All the featured artists at the 25th-anniversary festival have longstanding relationships with Live the Spirit Residency. Corey Wilkes, Greg Ward, Nicole Mitchell, and Junius Paul have all previously performed in the Live the Spirit Big Band, while Jeremiah Collier performed with the Young Masters. The 25th Anniversary festival lineup is an opportunity to now showcase these musicians as leaders of their own ensembles.
This year’s festival begins with a set by composer, bandleader, and acoustic and electric bassist Junius Paul, born and raised in Chicago. He is a graduate of St. Xavier University in Chicago, and is now an internationally established performer. 2023 Chicago Tribune’s Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz, and 2023 winner of the Herbie Hancock Institute international competition, pianist Jahari Stampley will also grace Thursday night’s lineup.
Friday night’s performers include Vic Firth Drum Set Artist Jeremiah Collier and American jazz flautist and composer Nicole Mitchell, former chairwoman of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
Moving outside on Saturday, The Young Masters under the direction of Ernest Dawkins, showcases rising talent. The 25th Anniversary celebration continues with sets by saxophonist Greg Ward, trumpeter Corey Wilkes, and an encore performance of Paul Robeson: Man of the People, a new jazz poetry opera by Lasana D. Kazembe and Ernest Dawkins chronicling the life, artistic legacy, and activism of one of the most important and iconic figures of the twentieth century. This work was present in May and June of 2024 in Indianapolis and Chicago to great popular and critical success.
For more information visit www.englewoodjazzfestival.org
Schedule:
Complete schedule: 25th Englewood Jazz Festival @ 513 W 72nd St
Thursday, September 19, 2024 (indoors - Fieldhouse)
6:00 pm: Junius Paul
7:00 pm: Jahari Stampley
Friday, September 20, 2024 (indoors - Fieldhouse)
6:00 pm: Jeremiah Collier
7:00 pm: Nicole Mitchell
Saturday, September 21, 2023 (outdoors)
12:00 to 1:00 pm: Panel Discussion: Black South Side Jazz Presenters
1:00 to 2:00 pm: The Young Masters Under the direction of Ernest Dawkins
2:15 to 3:15 pm: Cory Wilkes
3:30 to 4:30 pm: Greg Ward
4:30 pm: Spirit of Jazz Award
4:45 to 6:00 pm: Encore of Paul Robeson: Man of the People