The 2024 Chicago Jazz Festival ended on Sunday and was a great success. The weather cooperated beautifully with a hint of cooler days ahead. The Pritzker Pavilion stage had a great lineup with a predictable, yet fun finale. This was the third consecutive year that ended with a Hispanic big band. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra brought the Domingo Gigante buzz to the stage. Oscar Hernandez formed the orchestra 22 years ago in New York.
The Spanish Harlem Orchestra has won three Grammy awards and released their latest recording, "Swing Forever," in August. The energy ramped up when they hit the stage. It was a traditional Latin band lineup of brass and percussion with Hernandez on piano. Three singers took center stage and never stopped moving. The members playing instruments also moved with the same salsa dance steps when not playing.
I was transported back to Luquillo Beach in Puerto Rico where music and dancing beat a tattoo of rhythm. Jeremy Bosch, Carlos Cascante, and Marco Bermudez shared singing and some compositions of their own. Bermudez encouraged the crowd "¡Baila Chicago!" and dance they did. They had an impeccable sound, and the band having fun on stage pulled people out of their seats.
The day's performances started with the Clif Wallace Big Band. They were quite good despite some sound problems i.e. playing the instruments on the microphones. The sound crew was not on their A-game with some solos being practically muted.
Clif Wallace is a journeyman drummer having played with Chicago favorites like Tammy McCann and Bobby Broom. They did a beautiful version of the Teena Marie hit "Portuguese Love." The familiar "heeeey" came from folks who immediately recognized the opening bars. They also played "King's Motorcade" from Coming to America (1988) and a fun tune called "Daayuum!". The Clif Wallace Big Band is a regular fixture at Andy's Jazz Club in owntown Chicago. It was good to see them on the big stage.
I was this many years old when I found out that trumpet master Eddie Henderson is also a medical doctor and a psychiatrist no less. He was also the first African American to compete in figure skating. Eddie Henderson was also a part of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi group and had some of the best in jazz accompanying him on Sunday afternoon. Donald "Big Chief" Harrison was on tenor saxophone, and the magnificent George Cables played the piano with a command of the instrument that was a wonder to watch. Harrison and Cables are alumni of the fabled Jazz Messengers. Bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer Mike Clark rounded out a top-notch quintet that wowed the audience with songs from Lee Morgan and Dizzy Gillespie to jazz fusion. It was a thrill to listen to these players with such a wealth of skill and talent.
The Orrin Evans Quartet took to the pavilion stage after Eddie Henderson's quintet and held his own. Evans is known for a dedication to the spiritual in his music. He cuts a shaman-like figure at the piano reminiscent of Lonnie Liston Smith. Caleb Wheeler Curtis played several brass instruments but primarily a long alto saxophone. Robert Hurst brought his virtuosic bass playing to the stage and Drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. completed the quintet for a ride through jazz dimensions. This group had fun on the stage and contributed to an excellent set. Emcee Neil Tesser introduced Evans as the pride of Philadelphia but Chicago adopted him on Sunday.
I hope you got to see some of the fine performances this year. It was a blast to see so much music over three days. It was also a privilege to see the future of jazz in good hands with many up-and-coming players. Check out the artists' music on many streaming platforms and support America's original genre. Put the Chicago Jazz Festival on your calendar for Labor Day Weekend 2025. I hope to see you there!
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