Jazz Appreciation Month rolls on, and this week, we visit Chicago for the 15th International Jazz Day Concert on April 30th. The concert roams around the world - it was at the United Nations back in 2022 - and now, at the Lyric Opera in Chicago, April 30th - 8pm ET - and will be broadcast worldwide - we have the YouTube link here at the website.
We also look to May - May 1st - and a very special group performing in an historic music hall in Carnegie on the event of the 125th anniversary of of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall.
The band has been dubbed “Indestructible,” featuring Roger Humphries. The sextet has been assembled by trombonist, composer/arranger and bandleader Reggie Watkins (who also LIVES in Carnegie). Also in the band, Michael Tomaro (sax), Dr. James Moore (trumpet), Michael Bernabe (piano), and Jordan McBride (bass).
As we spoke with Reggie Watkins about the coming event on May 1st, he told us about the connections between Roger Humphries and famed bandleader Art Blakey - both Pittsburgh natives - and both with some very notable recordings for Blue Note in the mid-1960’s.
For Art Blakey, the final record he made for Blue Note Records was called “Indestructible.” It featured Blakey on drums, Cedar Walton, piano; Reggie Workman, bass; Lee Morgan, trumpet; Wayne Shorter, tenor sax; and Curtis Fuller, Trombone.
Art Blakey, Roger Humphries
The 15th International Jazz Day Concert is coming back to the US this year - at the Lyric Opera of Chicago
Time: 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm ET
The centerpiece of the worldwide celebration, the 15th Annual International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert brings together an extraordinary lineup of more than 40 acclaimed artists from across the globe, reflecting jazz’s far-reaching influence across genres and cultures. Led by Herbie Hancock and co-artistic director Kurt Elling, the concert features acclaimed international performers alongside Chicago artists, underscoring the city’s role as a global jazz capital. Broadcast live worldwide from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the concert forms part of the nation’s 250th anniversary festivities—celebrating jazz as a uniquely American art form and a gift to the world, while advancing the mission of International Jazz Day on its 15th anniversary.
Artists: Confirmed artists include Melissa Aldana, John Beasley (Musical Director), Terence Blanchard, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Till Brönner, Terri Lyne Carrington, James Carter, Jacob Collier, Béla Fleck, Renée Fleming, James Genus, Robert Glasper, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, Gregory Porter, Dianne Reeves, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Bobby Watson, and Lizz Wright, among many others, including Chicagoans Bobby Broom, Ernest Dawkins, Kurt Elling, Herbie Hancock, Marquis Hill, Joel Ross and Jahari Stampley. Additional artist announcements to come.
Chicago natives Herbie Hancock and Kurt Elling will serve as Co-Artistic Directors of the Global Concert. Elling, a multi Grammy-winning jazz singer and Chicago native currently starring in the Broadway production of “Hadestown,” joins Hancock in shaping a program expected to be viewed by hundreds of millions worldwide via YouTube, UN TV, UNESCO, jazzday.com, Facebook and other platforms.
Admission: FREE - Open to public (ticketing information to be announced)
The Scene - Thursday night at 6, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday at 5 on WZUM.
