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…
"It's the first time I've put together a group with people who aren’t my generation, who haven’t totally developed their approach, who are experiencing things for the first time,” Lovano said. “Everyone has fresh eyes and fresh ears, and this gives me ideas when I put together compositions that I had never played with anyone else before. Everybody is on their toes. It reminds me of when Tony Williams and Herbie played with Miles as real young cats, or when McCoy Tyner first played with Coltrane."
Lovano is equally clear about what each musician contributes to the group.
"The music comes out of our individual roots, and those combinations emerge in the music,” Lovano said. “Francesco Mela is from Cuba, Otis Brown is a real New York drummer. Esperanza has beautiful lyrical approach, as does the way James conceives jazz music, blues, gospel, and freer forms. It’s an ongoing study on how to play together with mutual respect and an egoless approach.”
Details: joelovano.com
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…
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