Chicago Jazz Magazine

What's Happening Around Town

Judy Roberts and Greg Fishman are no longer performing at the Hotel InterContinental. Having played in the street-level lounge for most of the past fourteen years, Roberts was told during one of her recent Friday evening performances that the following night would be her last. The room is in renovation and there are no plans to bring live music back to the hotel once the renovation is completed. The good news for Roberts/Fishman fans is that they have scored a Tuesday gig at the hot new South Loop restaurant/club, Cuatro. The highly talented Roberts and Fishman are not likely to remain on the sidelines for long and will almost certainly resurface Downtown on weekends sometime soon, possibly at the Drake's Coq d'Or.

Judy Roberts and singer Paul Molinaro can now be heard on Wednesday evenings in the recently-opened listening level of a club called 3160, located at (you guessed it) 3160 N. Clark. The intimate area offers one of the City's best listening rooms, and Roberts and Molinaro are quickly developing the piano/vocals chemistry shared by Judy and her longtime Wednesday night vocal partner, Jackie Allen.

Laurence Hobgood, Kurt Elling's longstanding collaborator and pianist has taken flight to the Big Apple. While the group will remain intact for touring, no announcements have been made regarding the ongoing-but oft times substituted-Wednesday night Green Mill gig.

Kurt Elling has inked a deal with Concord Records, or as it is now known, Concord Music Group. No strangers to jazz, over the years Concord has included among its ranks Dave Brubeck, Carmen McRae, Chick Corea, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Art Blakey, Kenny Burrell, Mel Torme, Louie Bellson, Dave Frishberg, Marion McPartland and last issue's CJM cover boy, Joey DeFrancesco. Elling's first effort on Concord is due out mid-2007.

The Auditorium Theater of Roosevelt University will once again present Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah in Chicago's National Historic Landmark Theater.

For two performances only, Saturday, January 13 at 7:30 pm and Sunday the 14th at 3 pm, the theater will be filled with the sounds of this soulful reinvention of Handel's Messiah. Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah will be presented in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

In 2006, Too Hot to Handel's Auditorium Theatre debut had "audiences roaring their approval and sometimes singing along," the Chicago Tribune raved. "Once the baroque setting has been established, the music takes flight, swing rhythms and blues phrases letting listeners know that Handel has landed in urban America….Hallelujah."

This fresh production shapes George Frederic Handel's beloved Messiah masterpiece into an active listening experience. With more than 150 performers on stage, this soulful jazz-gospel interpretation features two members of the dynamic tenor trio Cook, Dixon & Young: Rodrick Dixon and Victor Trent Cook; plus soprano Alfreda Burke and the city-wide Too Hot Choir, sixty-piece symphony orchestra and a jazz ensemble conducted by Suzanne Acton. For more information visit auditoriumtheatre.org or call (312) 902-1500.

The Brookfield Jazz Society is a group of jazz enthusiasts that meet every Thursday inside the Cottage at the Irish Times Pub in Brookfield (8869 Burlington Avenue-across from the Prairie Avenue train station) starting at 7 pm.

They hold meetings on a regular basis and live jazz events roughly once a month. The regular meetings consist of an in-depth presentation given by one of the society members about a particular jazz artist or event. Other events include the very popular "Free and Easy Nights" where any society member can bring in a CD, audiocassette, or vinyl record to play for the audience.

This past September, the first ever "Bring a DVD/VHS Night" was introduced. That event allowed members to show their videos from their favorite performances for the audience on the big screen for all to enjoy. That evening was so well received that a second "Bring a DVD/VHS Night" is planned for November.

The Brookfield Jazz Society also hosts Movie Nights that feature jazz or blues related movies like Ray, The Blues Brothers, and Bird, which are played on the big screen for everyone to enjoy. To learn more about the Brookfield Jazz Society, or to see what is coming up within the next couple of months, please visit their official site at brookfieldjazz.org.