Claudia Cassidy Theater, 2nd Floor North

1-2pm - The Young Masters presented by Live the Spirit Residency

As founder of the Live the Spirit Residency, esteemed AACM veteran Ernest Dawkins has mentored any number of future musicians, ranging from now-established stars including Jeff Parker, Marquis Hill and Greg Ward to still-rising standouts including Isaiah Collier, Alexis Lombre and Jahari Stampley, winner of the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute International Competition. Today, Live the Spirit will be represented by five phenoms: drummer Macari Ramsey, trumpeters Nathaniel Harrigan and Jamal Damien, bassist Galen Morris and pianist Miles Richey. They will be joined by Dawkins on alto and soprano saxophone.

2:30-3:30pm - Jeff Chan Trio presented by Asian Improv

Since moving to Chicago from the West Coast in 2002, saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist and composer Jeff Chan has made a strong contribution in elevating the city's Asian American jazz scene and overall ethnic consciousness. Known for his performances with esteemed members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians including Mwata Bowden, Ari Brown and Edward Wilkerson, he will today make his festival debut as a leader, accompanied by bassist Ausberto Acevedo and drummer Vijay Anderson.

4-5pm - The DJAZ Quartet presented by The Elastic Arts Foundation

A force of nature, clarinetist, keyboardist and vocalist Angel Bat Dawid has cut a wide swath through the modern jazz scene, channeling the visionary works of the Sun Ra Arkestra, the AACM and West Coast legend Horace Tapscott's community-based ensemble while pressing forward with electronics, futuristic gospel and sharp social commentaries. Named a 2021 “Chicagoan of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune, she will today perform as a member of an exciting collective quartet including tenor saxophonist, flutist and electronics artist Molly Jones and cornetist Ben Zucker (both members of the experimental band Mad Myth Science) and cellist Ishmael Ali of Hearsay.

5:30-6:30pm - What is This Thing Called Jazz? Presented by the Education Committee of the Jazz Institute of Chicago. 

Hosted and moderated by esteemed jazz educator Dr. Roosevelt Griffin, this regular feature of the festival lends insight into the creative process through a performance by young members of the Jazz Institute's NextGenJazz Quintet and brief discussions of it. The musicians will include trumpeter Will Miller, saxophonist Kevin King, pianist Aval Zucha, bassist Carmani Edwards and drummer Frank Morrison.

 Preston Bradley Hall, 3rd Floor South

12:30-1:30pm - IRIS with Special Guest Russ Johnson presented by The Fulton Street Collective

Drawn from the long-running series of live "covers" of classic albums at Chicago's Fulton Street Collective, this set will feature the collective band IRIS performing Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' lesser known 1962 effort, "Three Blind Mice." IRIS was drawn to the album, which featured the awesome front line of Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter and Curtis Fuller, by its "raw energy and sense or urgency," said tenor saxophonist Arman Sangalang. He will be joined by trombonist Kirby Fellis, pianist Austyn Monk, bassist Morgan Turner and drummer Paul Barilles, plus star trumpeter Russ Johnson in a guest role.

2-3pm - The New Deal presented by llliana Club of Traditional Jazz

A mainstay at the Little Gem Cafe in Oak Park, the New Deal specializes in Gypsy Jazz, also known as Jazz Manouche. They'll perform songs by legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt and related material. It's music that requires blazing speed and clockwork timing – challenges that guitarists Kevin Rush and Steve Kelly, clarinetist Teri Foster and bassist Ed Sullivan are more than up to.

3:30-4:30pm - The Miguel de la Cerna Quartet presented by The Hyde Park Jazz Society

Maestro Miguel de la Cerna, esteemed pianist and music director of standout singers including Dee Alexander will occupy the spotlight today with his own excellent quartet. It includes Ari Brown, one of last-standing representatives of Chicago's great tenor tradition, who is going stronger than ever at 80. A stylish player with seemingly unlimited range, de la Cerna will have as his rhythm mates the terrific young bassist Micah Collier and seasoned drummer Frank Morrison.

4:45-5:45pm - The Southside All Stars featuring Di'Kobie Berry and Darius Hampton presented by The South Side Jazz Coalition

A showcase for standout artists from the South Side deserving of wider recognition, today's presentation will bring together a varied mix of vibraphonist Di'kobe Berry, saxophonist Darius Hampton, singer-guitarist Mike Ross and veteran pianist Charlie Johnson.

Chicago Cultural Center – Evening Program

Preston Bradly Hall

6-6:45pm - Jason Adasiewicz

Hands down the most powerfully original vibraphonist on the improvised music beat, Chicago's Jason Adasiewicz has separated himself from the pack with his hard-hitting yet lyrical approach, which opens up whole new routes of improvisation with its sustaining sounds and textures. Known for his Sun Rooms trio and collaborations with the late German saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, Adasiewicz will perform solo tonight in tribute to AACM great Roscoe Mitchell. He honors that great artist on his recent album, "Roscoe Village: The Music of Roscoe Mitchell," which includes tunes Mitchell wrote for the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It will be great to hear Adasiewicz in the capacious setting of Preston Bradley Hall.

7-8pm - Amina Claudine Myers

This has been a great year for Amina Claudine Myers. A triple threat on organ, piano and vocals, she was named a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master and released the acclaimed album, "Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens" with fellow AACM great Wadada Leo Smith, like her in his eighties. Through the years, Myers has performed and recorded with such great ensemble as Lester Bowie's New York Organ Ensemble and Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra and collaborated in smaller groups with Muhal Richard Abrams and Pulitzer winner Henry Threadgill. She has written for vocal choirs and the theater as well and on a grand scale composed an original work for jazz orchestra in commemoration of the 2010 centennial of jazz great Mary Lou Williams. Tonight, she'll perform solo, her preferred setting in recent times. But with the special connections she makes with her predecessors in jazz, blues and gospel, she will hardly be alone.