Hyde Park Jazz Festival

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Hyde Park Jazz Festival

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is a collaborative platform dedicated to supporting the presentation and Hyde Park Jazz Festival took place September 26 & 27, 2020.

Programming continues this fall with the Jazz Kitchen series organized by Monica Hairston O'Connell! Visit hydeparkjazzfestival.org for dates and more information.

08/29/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Ben LaMar Gay: Yowzers!

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 4pm - 5pm
⭐ VENUE: Dusable Black History Museum & Education Center. 740 East 56th Pl.

Ben LaMar Gay is a composer who moves sound, color, and space components through folkloric filters, producing brilliant electro-acoustic collages. Called a “visionary musician” by The New York Times, he is an explorer of many mediums and has found a form of creative expression that begins with improvisation and expands beyond the limits of any single genre.

Gay has been a member of the Association of the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) since 2010. With more than twenty years in vibrant experimental music scenes on his resume, he has earned residencies globally. He is a highly sought-after collaborator who has worked with Theaster Gates, Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed, Dorothée Munyaneza, Joshua Abrams, and Onye Ozuzu, to name a few. These multidisciplinary collaborations, as well as his own projects, have brought his work to Danse Biennale of Lyon, African Dance Biennale Maputo, Chicago Symphony Center, The Barbican, Art Basel, and other international stages. His work has been commissioned by Pierre Boulez Saal, Wet Ink Ensemble, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Northwestern University, University of Zurich, and National Theater of Strasbourg.

The musicians:
Ben LaMar Gay
Matthew Davis
Edinho Ge**er
Tommaso Moretti
Ayanna Woods
Ugochi Nwaogwugwu
Tramaine Parker

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

08/27/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Bethany Pickens Soulful Coalition

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 2:30pm - 3:30pm
⭐ VENUE: Pickens Stage. Midway Plaisance at South Ellis Ave.

Bethany Pickens, who began her training under the watchful tutelage of her father, world-class jazz pianist Willie Pickens, is an award-winning pianist, composer, educator, and bandleader. She describes her career and musical outlook as “steeped in tradition, committed to creativity.”

Pickens earned her B.S. Music Ed. degree from the American Conservatory of Music. She has performed and recorded with artists such as Clark Terry, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Branford Marsalis, Patti LaBelle, Josh Groban, and Aretha Franklin. Her passion for education has extended into work with the Ravinia Jazz Scholars Program and Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Jazz Masters Residency Program, as well as 28 years of teaching music in Chicago Public Schools. She ended her teaching career at her alma mater, Kenwood Academy High School, where she inspired countless young musicians.

Bethany now serves on the board of the Jazz Institute of Chicago and as Vice President of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club.

The Bethany Pickens Soulful Coalition will feature Pickens on piano with Thaddeus Tukes (vibraphone), Joshua Ramos (bass), and Charles Rick Heath IV (drums). Mark your calendars!

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

08/25/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Amir ElSaffar New Quartet

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 8pm - 8:45pm and 9pm - 9:45pm
⭐ VENUE: Logan Center Performance Penthouse. 915 east 60th st.

Amir ElSaffar, Iraqi-American trumpeter and composer, will showcase his international take on the jazz tradition in an intimate performance at the Logan Center’s Performance Penthouse. The New Quartet is an eclectic jazz combo featuring NYC drummer Thomas Fujiwara, tenor saxophonist Ole Mathisen, and Greek pianist Tania Giannouli, a rising star who has headlined almost every major jazz festival and venue in Europe in the past years. ElSaffar’s trumpet sound is rooted in Chicago-school technique and combines the ornamentation and microtones of Arab maqam with jazz influences ranging from Miles to Woody Shaw, guiding the New Quartet into unexplored musical territories.

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

08/22/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

Alfredo Rodriguez Quintet ft. Pedrito Martinez

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 7PM - 8:15PM
⭐ VENUE: Pickens Stage. Midway Plaisance at South Ellis Ave.

We are so excited to announce that Pedrito Martinez will be joining the Alfredo Rodriguez Quintet for the 20th Anniversary of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival! Grammy-nominated artists Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez leave audiences completely mesmerized by their fearless and virtuosic playing. A classical pianist by training, Rodriguez was discovered by his mentor Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival while Martinez honed his craft on the streets of Havana, learning the deeply-rooted percussion and vocal style of Afro-Cuban folkloric and religious music.

Their unique backgrounds create an extraordinary synergy. Rodriguez trained in Havana’s rigorous classical conservatories. His artistry is as much shaped by Bach and Stravinsky as it is by Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz. Martinez’s musical training came directly from the streets of the Cayo Hueso neighborhood of Old Havana. Over the years, he has collaborated with icons such as Sting, Paul Simon, and Wynton Marsalis. For this performance, Rodriguez and Martinez are joined by brilliant musicians Han Beyli on bass, Armando Lopez on drums, and Jorge Glem on cuatro. This band will thrill so put on your dancing shoes and get ready to move!

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

08/13/2026

THIS SATURDAY☀️

The finale of this season’s Back Alley Jazz is happening Saturday, August 15th from 1pm-6pm at 77th & King Dr.

This FREE performance is welcoming Reginald T. MaCants, Ari Brown Trio, and Thaddeus Tukes Quintet🎶🎵 Join us for this community celebration this Saturday‼️

08/12/2026

This Friday, our friends at wbezchicago are celebrating Chicago’s jazz legacy with a free outdoor concert at Navy Pier!

On August 14, Mike Reed’s Common Good Dance Band takes the Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park for an evening of soul-jazz drawn from the global canon, honoring jazz’s past while bringing it to life for a new audience.

Local musician Katie Ernst (Iron & Wine) opens with a solo performance, plus a special set from DJ Joe Bryl. A limited number of posters designed by Ryan Duggan (pictured here) will be available at the event. RSVP for free at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1992942455533?aff=oddtdtcreator and come have fun at the Pier!

08/11/2026

🗣️ ARTIST FEATURE!

HPJF 20th Anniversary Band: Hill/McCraven/Paul/Ross

⭐ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
⭐ TIME: 8:15PM - 9:30PM
⭐ VENUE: Wagner Stage. Midway Plaisance at South Woodlawn Ave.

As a part of the 20th Anniversary of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, we are pleased to celebrate alongside some of the musicians who have been with us since the beginning—particularly those who, 20 years ago, were in their own formative stages, and who have gone on to global critical acclaim. For this performance, we are excited to welcome Marquis Hill, Makaya McCraven, Junius Paul, and Joel Ross back “home” to Hyde Park to celebrate all they have accomplished.

🎶 More info at hydeparkjazzfestival.org

07/31/2026

Thank you to everyone who made last Saturday’s Back Alley Jazz event so special❤️

It was an amazing way to kick off our 9th Annual Back Alley Jazz! We are deeply grateful for the artists and community for showing up and showing out🎉

See yall at the next one on August 15th 📍77th & King Dr.

📷 by Marc Monaghan

07/15/2026

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is pleased to announce the 9th annual Back Alley Jazz Program‼️ Back Alley Jazz will continue as a collaborative, neighborhood initiative in an extended format. We’ll present two free live performances 🎷in July and August in the South Shore and Greater Grand Crossing neighborhoods on the South Side.

This year is especially special as the Hyde Park Jazz Festival celebrates 20 years.🎉 We’re looking forward to another year of joyful music-making that celebrates Chicago’s deep culture and creativity — right where it lives.

Save the date for July 25th and August 15th for these FREE jazz celebrations!

05/15/2026

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival and Pickens Family are excited to announce the dedication of the Willie Pickens Stage on the Midway Plaisance. 🗣️

The stage naming honors one of the most significant voices in Chicago jazz and a founding contributor to the development and launch of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival which celebrates its 20th Anniversary this September! ✨

We want to thank the Pickens Family for this collaborative effort! We look forward to sharing the 2026 Line Up with you in early June.

Address

Midway Pliasance At The Corner Of S. Woodlawn
Chicago, IL
60637

Website

http://hydeparkjazzfestival.org/, https://www.hydeparkjazzfestival.org/benefit-2025

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