Hyde Park Jazz Festival

Hyde Park Jazz Festival The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is a collaborative platform dedicated to supporting the presentation and Hyde Park Jazz Festival took place September 26 & 27, 2020.

Programming continues this fall with the Jazz Kitchen series organized by Monica Hairston O'Connell! Visit hydeparkjazzfestival.org for dates and more information.

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!We are excited to feature saxophonist Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. at two events this year:1) Listeni...
09/14/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

We are excited to feature saxophonist Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. at two events this year:

1) Listening Session: Big Chief Donald Harrison on the Black Masking Indian Tradition

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 7pm - 8pm
⭐ VENUE: Logan Center Screening Room. 915 East 60th St.

Listening Sessions include recordings, presentation, and discussion.

2) Big Chief Donald Harrison Quartet

⭐ SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
⭐ TIME: 6pm - 7pm
⭐ VENUE: Wagner Stage. Midway Plaisance at South Woodlawn Ave.

New Orleans-born saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Award recipient Donald Harrison is a genius synthesizer of modern jazz, New Orleans second-line, funk, and soul music. He refined his playing with masters of the jazz tradition such as Art Blakey, Lena Horne, McCoy Tyner, and countless other household names. He is also an active figure in the New Orleans music and culture scene, serving as Big Chief of the Congo Square Nation. Learn from Harrison about the important cultural heritage of Mardi Gras Black Masking Indians at Saturday’s listening session, and experience his music first-hand at his Sunday performance with Dan Kaufman (piano), Nori Naraoka (bass), and Rehaan Rouege (drums).

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

3️⃣2️⃣1️⃣ The countdown begins!🗣️We are 2 weeks away from the 20th Anniversary of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival happening ...
09/14/2026

3️⃣2️⃣1️⃣ The countdown begins!🗣️

We are 2 weeks away from the 20th Anniversary of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival happening September 26-27th‼️ This celebration of jazz on the south side is FREE and open to all! 🗓️Be sure to mark your calendars for this special event!

For more information visit hydeparkjazzfestival.org⌨️

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!Kris Davis Trio⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26⭐ TIME: 1pm - 1:45pm and 2:15pm - 3pm⭐ VENUE: Logan Center Perf...
09/11/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Kris Davis Trio

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 1pm - 1:45pm and 2:15pm - 3pm
⭐ VENUE: Logan Center Performance Penthouse. 915 East 60th St.

Kris Davis is a Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer described by The New York Times as a beacon for “deciding where to hear jazz on a given night.” She has released 25 recordings as a leader or co-leader and collaborated with artists including Terri Lyne Carrington, Dave Holland, John Zorn, Craig Taborn, Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey, and Esperanza Spalding.

In the Kris Davis Trio, she is joined by the extraordinary talents of bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Johnathan Blake. The title of the trio’s latest album, Run the Gauntlet, highlights a metaphor for overcoming challenges to achieve one’s goals. In the project, Davis pays homage to six trailblazing women pianists–Geri Allen, Carla Bley, Renee Rosnes, Angelica Sanchez, Marilyn Crispell, and Sylvie Courvoisier–who navigated the male-dominated field of jazz and left an indelible mark on Davis’ journey as a pianist and composer. By dedicating the album to these extraordinary women, Davis honors their resilience and groundbreaking contributions as leaders in the jazz community. The album seamlessly melds composition with improvisation and stands as a testament to Davis’ singular voice within the jazz landscape.

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!It’s All About OBJ: Dee Alexander and Bruce Henry Celebrate the Music of Oscar Brown, Jr.⭐ SATURDAY, S...
09/10/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

It’s All About OBJ: Dee Alexander and Bruce Henry Celebrate the Music of Oscar Brown, Jr.

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 4:45pm - 5:45 pm
⭐ VENUE: Pickens Stage. Midway Plaisance at South Ellis Ave.

Dee Alexander
Active across gospel, blues, R&B, spontaneous improvisation, world, and other styles, Dee Alexander has taken advantage of the richness of Chicago’s music scene while also participating in the storied experimental collective of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). She has received the 2020 Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Chicago Esteemed Artist Award, 2009 Chicago Tribune’s Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz award, and 2012 3Arts/Southwest Airlines Award in Music, and is a member of the 3Arts Artist Council.

Bruce A. Henry
Bruce A. Henry is a vocalist, composer, and educator whose three-and-a-half-octave range and genre-defying style have captivated audiences across five continents. Born in West Point, Mississippi and raised on Chicago’s West Side, Henry began singing at the age of five in a Baptist church. His early musical influences included the refined swing of Count Basie and Duke Ellington, both favorites of his pianist father.

The musicians:
Dee Alexander — vocals
Bruce Henry — vocals
Miguel de la Cerna — piano
Jeremiah Hunt — bass
Charles Heath IV — drums

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

🎷 to the first Hyde Park Jazz Festival program from 2007!While the Festival began in 2006, this little piece of histor...
09/10/2026

🎷 to the first Hyde Park Jazz Festival program from 2007!

While the Festival began in 2006, this little piece of history captures the early days of what would become a 20-year tradition of bringing jazz, community, and connection to Chicago’s South Side.

This September 26–27, we’re celebrating 20 years of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and looking ahead to the next 20 years of keeping jazz alive and thriving on the South Side. 💛

Join us for 38 FREE performances across 11 unique stages throughout the neighborhood!

We can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with you. 🎶

More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!Emmet Cohen Presents: Miles and Coltrane at 100⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26⭐ TIME: 7:30pm - 8:30pm ⭐ VENUE...
09/09/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Emmet Cohen Presents: Miles and Coltrane at 100

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 7:30pm - 8:30pm
⭐ VENUE: Logan Center Performance Hall. 915 East 60th St.

Emmet Cohen is widely regarded as a leading jazz pianist and a defining force in the evolution of the art form. A virtuoso musician, producer, and bandleader, he combines deep respect for jazz tradition with the belief that jazz is fundamentally about communication and connection—between musicians, audiences, and the generations that carry the music forward.

Cohen’s performance at the Logan Center is part of a year-long quintet tour celebrating the centennial birthdays of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Joining him onstage are several highly regarded musicians: Benny Benack (trumpet), Tivon Pennicott (tenor sax), Reuben Rogers (bass), and Joe Farnsworth (drums). Mark your calendars to catch these masters perform their take on the great legacy of Miles and Coltrane!

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!Brandon Woody’s Upendo⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26⭐ TIME: 5:45pm - 7pm ⭐ VENUE: Wagner Stage. Midway Plais...
09/07/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Brandon Woody’s Upendo

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 5:45pm - 7pm
⭐ VENUE: Wagner Stage. Midway Plaisance at South Woodlawn Ave.

Brandon Woody is a Baltimore-born, Bach-endorsed trumpeter, composer, and bandleader whose music flows from the rich lineage of Black music—including jazz, gospel, improvisation, and beyond—to explore themes of love, resilience, and community. Hailed by The New York Times and Los Angeles Times as a rising force in contemporary jazz, Woody signed with the legendary Blue Note Records in November 2024 and released his debut album, For The Love Of It All, in May 2025. Featuring his longtime band Upendo—Troy Long (keys), Quincy Phillips (drums), and Michael Saunders (bass)—the album showcases Woody’s ability to craft music that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

The musicians:
Brandon Woody — trumpet
Imani Grace — vocals
Troy Long — piano/keyboard/synth
Vittorio Stropoli - synth
Michael Saunders — bass
Quincy Phillips — drums

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!Greg Ward Octet: “Held Together”⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26⭐ TIME: 5:15pm - 6:15pm ⭐ VENUE: Logan Center ...
09/02/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Greg Ward Octet: “Held Together”

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 5:15pm - 6:15pm
⭐ VENUE: Logan Center Performance Hall. 915 East 60th St.

Commissioned by the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in collaboration with the Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts for the Festival’s 20th Anniversary, “Held Together” is a new work by saxophonist and composer Greg Ward inspired by the music of the Black church and the community that first shaped him as a musician.

Drawing from personal memory, oral history, and the broader traditions of gospel music, “Held Together” reflects on the ways communities are sustained through shared experiences, collective memory, and song. Through original compositions and lyrics created collaboratively by Ward and vocalist Brianna Thomas, the work seeks to capture the emotional breadth, communal spirit, and sense of belonging that shaped Ward’s earliest understanding of music.

The premiere will feature vocalist Brianna Thomas, who will collaborate with Ward on the creation of original lyrics, trumpeter Marquis Hill, trombonist Kirby Fellis, guitarist Matt Gold, pianist Julius Tucker, bassist Runere Brooks, drummer Sam Jewell, and Greg Ward on saxophone and composition.

🎶more information at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE! Ari Brown Quintet⭐ SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27⭐ TIME: 2pm - 3pm ⭐ VENUE: Wagner Stage. Midway Plaisance at S...
08/31/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Ari Brown Quintet

⭐ SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
⭐ TIME: 2pm - 3pm
⭐ VENUE: Wagner Stage. Midway Plaisance at South Woodlawn Ave.

Chicago native Ari Brown is an internationally renowned saxophonist, flautist, and pianist, as well as a prolific arranger, composer, and teacher. He began his professional career in the 1960s, performing soul, rock, blues, jazz, and R&B throughout the Midwest and along the East Coast with artists such as Gene Chandler, B.B. King, and Chuck Berry. Since 1979, Brown has performed jazz across the U.S. and throughout the world with his own working band and with the AACM Experimental Orchestra, Kahil El’Zabar, Roscoe Mitchell, and Pharoah Sanders. Brown is a graduate of Chicago’s Vandercook School of Music and has been active as an educator with Chicago Public Schools, Columbia College Chicago, the Chicago Conservatory of Music, and elsewhere.

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE! Ben LaMar Gay: Yowzers!⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26⭐ TIME: 4pm - 5pm ⭐ VENUE: Dusable Black History Museu...
08/29/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Ben LaMar Gay: Yowzers!

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 4pm - 5pm
⭐ VENUE: Dusable Black History Museum & Education Center. 740 East 56th Pl.

Ben LaMar Gay is a composer who moves sound, color, and space components through folkloric filters, producing brilliant electro-acoustic collages. Called a “visionary musician” by The New York Times, he is an explorer of many mediums and has found a form of creative expression that begins with improvisation and expands beyond the limits of any single genre.

Gay has been a member of the Association of the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) since 2010. With more than twenty years in vibrant experimental music scenes on his resume, he has earned residencies globally. He is a highly sought-after collaborator who has worked with Theaster Gates, Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed, Dorothée Munyaneza, Joshua Abrams, and Onye Ozuzu, to name a few. These multidisciplinary collaborations, as well as his own projects, have brought his work to Danse Biennale of Lyon, African Dance Biennale Maputo, Chicago Symphony Center, The Barbican, Art Basel, and other international stages. His work has been commissioned by Pierre Boulez Saal, Wet Ink Ensemble, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Northwestern University, University of Zurich, and National Theater of Strasbourg.

The musicians:
Ben LaMar Gay
Matthew Davis
Edinho Ge**er
Tommaso Moretti
Ayanna Woods
Ugochi Nwaogwugwu
Tramaine Parker

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

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Midway Pliasance At The Corner Of S. Woodlawn
Chicago, IL
60637

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