings and close out the MAC’s Winter Jazz Fest on Jan. 16 with a 10 p.m. performance in Theatre 2. Described by Midwest Records’ Chris Spector as “the sweet spot where hard charging playing meets with easy charm,” Ramsdell joins fellow guitarist Tot for an intimate performance, featuring both collaborative and solo work.
Chicago-based jazz guitarist, composer and arranger Tot, plays a style deeply rooted in jazz tradition, but flavored by his European background. He has performed in numerous U.S. and European cities, is Assistant Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is founder of Groove Art Records.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for students and youth.
A special $75 Winter Jazz Fest package is also available for jazz enthusiasts and covers admission to all of the Winter Jazz events.
For more information, call the MAC Ticket Office at (630) 942-4000.
About the MAC
Located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355, the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is a state-of-the-art facility, housing three performance spaces, an art gallery and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. This unique facility has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and last year welcomed more than 75,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances.
The center offers free parking and group discounts and is home to Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, the New Philharmonic Orchestra and DuPage Opera Theatre. The result is a collection of touring and resident and student groups that foster enlightened education and performance opportunities to encourage artistic expression, promote a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community.
The MAC’s extensive community outreach program includes pre-performance lectures, classes with visiting artists and the SchoolStage program, which provides students with an interactive, educational arts experience. Those and other efforts to increase community access to arts earned the MAC the Illinois Arts Council’s Partners in Excellence designation, which recognizes 40 of the most significant cultural institutions in the state.
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