The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Millennium Park and the Jazz Institute of Chicago present the savory sounds of Chicago jazz during six free concerts at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion this summer. Made in Chicago: A Jazz Celebration takes place on five Thursdays throughout July and August. A sixth concert, on Monday, August 29 kicks off "Jazz Week," culminating with the Chicago Jazz Festival, which takes place September 1-4.

"Chicago is an incredibly creative city. Millennium Park provides a venue for us to showcase that to the world," said Millennium Park Executive Director Helen Doria. "All summer long, we're proud to present many of the city's most talented artists and performers, including the phenomenal jazz musicians who are appearing in Made in Chicago. We know that our audiences will be particularly thrilled by hearing these concerts at the Pritzker Pavilion with its state-of-the-art sound system."

"There is an enormous wealth of jazz talent in Chicago - and has been since Louis Armstrong arrived here from New Orleans," said Jazz Institute of Chicago Executive Director Lauren Deutsch. "We're looking forward to introducing people to some of the best jazz artists in the country, who happen to live in Chicago. We hope that people realize that there is no better jazz than right here at home."

AUGUST SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Thursday, August 11: 6:30 pm
The Exploding Star Orchestra
Cornetist Rob Mazurek, founder of the groundbreaking Chicago Underground Orchestra, returns to Chicago to lead musicians from Chicago's explosive contemporary jazz scene including Nicole Mitchell, Ken Vandermark, David Boykin, Corey Wilkes, Josh Berman, John McEntire, Jason Adasiewicz, Jim Baker, Jeff Parker, Matthew Lux, Jason Ajemian, John Herndon and Michael Reed.

Thursday, August 25: 6:30 pm
Legends and Lions: Bebop Brass Meets Saxophone Summit
Established in 1997 Bebop Brass is a true woodshed band featuring the most exciting young brass players in Chicago, often pairing them off with legendary masters of brass. Saxophone Summit premiered in 2001 with a similar goal--to showcase the masters with the young musicians who together comprise the living legacy of the Chicago Sound made famous by legends such as Johnny Griffin, Gene Ammons and many more. This concert brings together brass masters Maurice Brown, Pharez Whitted and Bobby Lewis on trumpets, John Watson, Tracy Kirk and T.S. Galloway on trombone saxophone summiteers Franz Jackson, Eric Schneider, Eddie Johnson, Jeff Chan and Joseph Jarman. Music Director and pianist Ken Chaney will hold down the rhythm section with Kobie Watkins on drums and Larry Gray on bass.

Monday, August 29: 6:30 pm
Orbert's Chicago Jazz Philharmonic: Collective Creativity
Orbert Davis' swinging Chicago Jazz Philharmonic will showcase its repertory of original works, and celebrate the 40th anniversary of Chicago's pioneering Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) by premiering a new composition. Applying the collective creative process of 21st century jazz to 20th century classical music, Davis commissioned Nicole Mitchell, Ari Brown, Edward Wilkerson and Mwata Bowden to collaborate with him and the orchestra in creating movements for a new suite based on the works of Igor Stravinsky.

Located in downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe Streets, the 24.5- acre Millennium Park is an unprecedented center for world-class art, music, architecture and landscape design.

Among the park's prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture. For more information about Millennium Park or Made in Chicago: A Jazz Celebration, please visit

www.millenniumpark.org or call 312-742-1168.