This edition of the Chicago Jazz Festival delivers the usual tributes to a handful of jazz greats, living and dead–underappreciated local pianist Willie Pickens in the former category, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Oscar Brown Jr., and recently deceased trumpeter Malachi Thompson in the latter. And this year’s artist in residence is genius alto saxophonist Lee Konitz. A native Chicagoan and key acolyte of pianist Lennie Tristano who played with Miles Davis on the legendary Birth of the Cool sessions, he’s been one of the most distinctive voices on his instrument since the late 40s. But the strongest theme in the 2006 bookings is the rich musical heritage of New Orleans, imperiled when Hurricane Katrina made landfall just days before last year’s fest.
Thursday 31
SYMPHONY CENTER
JAZZ ON JACKSON
Frieda Lee
3:30 PM
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Veteran New Orleans clarinetist and educator Michael White is devoted to preserving what’s usually called trad jazz, since “Dixieland” makes people think of tourist traps. His long-running band–which includes trumpeter Gregory Stafford, trombonist Lucien Barbarin, banjoist Detroit Brooks, pianist Steven Pistorious, bassist Roland Guerin, and drummer Herman Lebeaux–digs deep into the classic repertoire, delivering antique tunes with a danceable, melodic buoyancy and indulging in plenty of the kind of crisp, contrapuntal improvisation that made the earliest Crescent City jazz so special. The group also tackles midcentury pop numbers with equal verve, and White contributes plenty of strong originals. PM
