Bebop Over To Chicago's Jazz Fest on September 4

Where: Jackson Blvd. and Columbus Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60604

People grudgingly celebrate the end of summer when Labor Day comes around, but the Windy City says goodbye to the season with its annual Chicago Jazz Fest. The free 30-year-old fest, the city's longest-running lakefront music festival, swings into Grant Park Sept. 4 to 6, setting up three stages where you can see Chicago and international jazz players jam on their axes. And for the first time this year, one performance stage will be dedicated to the up-and-coming generations of jazz-heads in high school and college.

The three-day event has a considerable line-up of musicians. Among the headliners is bandleader Muhal Richard Abrams, who will lead a trio Sept. 4 at the Petrillo Music Shell and the Arthur Hoyle Orchestra on Sept. 6. Abrams, a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, was commissioned to create a composition for the fest.

His work, titled "Spiralview," will be dedicated to hometown boy President Barack Obama and feature three soloist sections. The first section showcases George Lewis playing trombone, the next section pairs Ari Brown on sax and Harrison Bankhead on bass in a duet, and the last has Roscoe Mitchell on the saxophone.

Other jazz men to watch out for include Latin Grammy winner Gonzalo Rubalcaba on opening night; Dave Holland, who makes his only U.S. appearance at Jazz Fest with his big band on Sept. 5; and beloved Chicago son Fred Anderson�saxophonist, co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and owner of hip local jazz spot the Velvet Lounge�will usher in his 80th birthday by jamming with his regular crew of Harrison Bankhead and Dushon Mosley on Sept. 5.

The ladies are also representing at the festival. Singer/bassist Esperanza Spalding will perform opening night; French-American songstress Madeleine Peyroux will go at it Sept. 4; and local flutist Nicole Mitchell will lead her Black Earth Strings, a group that pays homage to the African-American cultural legacy, on Sept. 5.

Although the focus is on the finger-snapping beats, there will be a "Wine Oasis" tent where you can buy some vino and food. The tent will be on the north side of Jackson Blvd. between Columbus and Lake Shore Drives. There also will be a Chicago Jazz Festival Art Fair selling crafts, paintings, jewelry and textiles, in the North Rose Garden just off Jackson.

Shows are held daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. To see the complete line-up, visit the Jazz Fest website. Be sure to get to the shows early to reserve some blanket space on the lawn and plan on either walking or taking public transportation. Click here to check out special Jazz Fest hotel packages.

[Photo: Chicago Office of Tourism]

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