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Music, Music Feature Oct 1, 2020
Slideshow
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival takes it to the streets

With short sets from small groups in unexpected spots, the festival creates a communal experience that’s pandemic safe.
- By Bill Meyer
- Tags: Music Feature, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, livestream, pop-up concerts, Kate Dumbleton, Midway Plaisance, Rockefeller Chapel, Logan Center for the Arts, University of Chicago, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Washington Park, Alexis Lombre Quartet, Jahari Stampley, Greg Ward, Rogue Parade, Charles Heath, Ramsey Lewis, Dee Alexander, A-Team, Protest, Marquis Hill, Circle in the Round, Dana Hall, Junius Paul, Michael King, Irvin Pierce, the Silent Hour, Mike Reed, Tomeka Reid, Jason Adasiewicz, Loose Assembly, Russ Johnson, Jakob Heinemann, Oakland, Maggie Brown, Green Line Performing Arts Center, Fred Jackson Jr., Avreeayl Ra, Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art, Milton Mizenberg Jr., Nick Mazzarella, Quin Kirchner, Madison Park, Russ Johnson Quartet, Lenard Simpson, Ken Vandermark, Black Monument Ensemble, Damon Locks, Iowa Building, World’s Columbian Exposition, Thaddeus Tukes, Mike Frasier, Chicago Freedom Ensemble, Slideshow

Music, Music Feature Aug 27, 2020
Video
Chicago’s September jazz festivals cope with COVID

The city is replacing its traditional huge outdoor affair with a slimmed-down online event, while the smaller, nimbler Hyde Park Jazz Festival plans to try pop-up in-person shows.
- By Bill Meyer
- Tags: Music Feature, Chicago Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Millennium Park at Home: Jazz Music, Jazz Postcards, pandemic, coronavirus, COVID-19, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, DCASE, Jazz Showcase, Green Mill, Constellation, Elastic Arts, Experimental Sound Studio, Quarantine Concerts, Option Series, Catalytic Sound, Corbett vs. Dempsey, Adam Zanolini, Kate Dumbleton, Peter Margasak, Solo Impro Festival, Doek Festival, Cristina Marx, Millennium Park Summer Music Series, Jon Langford, Sam Trump, Zeshan B, Mucca Pazza, the Promontory, Dee Alexander, Khari B., Junius Paul Quartet, Souleyes—An Exercise in Reconstruction, Jazz Festival Citywide, Citywide Jazz, Midway Plaisance, University of Chicago, Logan Center for the Arts, Bobby Broom Trio, Tito Carrillo Quintet, Twin Talk, Nick Mazzarella Trio, Abigail Riccards, Von Freeman, Clifford Jordan, Fred Hersch Trio, Muhal Richard Abrams, Experimental Band, Myra Melford, Angel Bat Dawid, Corey Wilkes, Greg Ward, Tomeka Reid, Avreeayl Ra, Joshua Abrams, HPJF, Video

City Life, Public Service Announcement Aug 7, 2020
Is your lovin’ worth two transfers?

What our listings coordinator is musing about this week
- By Salem Collo-Julin
- Tags: Public Service Announcement, long distance, relationships, love, neighborhoods, CTA, bus, livestream, Dee Alexander, Twitter, Rebuild Foundation, Chicago Architectural Center, Empty Bottle, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, iO, el, CTA, COVID-19

Music, Gossip Wolf Aug 4, 2020
Video
Rapper-producer Montana Macks drops a collection of soulful instrumentals

Plus: Anni Rossi puts out a playful video mixtape, and arts nonprofit Quiet Pterodactyl releases an all-star compilation to benefit Chicago music venues.
- By J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
- Tags: Gossip Wolf, Montana Macks, Arrivals & Departures, Pigeons & Waffles, Rich Jones, beat tape, instrumental, Anni Rossi, Rockwell, 4AD, House of Rossi, Bobb Bruno, Best Coast, mixtape, video mixtape, Quiet Pterodactyl, SituationChicago, Jeff Tweedy, White Mystery, Big Silky, Ric Wilson, Girl K, Dee Alexander, Twilite Tone, Video

Music, Gossip Wolf Nov 5, 2019
Video
Bill MacKay and Katinka Kleijn document their dynamic duo with an album

Plus: Friends band together to help Jazz Showcase founder Joe Segal with medical bills, and power-pop veteran Jeff Lescher of Green celebrates a new solo record.
- By J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
- Tags: Gossip Wolf, Bill MacKay, Katinka Kleijn, Stir, Drag City, Elastic Arts, Timothy Breen, Hermine, Brett Naucke, Jazz Showcase, Joe Segal, benefit, fund-raiser, Dee Alexander, Ari Brown, Joey DeFrancesco, Studebaker Theater, Henry Johnson, Jeff Lescher, Green, Indiegogo, All Is Grace, Outta Space, Jason Mosher, Video

Music, In Rotation Oct 15, 2019
Video
Curator Adia Sykes on a voice that takes you back to the golden age of soul

Plus: ESS codirector Olivia Junell on a sound she could listen to forever, Reader music editor Philip Montoro on a fusion of apocalyptic synths and ancient rhythms, and more
- By Philip Montoro
- Tags: In Rotation, Malignant Altar, Retribution of Jealous Gods, Houston, Nihiloxica, Nyege Nyege Tapes, Kampala, Uganda, Bugandan, Nilotika Cultural Ensemble, Realms of Exquisite Morbidity, Kokoko!, Crammed Discs, Biiri, Gamelan Çudamani, Music Festival Chicago, David Chavez, Carlos Tortolero, DCASE, Olivia Junell, Experimental Sound Studio, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Sara Ludy, Deeptimesurfacetime, South Shore, the Quarry, Dee Alexander, Universal Alley Jazz Jams, Urban Aspirations, Fat Tony, Hoody Party, Smart Ass Black Boy, Adia Sykes, Kendrick Lamar, Alright, To Pimp a Butterfly, PJ Morton, Gumbo Unplugged, Yebba, BJ the Chicago Kid, Lecrae, Osvaldo Fresedo, Dizzy Gillespie, flamenco, Vida Mía, Video

Music, Music Feature Sep 30, 2019
Slideshow
Photos: The Hyde Park Jazz Festival

The south side’s own world-class jazz fest played host to dozens of shows and more than a hundred musicians.
- By Philip Montoro and Michael Jackson
- Tags: Music Feature, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Society, photos, Logan Center for the Arts, University of Chicago, Hyde Park, jazz, Angel Bat Dawid, Requiem for Jazz, Isaiah Collier, The Story of 400 Years, Karuna, Hamid Drake, Adam Rudolph, Mary Halvorson, MacArthur, Sylvie Courvoisier, Greg Ward, Ambrose Akinmusire, Amir ElSaffar, Tia Fuller, Dana Hall, Spring, Dee Alexander, Maggie Brown, Sam Trump, Orbert Davis, Ari Brown, Juan Pastor, Pharez Whitted, Project Tool, Tito Carillo, Nick Mazzarella, Quin Kirchner, Tia Fuller, Kate Dumbleton, Slideshow

Music, Music Feature Aug 27, 2018
The jazz doesn’t stop when the park goes dark

This year’s Jazz Festival aftershows include Mako Sica with Hamid Drake, Dee Alexander performing Nina Simone, and the traditional engagements by Ira Sullivan and Edward “Kidd” Jordan.
- Tags: Music Feature, Chicago Jazz Festival, Jazz Festival, jazz, aftershows, jam sessions, Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Hereafter Fest, Elastic, Constellation, Chris Speed Trio, Edward “Kidd” Jordan, Kidd Jordan, Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Alvin Fielder, Ira Sullivan, Dee Alexander, Nina Simone, Fareed Haque, David Boykin, Håvard Wiik, Mako Sica, Hamid Drake, George Freeman, Makaya McCraven, Nolatet, AACM Generations, Alfonso Ponticelli, Swing Gitan

Music, Music Feature Sep 2, 2015
Your comprehensive guide to the 37th annual Chicago Jazz Festival

Previews of every act in Millennium Park and beyond, including Fred Hersch in his overdue festival debut and AACM cofounder Muhal Richard Abrams leading a historic reunion of the Experimental Band
- By Peter Margasak, John Corbett, and Bill Meyer
- Tags: Music Feature, Chicago Jazz Festival 2015, Jazz Fest, Jazz Fest 2015, Jazzfest, Jazzfest 2015, Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, AACM, Jeff Parker Trio, Steve & Iqua Colson, Muhal Richard Abrams's Experimental Band, Muhal Richard Abrams, Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis, Wadada Leo Smith, Amina Claudine Myers, Fred Hersch, Henry Butler, Andrew Trim's Hanami Quartet, Ben Waltzer, Lucy Smith, James Davis's Beveled, Dee Alexander, Miguel de la Cerna, "What's This Thing Called Jazz?" From Mainstream to AACM and Beyond, Marquis Hill Blacktet, Henry Butler, Steven Bernstein, The Hot 9, Rajiv Halim Quintet, Jeremy Cunningham Quartet, Neusa Sauer, Craig Taborn Trio, Spin Quartet, Art Hoyle Sextet, Clark Terry Tribute, Bobby Lewis Sextet, Chico Freeman, The Chicago Project featuring George Freeman, Billie Holiday, Fred Hersch Trio, Billy Strayhorn, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Edward Wilkerson, John Hollenbeck, Steven Bernstein, Gordon Goodwin, Jones College Prep Jazz Combo, Chi Arts Jazz Combo, Whitney Young Magnet High School Jazz Ensemble, Rich Central Jazz Ensemble, Columbia College Jazz Ensemble, Dave Douglas, Trio WAZ, Mike Schlick Trio, Brian Gephart Sextet, Ryan Cohan Quartet, Joe Locke, Makaya McCraven Quartet, Juan Pastor, Chinchano, Jason Roebke Octet, Douglas Ewart, The Claudia Quintet, Theo Bleckmann, Mark Turner Quartet, Taft Jazz Combo, Northside College Prep Jazz Combo, Pritzker High School Jazz Ensemble, Thornridge High School Jazz Ensemble, Northern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble, Kenwood Academy Jazz Ensemble, Tomeka Reid, Jordan Baskin Trio, Elaine Dame, Ryan Shultz Quartet, Robert Irving III Generations, Bob Dogan Quintet, Bill McFarland Chicago Horns, Steve Colson, Iqua Colson, 40 Years in the Movement, Jane Bunnett, Maqueque, Cyrille Aimee

Blogs, Bleader Sep 28, 2014
Reader's Agenda Sun 9/28: 365 Drawings Showcase, Edgewater Fall Arts Fair, and Hyde Park Jazz Festival

What's on the Reader's Agenda for Sunday, September 28
- By Francesca Gattuso
- Tags: Do This, Arts, Jazz, Music, Jonathan Burden, 365 Drawings Showcase, Empty Bottle, Le Tour and Spike, Sweet Spots, Edgewater Fall Arts Fair, Parkwest Strings, Hyde Park, Hyde Park Jazz Fesitival, Houston Person, Etienne Charles, Craig Taborn, Dee Alexander

Music, Music Feature Jul 23, 2014
Will Chicago's most daring and virtuosic jazz singer finally get the recognition she deserves?

Dee Alexander has earned international acclaim, but fame has eluded her. Her great new album, Songs My Mother Loves, might change that.
- By David Whiteis
- Tags: Music Feature, Dee Alexander, jazz, jazz singers, albums, Ben Ratliff, New York Times, 2013 Newport Jazz Festival, Bluejazz, DownBeat, CDs, Chicago Tribune, Ella Fitzgerald, 2012 Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Ken Chaney Xperience, Baba Eli Hoenai, Henry Huff, UIC, University of Illinoi, University of Illinois at Chicago, Kennedy Center, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Howard Mandel, Jazz Journalists Association, Corey Wilkes, Ernest Dawkins, Miguel de la Cerna, Kickstarter, crowdfunding, 3Arts Foundation, 3AP, stipends, Greg Pasenko, Oliver Lake, recording, Columbia College, Rita Warford, Iqua Colson, AACM, Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Obie Creed, Progressive Arts Center, Prada Ensemble, Breath, Douglas Ewart, Mankwe Ndosi, R. Kelly, Delmark, Malachi Thompson, HotHouse, Hyde Park Art Center, Yussef Ernie Adams, Harrison Bankhead, bands, Tomeka Reid, Scott Hesse, Junius Pau, Evolution Arkestra, Ari Brown, Corey Wilkes, World Saxophone Quartet, Oliver Lake, Lillstreet Art Center, jazz songs, jazz standards, University of Chicago, Logan Center for the Arts, College of DuPage, McAninch Arts Center, MCA, Museum of Contemporary Art

Music, In Rotation Feb 10, 2014
In Rotation: Jake Austen of Roctober on a sitar cover of the Banana Splits

Plus: WHPK's Mario Smith on a J Dilla orchestra, the Reader's Philip Montoro on microtonal black metal, and more
- By Philip Montoro
- Tags: In Rotation, Philip Montoro, Jake Austen, Mario Smith, Jute Gyte, snow, squeaks, The Whammies, Constellation, Roctober, Chic-a-Go-Go, The Goblins, Magnetic South, cassettes, Nadya Gruen, Bob Gruen, videos, DVDs, film, Ike Turner, Tina Turner, HPSJ, Hyde Park Jazz Society, Ari Brown, Dee Alexander, John Wright, jazz, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Carlos Niño, Ma Dukes Orchestra, J Dilla, James Dewitt Yancey, orchestras, Tortoise, Thrill Jockey, Avery R. Young, records, albums, Tina M. Howell, Ugochi, Douglas Ewart, Leroy Bach, Room 43, DJs, masked bands, Sir Deja Doog, Wee Giant, sitar, covers, compilations

Blogs, Bleader Sep 28, 2013
Reader's Agenda Sat 9/28: Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Monument, and a Chicago-style Oktoberfest

What's on the Reader's Agenda for Saturday, September 28
- By Jillian Sandler
- Tags: Do This, Arts, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Dee Alexander, Anat Cohen, Ken Vandermark, Gerald Clayton, Carrie Hanson, Monument, Saint Alphonsus Church, Oktoberfest

Music, Music Sidebar Sep 26, 2013
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival paints a portrait of the Chicago scene

Thirty-two acts at 11 venues, including Dee Alexander, Anat Cohen, Ken Vandermark, and Gerald Clayton
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music Sidebar, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Kate Dumbleton, Gerald Clayton, Anat Cohen, Douglas Lora, Willie Pickens, Jeff Parker Trio, Ken Vandermark, Music of the Midwest School, Tomeka Reid, Dee Alexander, Sun Ra, DownBeat magazine, Peter Margasak, Eternals, Damon Locks, Frank Rosaly's Green and Gold, Logan Center, International House, DuSable Museum, Univ. of Chicago Logan Center for the Arts, DuSable Museum of African American History, International House, University of Chicago

Blogs, Bleader Apr 2, 2013
City announces 2013 lineups for Downtown Sound, Loops & Variations, and Made in Chicago

What's scheduled for some of this summer's best free concert series.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music, Post No Bills, Downtown Sound, Loops & Variations, Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz, Jack McLarnan, Carlos Tortolero, Lee Ranaldo, Marc Ribot, Sharon Van Etten, Speck Mountain, Glen Hansard, Daniel Lanois, Brokeback, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Angela James, Lee Fields, Theo Huff, Dawes, Cairo Gang, Fatoumata Diawara, Alasdair Roberts, Handsome Family, Azita, Dessa, Psalm One, Falty DL, Bill Kouligas, Matmos, Fonema Consort, ICE, Nosaj Thing, Dan Deacon, Eighth Blackbird, Glenn Kotche, Lesley Flanigan, Olaf Arnalds, Sarah Neufeld, Jeff Parker, Dee Alexander, Nels Cline, Dana Hall, Pat Mallinger, Cameron Pfiffner, Jack DeJohnette, Victor Garcia, Henry Threadgill, Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell

Blogs, Bleader Dec 20, 2012
A glimpse of the Chicago music scene that thrives outside the glare of the spotlight

The B Side of the People Issue: Angel Olsen, Million Dollar Mano, Dee Alexander, and more
- By Philip Montoro
- Tags: People Week, Music, Variations on a Theme, People Issue 2012, People Issue, People Week, Angel Olsen, Million Dollar Mano, DJ Dave Matta, Dee Alexander, Vern Hester, Zain Curtis, Teen Witch

Music, Music Feature Dec 19, 2012
People Issue 2012:
Dee Alexander, the singer

"There was a freedom in jazz and all of the different chances you could take."
- Tags: Music Feature, Dee Alexander, Rashida Black, Tomeka Reid, James Sanders, Ernie Adams, jazz, Iqua Colson, Newport Jazz Festival, Evolution Ensemble, 3Arts Award, Douglas Ewart, Jimmy Ellis, Theophilus Reed, Orvieto Jazz Festival, Rita Warford, Von Freeman, Progressive Art Center, Moosehead Lounge, "Light" Henry Huff", Yosef Ben Israel, Ken Chaney, Avreeayl Ra

News & Politics, Feature Dec 19, 2012
People Issue 2012

"You've just gotta filter out noise."
- By Reader staff
- Tags: Feature, People Issue 2012, People Issue, Latoya Winters, John Campos, Angel Olsen, Millon Dollar Mano, Kimmy Walters, Dave Mata, Alejandro Cerrudo, Dave Cerda, Jackie Taylor, Vern Hester, Tara D., Ehsan Ghoreishi, Becca Hall, Martin Kastner, Keith Magee, Kayce Ataiyero, Michael Robbins, Mitzi Scott, Dave Odd, Abra Berens, Zain Curtis, Teen Witch, Dee Alexander, Roger Sosner, Tony Bacon, Janet Voight

Blogs, Bleader Oct 22, 2012
3Arts announces its 2012 cash award winners

Lighting designer Heather Gilbert, instrumentalist Lanialoha Lee, and visual artist Harold Mendez are among the winners
- By Deanna Isaacs
- Tags: Theater, Arts, Music, Visual Art, 3Arts, 3Arts 2012 winners, Miguel Aguilar, Dee Alexander, Heather Gilbert, Monique Haley, Halena Kays, Lanialoha Lee, Harold Mendez, Maria Vergara, Nejla Yatkin, Avery Young

Blogs, Bleader Sep 28, 2012
Audio
The rise of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival

The sixth annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival opens up its artistic parameters
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music, Post No Bills, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Miguel Zenón, Kate Dumbleton, Wycliffe Gordon, jazz, Greg Ward, Sun Rooms, Dee Alexander, Dana Hall, Tomeka Reid, Zach Brock, Laurent Coq, La Muerte de Rocamadour, Rayuela, Audio

Music, Music Sidebar Sep 25, 2012
Hyde Park Jazz Festival

Miguel Zenon, Wycliffe Jordon, and dozens of other cats flood Hyde Park
- By Luca Cimarusti
- Tags: Music Sidebar, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Miguel Zenon, Jason Adasiewicz, Pharaz Whitted, Dee Alexander, Ari Brown, Eric Schneider, Wycliffe Gordan, Greg Spero

Music, Music Sidebar Sep 22, 2011
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival

Don Byron, Corey Wilkes, Dee Alexander, and more
- By Luca Cimarusti
- Tags: Music Sidebar, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Dee Alexander, Tomeka Reid Trio, Orbert Davis Quintet, Terisa Griffin, Fareed Haque Trio, Tony Monaco, Maggie Brown Quartet, Don Byron New Gospel Quintet, Calje, Ricky Luis, Corey Wikes Sextet, Nicole Mitchell & the Black Eart Ensemble, Ari Brown Quintet, Tatsu Aoki, Miyumi Project, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington

Music, Three Beats Jul 28, 2011
Three Beats: Bassist Harrison Bankhead finally releases an album of his own

Plus: There's only room for one Canadian Girlfriend in this town, and Kid Sister Everything jumps on the tape train
- By Peter Margasak, Miles Raymer, and Leor Galil
- Tags: Three Beats, Harrison Bankhead, Morning Sun Harvest Moon, ESP-Disk, Engine, 8 Bold Souls, Indigo Trio, Frequency, Witches and Devils, Dee Alexander, Nicole Mitchell, Hamid Drake, Canadian Girlfriends, Nikita Word, Edward Wilkerson Jr., Mars Williams, James Sanders, Avreeayl Ra, Ernie Adams, My Canadian Girlfriend, Jamie Fillmore, Cheer-Accident, Kid Sister Everything, Animal Lover, Harrison Hickok, Gumbi, Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

Music, Music Sidebar Sep 23, 2010
Hyde Park Jazz Festival

Saturday's jazz marathon features an impressive cast of local players, including Ernest Dawkins, Nicole Mitchell, Willie Pickens, Dana Hall, Robert Irving III, and Dee Alexander.
- By Kevin Warwick
- Tags: Music Sidebar, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Dee Alexander, Dana Hall, Ernest Dawkins, Nicole Mitchell, Hyde Park, Willie Pickens, Orbert Davis, University of Chicago, International House, University of Chicago, Experimental Station, DuSable Museum of African American History, Robie House, Hyde Park Art Center, Hyde Park Bank, Hyde Park Union Church, Little Black Pearl Workshop, Oriental Institute Museum, Quadrangle Club, University of Chicago, Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, Smart Museum of Art, Midway Plaisance Park, Little Black Pearl

Music, Music Sidebar Mar 18, 2010
Fred Anderson Birthday Benefit Festival

The Velvet Lounge celebrates Fred Anderson's 81st birthday with a string of tribute shows.
- By Kevin Warwick
- Tags: Music Sidebar, Velvet Lounge, Fred Anderson, Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Tatsu Aoki, Dee Alexander, Corey Wilkes, Willie Pickens, Amiri Baraka, Richard Davis, jazz

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