Music Institute Offers Enrichment, Concerts Culminating in 5th Annual Jazz Festival Salute to Charlie Parker

The Music Institute of Chicago offers classes and events for jazz aficionados and enthusiasts leading up to its fifth annual jazz festival on November 7 and 8, which celebrates the music of Charlie “Bird” Parker.

As part of its new adult enrichment program, the Music Institute offers two classes:

Evolution of Jazz in America
A guided tour through the blues, ragtime, Dixieland, swing and bebop with Paul Hefner
From Congo Square in New Orleans, a new music flowed through the Mississippi Delta, eventually spreading across the country from coast to coast. An American original, jazz music took the 20th century by storm. Take a whirlwind trip through the 1900s and learn more about how jazz developed and influenced this nation and the world.
Tuesday, October 14, 7–8:15 p.m., Lake Forest Campus, 40 E. Old Mill Rd.
Wednesday, October 15, 7–8:15 p.m., Winnetka Campus, 300 Green Bay Rd.
Thursday, October 16, 7–8:15 p.m., Evanston Campus, 1702 Sherman Ave.

Kansas City Lightning
A survey of the musical genius of Charlie Parker with Music Institute President and CEO Dr. Mark George
Charlie Parker emerged from the rough and tumble environment of Kansas City to become one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Parker technically mastered the alto saxophone, developed a uniquely hard and punctuated tone, and expanded the harmonic language of jazz improvisation in ways that would forever influence the art form.
Tuesday, October 21, 7–8:15 p.m., Lake Forest Campus, 40 E. Old Mill Rd.
Thursday, October 23, 7–8:15 p.m., Winnetka Campus, 300 Green Bay Rd.

A class punch card may be purchased in advance or at the door: $75 for a 3-punch card or $100 for a 10-punch card.  A complete listing of classes and schedule is available at musicinst.org/adult-enrichment.

Free lunchtime concert
After a successful debut year at its new downtown Evanston campus, the Music Institute continues its free faculty lunchtime concert series this season with monthly performances in the black box theater at 1702 Sherman Avenue.  The concert on October 22 at 12:15 p.m. features a taste of the upcoming jazz festival with performances by Music Institute jazz faculty, including Victor Garcia, trumpet; Music Institute Director of Jazz Studies Audrey Morrison, trombone; Jeremy Kahn, piano; Stewart Miller, bass; and Ernie Adams, drums.

Jazz Festival Saluting Charlie Parker
The Music Institute’s annual jazz festival, this year saluting Charlie Parker, includes:

• Friday, November 7, 7:30 p.m.: Bird with Strings
The festival opens with a rare performance of music from the legendary Bird with Strings recordings, with jazz veteran Charles McPherson as saxophone soloist and Music Institute Artist in Residence Tammy McCann singing “Easy Living” and “I Thought About You.” Also on the program is a newly commissioned work for jazz quartet and strings by Northwestern University Director of Jazz Studies Victor Goines.

• Saturday, November 8, 4 p.m.: Lecture and Book-Signing
The festival continues with a lecture by acclaimed cultural critic and author Stanley Crouch, who discusses his recent book Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker. Richard Steele serves as moderator.

• Saturday, November 8, 7:30 p.m.: Bebop Extravaganza
The closing concert features Charles McPherson on saxophone and the Music Institute jazz faculty quintet, with Victor Garcia on trumpet, Jeremy Kahn on piano, Stewart Miller on bass, Ernie Adams on drums, and Music Institute Director of Jazz Studies Audrey Morrison on trombone performing Charlie Parker classics, such as “Confirmation,” “Moose the Mooch,” and “Ornithology.”

• A Jazz Invitational Saturday, November 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. features high school student jazz ensembles performing and receiving coaching from Music Institute jazz faculty. Participating high schools to date include Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts), Glenbrook South, and Pritzker College Prep. A master class with Charles McPherson follows at 3 p.m.

The Music Institute of Chicago’s jazz festival is sponsored by the Howard and Ursula Dubin Foundation. WDCB is the official media sponsor with additional support from Chicago Jazz Magazine.

Music Institute of Chicago
The Music Institute of Chicago is a community music school dedicated to transforming lives through music education. The institution exists to lead everyone in its community toward a lifelong engagement with music. Founded in 1931, the Music Institute has grown to become one of the three largest and most respected community music schools in the nation. Offering musical excellence built on the strength of its distinguished faculty, commitment to quality, and breadth of programs and services, the Music Institute is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education and accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Pre-collegiate Arts Schools (ACCPAS). Each year, the Music Institute’s teachers and arts therapists reach thousands of students and clients of all ages and levels of experience. Music Institute locations include Chicago, Evanston, Winnetka, Lincolnshire, Lake Forest, and Downers Grove. In addition, the Music Institute is proud of its longstanding partnership with the Chicago Public Schools through its Arts Link program. The Music Institute offers lessons and classes, creative arts therapy, and concerts through its Community School, Academy, Institute for Therapy through the Arts (ITA), and Nichols Concert Hall.

The Music Institute of Chicago’s jazz festival saluting Charlie Parker takes place November 7 and 8 at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for students; more information and tickets are available at musicinst.org/charlie-parker-jazz-festival or 800-838-3006.

For more information, visit musicinst.org.