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FEBRUARY 2019 CHICAGO JAZZ PHILHARMONIC NEW MPTF MONEY DIRECTOR AIDS LOCAL ORGANIZING HELPS STUDENTS AFM CELEBRATES FIND SUCCESS DIVERSE MEMBERSHIP THROUGH MUSIC THROUGH AWARDS 14 February 2019 Photos: Darron Jones While Orbert Davis developed his musical training and early career around studio work, for the past 15 years the trumpet player has made a huge impact on the lives of students in Chicago. A longtime member of Local 10-208 (Chicago, IL), Davis is artistic director, conductor, and co-founder of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and co-founder of the CJP Jazz Academy, as well as the school program Discover Opening Music: Discover Life (DMDL). In addition, he keeps on top of the local and national jazz scene through his three-hour weekly radio program, The Real Deal with Orbert Davis. Minds International Musician 15 He and Ingram went on a fact-fnding mis- sion, interviewing high school band direc- tors. “We found that the biggest issue was that the inner city/urban music programs began in high school,” he says. Without earlier band programs, there is no way for students to develop technical skill, let alone the perse- verance, to achieve a career in music. Chicago elementary schools had little music at the time. Initially, Davis and Ingram de- veloped a program called Music Alive, which would re-establish music in the elementary curriculum. It proved to be a hard sell, Davis Local 10-208 (Chicago, IL) member Orbert Davis conducting a Chicago Jazz Philharmonic performance at the Auditorium Theatre in 2016. says, “Principals said they had gotten rid of The performance featured 35 music students from Havana, Cuba. their music programs to focus on reading and math.” “Every brick wall we ran into became an Growing up in a small town one hour south union ofcers are friends of mine that I’ve Davis taught trumpet and jazz history, and was opportunity,” says Davis. “We spent a year of Chicago, Davis’s introduction to music known and worked with for a long time. I’ve Russo’s right hand man for the Chicago Jazz studying music advocacy. If the benefts of came through his school band program. watched their careers blossom.” Ensemble. Davis says he frst got into teaching music education were true, kids involved in He took to the trumpet right away, showing for selfsh reasons. “I was so aggressive in my music programs were smarter in the core sub- genuine talent and dedication. “I was a seri- Studio work led to opportunities to play on quest to be perfect with this instrument that jects and more likely to stay out of gangs and ous practicer,” he says. Fourth grade teacher stage with many accomplished peers. “Tere I felt teaching would allow me to forever be of drugs; music must be used as an antidote Chuck Danish took note and made the com- was a jazz club around the corner from DePaul grounded in the basics.” rather than a byproduct. So we developed a mitment to help Davis succeed. called Te Wise Fools. On Monday night all Discover Music: Discover Life the really busy musicians formed a big band program called Discover Music: Discover Life “Afer 14 years at Columbia, Mark Ingram and “He is one of the most incredible people and played there. I got to play with musicians that teaches reading and math skills through I started to look at the landscape around Chi- in the world. When I was in eighth grade, like Bobby Lewis and Art Hoyle. Tat really concepts of music.” he heard me play and vowed to my parents cago. I had always wondered why I never had set the pace for me to learn what it meant Teir proved the premise. Chicago students that he would take me to trumpet lessons many minority trumpet players as students at to be a musician. I worked extremely hard,” now have music in their classrooms and they when I entered high school. Every weekend Columbia,” he says. says Davis. are doing better in other subjects as a result. throughout high school he drove me 70 miles. Te only payback he wanted was that I would Davis’s love for Chicago and its music scene help others; that defnitely planted a seed grew from there. “Chicago is the type of place in me,” says Davis. In tribute to Danish, he you always call home,” he says. “It has always later created the Charles Danish Scholarship been an incubator. If you go to any major city to provide a year of mentoring and private in the world you will fnd musicians from lessons to promising young students. Chicago—trumpet player Marquis Hill, vibra- phonist Joel Ross, singer Kurt Elling, guitarist Davis took private lessons with Mark Mc- John McLean.” Dunn who taught at DePaul University. “Mark was a studio trombonist with the CBS “Chicago jazz epitomizes the art of innova- Orchestra in Chicago and he sort of carved tion,” he says, describing the warm, rugged tenor saxophone sound of Chicagoans Gene a path for me to be a studio musician,” says Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Von Freeman, Fred Davis. Anderson, and Ari Brown. “It’s the home of When Davis got into high school he discov- avant-garde; AACM [the Association for the ered jazz and met his best friend and later Advancement of Creative Musicians] was business partner, Mark Ingram. “We were born in Chicago. Tere are also the remnants both obsessed with music and performing; of the spirit of Louis Armstrong and King we fell into jazz because of the challenge of Oliver, when they came here. It’s the hub of the it,” says Davis. Midwest and the center of the nation. Tere Studio and Studies are many institutions and universities focused As he headed of to college, Davis joined on jazz and a sense of tradition. I’ve never had a desire to live anywhere else.” A 2015 Chicago Jazz Philharmonic performance at Symphony Center Chicago celebrated Local 10-208 and began doing studio work. the life and works of Gunther Schuller. (L to R) are: Local 10-208 (Chicago, IL) member, CJP “Our union is a community,” he says. “It pro- When he fnished college, Davis was hired by Co-founder, and Producing Director Mark Ingram; Executive Director Birdie Soti; Schuller, vides a level of accountability and the highest William Russo (former arranger for Stan Ken- and Local 10-208 member, CJP Co-founder, Artistic Director, and Conductor Orbert Davis. standard of excellence possible. A lot of the ton) to teach at Columbia College Chicago. with Third Stream Music 16 February 2019 “Most of the students in the program African American music from Africa were defcient in core subjects. We and why music of North American guaranteed through our methodology African ancestry sounds diferent from that, within a year, their grades would Central and South American,” he says. improve,” he says. “We are teaching students how to listen, how to deci- Chicago Jazz Academy pher, and how to connect.” Te educational ofshoots of CJP, Chica- go Jazz Academy and its youth ensem- Davis now sits on the board of Ingenui- bles, serve to inspire the next generation ty, Inc., which is focused on getting arts of jazz musicians. In its 11th year, Jazz instruction back into Chicago class- Academy is a two-week summer camp rooms. “Funding is getting better and at Chicago State University for students more students have access to the arts. aged six to 18, plus a Saturday afernoon My goal is that, one day, every student program. Davis credits the academy’s will not just have access to arts, but success partly to its teacher and student music will be part of the fabric of every retention rate. “Last year, every one of subject. Music provides a soundtrack our 12 counselors were former students for any moment in time—an aural Photo: Darron Jones and we have four or fve teachers who are snapshot. Today’s students are inter- Local 10-208 member Orbert Davis conducts Chicago Jazz Philharmonic in a 2018 Chicago Jazz former counselors,” he says. active—hearing and seeing things at a Festival performance at Millennium Park that featured jazz artists Tammy McCann and Kurt Elling. pace far diferent from when we were All instruments and all levels are wel- come. “We are very much jazz based; children. We can reach them through erarchy. Although there are section leaders “I’m extremely sensitive to propaganda of fear music,” he explains. improvisation is a must and each day that I depend on for advice and leadership, and marginalizing people and the results of ends with a major concert, but only 60% of what Chicago Jazz Philharmonic if someone is sitting in the last chair of the the immigrant ban,” says Davis who has many we do is music,” he says. “Te rest is connecting friends who came to the US seeking better In 2004, a few years afer co-founding Discover second violin section they have every right to music to other things.” opportunities. “I have a friend whose ancestors Music: Discover Life with Ingram, Davis re- ask me a question.” escaped the Holocaust and friends whose ances- Tough many of the 150 students who walk ceived a call from the director of the Chicago For CJP’s frst 10 years, Davis conducted the tors, like mine, were stolen from their homes to through the door each summer think they Jazz Festival inviting him to headline the festi- group, was a pro bono guest soloist, and com- become slaves.” But it was a Facebook post from want to be professional musicians, Davis val and challenging him to “think big.” Davis, posed all of the music, but there’s now a team of harmonica virtuoso and Local 10-208 member tries to help them see the reality.

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