gram PROMOTING AND NURTURING JAZZ IN OCTOBER 2020 WWW.JAZZINCHICAGO.ORG

FAREWELL TO THE JAZZ PREACHER

BY LLOYD SACHS

Chicago's jazz community is so tight, the loss of any of its members is keenly felt. But such was the special largesse of – in musical, interpersonal and spiritual terms – news of his recent death had an especially strong impact on the artistic associates, students, fans and critics he left behind.

Though Sullivan had lived for decades in Florida, where he lifted the jazz scene with his bandstand presence and inspired generations of students as an instructor at the Frost School of Music, he never stopped being present in the hearts and souls of Chicago's finest.

Few artists have worn the Windy City jazz tradition with greater meaning or class than Sullivan did with his matter of fact brilliance, personal approach to classic bebop and utter redefining of versatility. He was probably best known as a saxophonist – he played tenor, soprano, alto and baritone – but he was also a great trumpeter and stalwart on the . Whatever instrument he picked up he played with resounding personal depth.

In paying tribute to Sullivan, musician after musician recounted the glories of hanging out with him as well as playing with him – of learning things from him that they had no idea they didn't know. For one of those players, the late hero Lin Halliday, that included learning how to get his horn psychically fixed.

At the Green Mill one night, as a member of trumpeter Brad Goode's band, Halliday was Ira Sullivan (1931-2020)

photo by Lauren Deutsch having trouble with the keys on his tenor. "He couldn't get any notes out, and went into a bit of a panic," Goode recalled in his Facebook tribute to Sullivan (with whom he played often). "I took a set break, and Ira asked Lin to give him the horn.

"Lin and I followed Ira into the basement of the club, where Ira held the horn up close to a bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. He then handed the horn back to Lin, who played a few notes and became unusually excited, maybe even ecstatic. For the rest of his life, Lin Halliday swore that Ira Sullivan had psychically healed his saxophone in the cellar of the Green Mill, simply by holding it up to the light."

Maybe he actually did. Sullivan, a devout Christian who also drew from Judaism and Eastern Mysticism, "saw no separation between Church and Gig," as Goode memorably put it. He quoted scripture as often as he quoted his idol . He ended his sets with "Amazingrace" – and a sermon. He was known to spend time with the needy and playing benefit concerts on their behalf. He credited religion with getting him past substance abuse.

As for recordings, Sullivan didn't often record under his own name. Among the best of his "solo" was continued on page 2 JAZZ IN CHICAGO OCTOBER 2020 2 continued from page 1 Blue Stroll, featuring an all-Chicago, all-universe band including , , Wilbur Campbell and .

But he achieved a level of commercial success on record in co-leading a band with fellow bebop maven . He was in prime form on Stories and Negotiations by Mike Reed’s People, Places & Things, which honored the legacy of him and contemporaries of his. And he joyfully reunited with pianist and crony Stu Katz on Family Affair, recorded at Sullivan's home away from home, the Jazz Showcase.

But no recording could fully capture the Ira-ness of Ira. You really did have to be there. Happily, as witness a posthumous YouTube tribute to Sullivan featuring dozens of his fellow players and former students in Miami, an endless stream of lucky individuals were there, in his presence, storing up indelible memories and impressions to pass onto others for decades to come. n

TIA FULLER CELEBRATES THE COMPREHENSIVE “HISTORY OF WOMEN IN JAZZ”

BY COREY HALL

Enter your mind and imagine this: You are in the trenches with saxophonist Tia Fuller. She is warming up for “History of Women in Jazz: From the Early 1900s to Beyonce.” This presentation is included in the “Straight Ahead Jazz Exchange,” a five-day virtual conference held July 20-24 and hosted by the Jazz Institute of Chicago (JIC). As Diane Chandler-Marshall, JIC’s education program director and “emcee” brings her to the stage, you peek over Fuller’s shoulder and see whole notes about the “Empress of the Blues,” the woman who taught “Prez,” and “My Sisters in the Music.”

After being introduced, Fuller catches you looking, calls for a time-signature change from present tense to past, and addresses her audience:

“The more I read about women who served as building blocks of this music, I was empowered,” said Fuller, whose 2018 , Diamond Cut, featuring the lead track, “In the Trenches,” earned a Grammy nomination. “It also (impacted the) political and economic climate throughout America… and helped shape women’s positioning in music.”

Black people’s communication during slavery, Fuller stated, relied on rhythm, call and response, improvisation, and passion, which formed the foundation for jazz. The Africans that were kidnapped, brought to North America, and then made slaves, developed the “Grapevine Telegraph” to communicate in secret.

“A ‘House Negro’ would sing a song, and at the end of a phrase would be a message,” Fuller explained. “Another slave would hear the message and repeat it. As a result of that continuation of communication, (they) came together for a ceremony.”

From this historical base/bass, Fuller journeyed to the 1920s Harlem Renaissance and highlighted the Mother, the Empress, and a recording pioneer of the Blues: Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Mamie Smith. Fuller described Rainey as an innovative vocalist, poet, and lyricist who mentored Bessie. Ironically, she added, mentee surpassed

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JAZZ IN CHICAGO OCTOBER 2020 3 continued from page 2 mentor in acclaim, noting also that their chemistry was captured in the film,Bessie . Fuller then played excerpts from Ma Rainey’s “Prove It On Me” and Bessie’s “The Downhearted Blues,” before discussing Mamie Smith. “She was the first Black female to make a vocal recording, ‘Crazy Blues,’” said Fuller, before adding that Mamie and Bessie were not related. “She was also directly responsible for birthing the recording industry. She opened up artistic and economic avenues for lots of Black women.”

Fuller’s journey then embraced Lil Hardin, who played in Joe King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band in 1922. Two years later, she married bandmate and encouraged him to form his own ensemble. Armstrong’s first solo recordings with the Hot Five, and, later, the Hot Seven were guided by Hardin’s , playing, and compositions, especially “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue.” The couple separated in 1931 and were divorced seven years later. “ ‘When I realized I was holding the ladder he was climbing,’” Fuller quoted Hardin as saying, “ ‘it was time to go.’” Fuller’s course progression then addressed alto saxophonist Irma Young, whose family featured a cornet-playing father, an - and banjo- playing mother, one son that played drums, and another, Lester, who blew . This family played professionally, the presenter noted, but Irma preferred singing and dancing, so she put her horn away. “But she sounded just like on alto,” Fuller said, “and she would sit in at the clubs and play chorus after chorus, and she had fantastic ideas. She was noted to have taught ‘Prez’ the basics.”

Before playing “My Sisters in the Music,” Fuller’s history lesson would wingspan from the 1930s to today, highlighting trumpeter Ernestine Davis, trombonist/ arranger Melba Liston, and pianists Mary Lou Williams, , and Hazel Scott, among many others. When discussing Ms. Scott, Fuller played “Black & White are Beautiful,” a vintage video where she plays two grand simultaneously, sublimely.

Fuller’s “Family Time” featured pianists Geri Allen – “She was just a beautiful spirit,” – Shamie Fuller- Royston, her actual sister, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Esperanza Spalding, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington.

“Talk about a force in music!” Fuller exclaimed about TLC, who produced Diamond Cut. “Her first performance was at age 10 with , and she received a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music.”

Fuller ended her set by playing a video featuring Beyonce – whose all-female ensemble she toured with – scatting on a song composed in the same key as “Ornithology.” Fuller brought this fact to the boss’ attention, suggested she listen to Ella’s scats on “How High the Moon,” and then marveled at how Beyonce, the very next day, delivered a first-time, pitch-perfect scat.

For an encore, Fuller responded to an attendee’s question about challenges female musicians encounter. While many biases – even from other women – still exist, she said, there is positive change happening through Berklee’s Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, founded by Carrington, and today’s youth.

“The next generation of children…is becoming more vocal,” she said. “My students at Berklee are being more proactive, and the young men are more conscience about what they’re doing in their surroundings.” n

JAZZ IN CHICAGO OCTOBER 2020 4

*PLEASE NOTE: Not all venues have their schedules set by our deadlines VIRTUAL EVENTS CALENDAR or present jazz exclusively. Call ahead or check their websites.

CONSTELLATION 3111 North Western Ave/ All performances start ar 8:30PM)/ Livestream concerts by donation www.constellation-chicago.com October 2 (8:30PM): Garden of Souls - In Person & Digital Performance - Tickets and Livestream link and can be found at https://www.constellation-chicago.com/calendar/garden-of-souls October 10 (8:30PM): Dustin Laurenzi’s Natural Language - In Person & Digital Performance - Tickets and Livestream link and can be found at https://www.constellation-chicago.com/calendar/dustin-laurenzis-natural-language October 24 (8:30PM): Extraordinary Popular Delusions - In Person & Digital Performance - Tickets and Livestream link and can be found at https://www.constellation-chicago.com/calendar/extraordinary-popular-delusions October 30 (8:30PM): Emily Kuhn - In Person & Digital Performance - Tickets and Livestream link and can be found at https:// www.constellation-chicago.com/calendar/emily-kuhn COOK MEMORIAL PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT 701 Aspen Dr., Vernon Hills, IL/847-362-2330 413 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville, IL/847-362-2330 https://www.cooklib.org/ October 16 (6:30PM): Jeanne Becker Duo with Chris White - Virtual Event - To register for the link please visit: https://cooklib. libnet.info/event/4527970 EXPERIMENTAL SOUND STUDIO 5925 N. Ravenswood/ 773-998-1069/www.ess.org October 2 (7PM): TQC: Ears & Eyes Records Festival 2020 - Virtual Event - For more information and Livestream link please visit https://ess.org/esscalendar/tqc-earsneyesfest October 12 (1PM): Farida Amadou - Virtual Event - For more information and Livestream link please visit https://ess.org/ esscalendar/option-farida-amadou October 19 (8PM):Option presents Steve Baczkowski - Virtual Event - For more information and Livestream link please visit https://ess.org/esscalendar/option-steve-baczkowski FULTON STREET COLLECTIVE/ JAZZ RECORD ART COLLECTIVE 1821 W. Hubbard/773-852-2481. fultonstreetcollective.com/ jazzrecordartcollective.com /All Shows Are Live-Streamed via Facebook and YouTube from FSC. There will be no on-site audience until further notice. All shows start at 8PM. October 1 (8PM): Scott Hesse Trio livestream @FSC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/events/3236464626475967 October 6 (8PM): Jon Deitemyer Quartet livestream @FSC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/ events/323001035701939 October 7 (8PM): John Scott's 'I'm Drifting Apart" performed livestream @JRAC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/ events/744613979715799 October 8 (8PM): Eric Hines & Pan Dulce livestream @FSC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/ events/996136590833911 October 13 (8PM): Ashley Summers Quintet livestream @FSC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/ events/402745887370810 October 14 (8PM): 's Interchange performed livestream @JRAC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/ events/1261077497592225 October 15 (8PM): Tim Seisser Trio livestream @FSC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/events/3292686784178258 October 16 (8PM): Chad McCullough album release "Forward" livestream - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/ events/2381228402185333 October 20 (8PM): Fission livestream @FSC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/events/3461037580583113 October 21 (8PM): Frank Rosolino's 'Free For All' performed livestream @JRAC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/ events/322254895885208 October 22 (8PM): Mahavishnu 's INNER MOUNTING FLAME performed livestream @JRAC - Virtual Event - Link: www.facebook.com/events/350000026239832 GREEN MILL COCKTAIL LOUNGE 4802 N. Broadway Ave. Chicago, IL 60640/ 773.878.5552/ [email protected] October 9 (3PM & 8PM): Streaming Live: 25th Anniversary Concert https://boxoffice.mandolin.com/pages/kurt-elling-cocktail-hour-25th-anniversary-virtual-concert-tour?rfsn=4736256.4df5c1 October 10 (8PM): Marquis Hill "New Gospel Revisited". Tickets at http://bit.ly/mhillsounds PIANO FORTE 1335 S. Michigan Ave/312-291-0000 October 1 (6PM): Chicago Soul Jazz Collective Album Release Show with 90.9FM WDCB - Virtual Event - Link: https://piano- fortechicago.com/event/pianoforte-live-series-chicago-soul-jazz-collective-album-release-show-with-90-9fm-wdcb/ TRUE BLUE JAZZ INC truebluejazz.org October 16 (5PM), 17 (3:30PM): True Blue Jazz Virtual Festival - Virtual Event - Link: https://www.truebluejazz.org/livestream/

JAZZ IN CHICAGO OCTOBER 2020 4 “A BALLAD OF HIS CHOOSING”

BY DR. KARL E. H. SEIGFRIED, BASSIST AND GUITARIST

I first visited the Jazz Showcase nearly thirty years ago, back when it was located inside the Blackstone Hotel. I was new to jazz music and making the transition from electric bass to string bass.

Here was a place where someone just under the legal drinking age could sit a few feet away from legendary jazz figures who had stepped off of the covers of classic jazz albums. Between sets, the players would sit at the bar and talk to newbies like myself. Louis Bellson was even kind enough to pretend he remembered me from the Clark Terry Jazz Camp. Maybe he remembered my long-lost shoulder-length blond curls, which stood out in the era of high-top fades.

What happened on that stage and the stages at later locations is what really made an indelible impression. blowing beautiful music, then quietly reciting the stage announcements he had clearly memorized and practiced. Elvin Jones’ wife Keiko walking up and down between the chairs, fussing over the placement of the microphone on the bass drum. Clark Terry inviting students from his summer camp up on stage to jam with him. hypnotizing the audience with quiet ballads. Younger sidemen blowing hard to make their name while performing with ancient giants of the long-ago time.

The music could be strange. Twenty years ago, Louis Hayes led a band at the Showcase that was both utterly unique and completely typical of the Showcase. Hayes laid down hard bop beats as if the year was eternally 1957. I naïvely expected Cecil McBee to play Alice Coltrane grooves of 1970, but his very amplified string bass lines somehow channeled of 1976. Over this quirky foundation, the young frontline played fakebook standards as Hayes improvised the set list: “And now our player will perform a ballad of his choosing” (followed by whispered discussion between trumpeter and pianist to find a mutually acceptable choice).

And that’s what Joe Segal was all about. His dedication Event posters at the Jazz Showcase to bebop and its distributaries, to Charlie Parker and his worthy constituents, stood firm in the face of all musical and cultural developments. “At the Jazz Showcase,” he would lecture the audience before every set, “we play jazz. We play bebop. Not that crap rock and rap the kids listen to. Bring your kids on Sunday, so they can hear real music.” The Showcase was an ancient oak with deep roots, a tree that stood strong against the buffeting winds of time.

But musicians grow and music changes. So of course Louis Hayes would play ching-a-ling cymbal beats supported by fusion bass lines under “a ballad of his choosing” picked out of the air by a player half his age, by a musician not yet born when Hayes was already done recording with , , and . This musical culture clash was part of the atmosphere at the Jazz Showcase under Joe Segal.

Times change, whether we will or no. The music at the Showcase’s new location under new management is different, because we are different. We love bebop, but we also love hip hop, heavy metal, and a host of newer musical forms long derided as “crap” from the bully pulpit of the Showcase stage. Joe Segal raised a torch to preserve elements of mid-1900s American jazz in changing times, and he curated a space where so many of us could interact with the masters of that form, in whatever form their music was shaped. For that, I’ll always be grateful. n

JAZZ IN CHICAGO OCTOBER 2020 6 EDUCATION CORNER JAZZ LINKS STUDENT COUNCIL

Registration is open for the 2020-21 Jazz Links Student Council. Created in 2005, the Jazz Links Student Council (JSLC) gives high school jazz musicians the opportunity to develop musically and professionally through exposure to live music, workshops with professional musicians, and performance opportunities throughout the city. In addition, JLSC members have participated in master classes at Columbia College, produced a CD, and are mentored in the business of music by veteran jazz artists. While the Jazz Institute of Chicago will not be hosting in person events during the current pandemic, the Student Council will continue to meet in a virtual format. Meetings generally take place monthly on Friday evenings during the academic year. Participation in Student Council also provides access for students to take part in the NextGenJazz Emerging Artists Project, which provides students with the guidance and resources to begin leading their own groups in a real-world professional settings. Students wishing to join the Student Council are required to submit an application that can be accessed on our website (www.jazzinchicago.org). ICYMI: JAZZ INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO'S VIRTUAL GALA

“Jazz has always been here for us. And we must be here for jazz”. ~ Dr. Timuel Black, Educator, Historian , JIC board Member.

Join the many who have taken this tremendous opportunity to keep the joy and unity of jazz music alive for years to come. For 51 years, the JIC has nurtured and promoted jazz music through our Jazz Links education programs for young artists, opportunities for professional musicians and other unparalleled musical experiences in our free public programs.

Thank you to everyone who joined us online for our historic virtual gala Keep the Music Playing! Click HERE to invest in the future of art, culture and jazz. The first 10 to give $250+ more will receive our exclusive Jazz Institute VIP Pack with 2 Jazz Institute cocktail glasses, a trendy mask and other goodies. Shipped in time for the holidays!

We thank you in advance as we all work together to Keep the Music Playing!

JAZZGRAM

A monthly newsletter published by the Jazz Institute of Chicago for its members. The Jazzgram represents the views of the authors, and unless so designated, does not reflect official policy of the Jazz Institute. We welcome news and articles with differing opinions.

Managing Editor: Adriana Prieto Design: Letterform | Production: Adriana Prieto Correspondents: Aaron Cohen, Corey Hall, Howard Mandel Board of Directors: President: David Helverson Vice Presidents: Timuel Black, Warren Chapman, Roxana Espoz, Brian Myerholtz, William Norris, Keyonn Pope Secretary: Howard Mandel Treasurer: Darryl Wilson Emeritus Director: Joseph B. Glossberg Executive Director: Heather Ireland Robinson Board Members: David Bloomberg, Miguel de la Cerna, Dan Epstein, Matthew Goldfine, Rajiv Halim, Jarrard Harris, Bill King, Jason Koransky, Terry Martin, Ted Oppenheimer, Bethany Pickens, Mike Reed, Kent Richmond, Judith E. Stein, Conrad Terry, Neil Tesser

Founded in 1969, the Jazz Institute of Chicago, a not-for-profit corporation, promotes and nurtures jazz in Chicago by providing jazz education, developing and supporting musicians, building Chicago audiences and fostering a thriving jazz scene. 410 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago IL 60605 | 312-427-1676 • Fax: 312-427-1684 • JazzInChicago.org The Jazz Institute of Chicago is supported in part by The Alphawood Foundation | The Francis Beidler Foundation | The Chicago Community Trust | A CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events | Crown Family Philanthropies | The Philip Darling Foundation | The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation | The Illinois Arts Council Agency | Lloyd A. Fry Foundation | The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince | The National Endowment for the Arts | The Oppenheimer Family Foundation | The Polk Bros. Foundation | The Benjamin Rosenthal Foundation | Wells Fargo Foundation