Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
Hyde Park Jazz Fest on Chicago’s South Side to Present 20th Edition
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
Billy Childs (at piano, left), Hubert Laws, Matt Penman and Peter Erskine perform during a tribute to the late Bobby Hutcherson at SFJAZZ on Oct. 23.
(Photo: Scott Chernis)Saxophonist Gary Bartz performed “Si Tu Vois Ma Màre (If You See My Mother)” solo on sopranino before bringing out McCoy Tyner, Hutcherson’s longtime friend and two-time Blue Note label-mate, for a solo piano piece. Their set concluded with a spirited duet on the Tyner standard “Blues On The Corner.”
A man of many titles (including owner and operator of the much missed Keystone Korner club in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood), Todd Barkan recited an original poem he’d written in memory of his longtime friend before introducing The Cookers, who were a surprise addition.
With pianist Billy Childs substituting for Cables, the incendiary septet (which included Hutcherson comrades Eddie Henderson on trumpet and Billy Hart on drums) offered up tenor saxophonist Billy Harper’s own “Croquet Ballet,” then segued effortlessly into Freddie Hubbard’s “The Core.”
Organist Joey DeFrancesco conveyed how he had met Hutcherson about 17 years ago but felt like he had known him all his life. He, Wolf, Hart and flutist Hubert Laws tackled “Take The Coltrane” before an organ-drums duo exploration of “My Foolish Heart,” which served a master class in dynamics.
Laws returned with Childs, Penman and drummer Peter Erskine for Hutcherson’s “Herzog,” which was the opening track to his 1968 Blue Note album, Total Eclipse, with pianist and band-leading partner Harold Land (1928–2001). “Peace Maker,” by Land himself, followed.
The penultimate live performance was performed by Hutcherson’s last West Coast Band, featuring guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Glenn Richman and Hutcherson’s son Barry on drums.
Multi-instrumentalist Roger Glenn took up the vibraphone role, and Hutcherson’s associate and fellow longtime Bay Area resident John Handy played tenor saxophone. The group’s performance of “There Will Never Be Another You” reflected the sentiment of those in the house and backstage.
Accompanied by pianist Joe Gilman, locally based vocalist Paula West concluded the concert the same way she did at Hutcherson’s memorial service on Aug. 31: with a pathos-filled take on Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”
As many cited, the song’s title was a defining characteristic of Hutcherson’s uplifting presence, whether it was a friendly grin or the sparkle in his eyes.
The memorial tribute, which lasted nearly two and a half hours, officially closed with a video of Hutcherson. Filmed in high-definition at his home in coastal Montara, he took a solo four-mallet approach to “I’ll Be Seeing You” followed by a brief a cappella vocal version. It served as a benediction—and perhaps a promise—for an inspirational service.
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
Camille Thurman took to the stage alongside bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Tommy Campbell for a rendition of Johnny Mercer’s “I’m An Old Cowhand” that recalled Rollins’ epochal 1957 trio outing Way Out West.
Oct 6, 2026 1:33 PM
As emcee Mark Ruffin noted at the commencement of an epic tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins at the Cathedral of Saint…
Kurt Elling, Katherine Russell and Emmet Cohen (host on the 2027 Jazz Cruise) share a laugh at sea.
Sep 8, 2026 11:52 AM
It began in 2001. A travel agent named Anita E. Berry had been booking clients on “partial” jazz cruises that took…
Sep 17, 2026 11:00 AM
The 2027 DownBeat College Guide is an invaluable resource for music students, especially jazz students, to find a school…
