Jazz and Blues Lounge

Jazz Comes to Macomb

by balaspa on July 2nd, 2008

Macomb is a city not far from Chicago. It is also a college town as Western Illinois University is there. It is known as a party town. Of course, colleges are some of the best places to see great jazz. Well, Macomb has a jazz festival that you should probably know about as part of my “Jazz Tours of the Midwest” tirade lately. You can find out about it by clicking HERE.

It is known as the “Al Sears Jazz Festival.” It is September 12 - 14, 2008.

SCHEDULE

Friday, September 12, 2008

Bureau of Cultural Affairs (BCA) Concert: COFAC
*The Freddy Cole Quartet - Nat King Cole’s brother and “the most maturely expressive male singer of his generation, if not the best alive.” - The New York Times (2007)

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Al Sears Jazz Festival w/ Gazebo Art Festival: Chandler park

Jean Kittrell and the St. Louis Rivermen (one of the top traditional Dixieland bands in the country) - 2 sets. Sponsored by Tate and Sharon Lindahl.
Diane Deline Quartet, featuring Greg Pasenko (Chcago-based jazz violinist, w/ guitarist/vocalist) - 2 sets. IAC grant applied for (30-40% coverage).
Craig Russo’s Latin Jazz Project (back by popular demand, w/ new CD getting nat’l airplay) - 2 sets.
Dave Hoffman Quintet (trumpet player for Ray Charles for 13 years!) - 2 sets. Possible guest vocalist
Kimberly Wilson, featuring Frank Parker (WIU alum/vocalist, w/ Chicago-area drummer who’s also a WIU alum). Both toured Europe w/ JSO under dale Hopper and appear on the “Live in Europe” CD.
Jazz Studio Orchestra, w/ Special Guest Artist.
Hopper Jazztet.
Guitar Ensemble.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Jazz/Gospel Brunch: The Old Dairy
*Jean Kittrell and the St. Louis Rivermen, playing 2 sets of gospel/jazz. Special New Orleans menu prepared exclusively for this engagement! Market heavily, including through churches!

And who the heck is Al Sears? Besides just being some guy they named the festival after, he was an important man in jazz and he was from Macomb. From the website:

“Born in 1910 in Macomb, Illinois, Al Sears became a remarkable tenor saxophonist. Mostly self-taught, he began performing professionally with the jazz band led by Chick Webb at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem when he was only 18.

Sears is best remembered for his superb recorded solos while in the Duke Ellington Band in the 1940s. His credits also include work with important artists such as Lionel Hampton and Johnny Hodges. He is also noteworthy for the influence he had after he moved into the rhythm and blues genre in the early 1950s. Indeed, his exuberant performances contributed to the emergence of
rock and roll.

Although his recording career ended in 1960, Sears occasionally performed well into the 1980s. Later in life he was a music publisher and a successful executive with ABC Paramount. He died in 1990.

Macomb and the Al Sears Jazz Festival committee are pleased to honor Sears’ contributions to the American Jazz tradition.”

So, check out Macomb come this September. It’s a great way to end the summer and kick off fall. Just be careful of stepping over the passed out partying college kids while you’re there.

POSTED IN: Bands, Chicago, Festivals, jazz