Continuing College of DuPage’s long history of supporting and promoting jazz music, the McAninch Arts Center at the Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd., and WDCB 90.9 fm - Public Radio from College of DuPage present WDCB Jazz at the MAC as part of its upcoming 2009-2010 season.
Celebrating the anniversary of Miles Davis’ landmark recording, legendary jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb, who performed on the original recording, and the So What band bring “Kind of Blue 50 Years On” to the MAC Mainstage at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. Band members Wallace Roney, Javon Jackson, Vincent Herring, Larry Willis and Buster Williams perform their interpretations of five songs from Davis’ “Kind of Blue,” including “So What,” “Freddie Freeloader, “ “Blue In Green,” “All Blues” and “Flamenco Sketches.”
Tickets are $46 for adults, $44 for seniors and $36 for students and youth.
Another jazz tour de force Dee Dee Bridgewater brings her award-winning portrayal of Billie Holiday to the Mainstage in “To Billie With Love: A Celebration of Lady Day” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. Bridgewater, who’s enthralled audiences with not only her concerts but her performances in a number of musicals, captivates with a broad-ranging, theatrical portrayal of the legendary singer.
Tickets are $46 for adults, $44 for seniors and $36 for students and youth.
Winter Jazz Fest, a two-day event featuring some of the most recognized names of the genre, will be held Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15 and 16. The fest features four concerts celebrating great Chicago musicians and their American music, as well as children’s events, master classes, clinics and concert performances. While individual performance tickets are available, early purchasers can save and take advantage of a limited-time offer, paying only $75 for all five Winter Jazz Fest performances.
Orbert Davis Quintet, featuring saxophone player Ari Brown, kick off the fest with a Mainstage performance at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15. Tickets are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors and $20 for students and youth.
The evening’s music continues on Jan. 15 with a late night performance in the MAC’s Theatre 2 at 10 p.m. by Mambo Zombies. The Chicago Latin Jazz trio’s sizzling sounds evoke the musical styles of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico and the Caribbean. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for students and youth.
Young jazz fans and their parents can learn more about the genre and even join in with kazoos at Kidjazz! at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 16. This interactive Mainstage performance features sing-alongs and dancing, showcasing jazz greats, including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis.
Tickets are $12 for adults, seniors and students.
Seven-time Grammy Award nominee Kurt Elling returns to the MAC for a Mainstage performance at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16. The ground-breaking jazz artist brings his poetry, imagery and movement-injected style to the stage, resurrecting the art of vocalese.
Tickets are $38 for adults, $36 for seniors and $28 for students and youth.
Steve Ramsdell and Zvonimir Tot continue the evening’s musical offerings and close out the MAC’s Winter Jazz Fest on Jan. 16 with a 10 p.m. performance in Theatre 2. Described by Midwest Records’ Chris Spector as “the sweet spot where hard charging playing meets with easy charm,” Ramsdell joins fellow guitarist Tot for an intimate performance, featuring both collaborative and solo work. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for students and youth.
This spring pianist Kenny Barron brings his mesmerizing and infectious style to a Mainstage performance at 8 p.m. Friday, March 12. Named Best Pianist by the Jazz Journalists Association the past four years, Barron is regarded as one of the top jazz pianists in the world and recently received a Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tickets are $36 for adults, $34 for seniors and $26 for students and youth.
David Gonzalez brings his mix of music, poetry and storytelling to the MAC Mainstage at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 3. The award-winning performer combines his contemporary poetry with the Afro-Cuban rhythms, swing, funk and rumba of Latin jazz.
Tickets are $36 for adults, $34 for senior and $26 for youth.
WDCB Jazz at the MAC is sponsored in part by Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors of Bolingbrook.
For more information, call the MAC Ticket Office at (630) 942-4000.