Kicking things off tonight with a Saxaphone Colussus and ending on Sunday night with a search for musical freedom, The Chicago Jazz Festival blows through the Windy City this weekend with a lineup of international legends, up and coming giants and local superstars.

Chi-town's oldest music festival originally began as a tribute to composer and bandleader Duke Ellington 30 years ago and to celebrate the big 3-0, organizers wanted to make sure they cooked up a full buffet of music for this 3 day free festival.  There's a lot of meaty jazz sandwiched between tonight's opener, legendary saxman Sonny Rollins, and free jazz originator Ornette Coleman, on deck to shut things down with a Sunday afternoon set.  Read more »

The forecast for Newport on Sunday, August 10, was not altogether promising: scattered thunderstorms, starting in mid-afternoon and continuing into the evening. But the forecast was wrong. The weather was beautiful all day, sunny but not too hot, and not a drop of rain fell until late at night.

It would be foolish to look for any deeper meaning here. But if you want to believe that God is a jazz fan, and that He wanted to make sure this year’s Newport Jazz Festival finished on a positive note, be my guest.

The beauty of the day was not lost on the festival’s headliner, Sonny Rollins, making his first Newport appearance in nobody could remember exactly how many years. Looking out from the Fort Adams State Park stage at the bright sunshine, the puffy clouds, the boats in the harbor and the ecstatic crowd, Sonny announced at one point: “It’s so beautiful out here, ladies and gentlemen, that I don’t know what to do with myself.”

I knew just how he felt.  Read more »