Six-time Grammy Nominated Composer/Arranger, Gerald Wilson conducts two shows with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble (CJE). The shows, Saturday, May 7 at 8:00 P.M. and Sunday, May 8 at 2:00 P.M., at the Field Museum's James R. Simpson Theatre are the final performances of the CJE's Sixth American Heritage Jazz Series.

For more than fifty years, Gerald Wilson has been recognized as one of the premiere composers, arrangers and band leaders in modern jazz. During his six-decade career, Wilson's compositions have been behind the greatest names in jazz, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter, and Nancy Wilson.

Wilson spent a number of years in Chicago early in his career, "I was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Academy in 1943 and 1944 and it was a great time in history. Aside from myself there was Clark Terry and Willie Smith and we were all proud of the fact that we were really the first blacks in the U.S. Navy. I had been in Chicago prior to that and have always considered it one of my many homes, Chicago still means a lot to me. I even composed and dedicated a piece, State Street Suite, that I performed in Chicago many years ago and am really looking forward to coming back and working with the Ensemble.