Ron Blake

Multi-talented saxophonist Ron Blake will bring his quartet to the Jazz Showcase at Dearborn Station in Chicago on Thursday, July 22nd trhough Sunday, July 25th. Blake, a strikingly tall, Virgin Islands-born native, is based in New York City. He is a well-rounded musician and has recorded three CDs as a leader; in addition, his discography numbers more than 50 recordings as either a guest or sideman with leading artists. They include Roy Hargrove; Art Farmer; the Christian McBride Band; Spirit Music Jamia; Red, Hot + Riot; and the Grammy® nominated, Latin pop group, Yerba Buena; also, Blake has recorded soundtracks (most recently on El Cantante starring Marc Anthony/Jennifer Lopez). He is entering his third season as a member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live Band.

Chévere

The Cha Cha Cha genre is derived from the combination of the suave French quadrille and the rhythmically powerful Cuban son. Just as the cha cha cha music style developed out of the marriage of several cultural backgrounds, Grupo Cha Cha brings a wealth of musical diversity to the audience through their unique performances.  Grupo Cha Cha is led by flute/sax player Lise Gilly, and the line-up includes keyboard, bass, Latin percussion, drums, and vocals.   Mondongo is a Latin Jazz quintet that brings together some of Chicago's finest musicians, including renowned jazz artists like Mike Levin and Don Skoog as well as emerging talents like Adrian Ruiz, Bob Loveccio and Roberto Seif.

"He was the essence of music in Chicago. He was all music, all the time.” –Jimmy Elllis, Chicago saxophonist 

Fred Anderson

The modern jazz scene lost one of its most ardent practitioners and advocates with the death of saxophonist Fred Anderson on June 24th. Anderson had suffered a massive heart attack ten days earlier. 

Fred Anderson was owner of Chicago’s famed Velvet Lounge, a venue that supported the careers of many of the area’s most creative artists. Through the club and his involvement at co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Anderson had help spur the development of such Chicago artists as Ken Vandermark, Hamid Drake, Jeff Parker, Nicole Mitchell, Corey Wilkes and Maurice Brown. As a performer, Anderson remained active until his death, recording with Drake and Parker in 2007 (From the River to the Ocean) and the 2009 live recording of his 80th birthday gig at the Velvet Lounge, 21st Century Chase, with Parker, Kidd Jordan, Harrison Bankhead and Chad Taylor.

“Retro never sounded so appealing. Maybe that’s because guitarist Joel Paterson doesn’t regard the mid-20th century songs as historic repertoire. Instead, he addresses classic country, blues and Tin Pan Alley tunes as timeless works that reward repeated listening.” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune

The Modern Sounds