JAZZINCHICAGO.ORG
PROMOTING AND NURTURING JAZZ IN CHICAGO
FEBRUARY 2022
NOTES FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Greet
Jazz Institute of Chicago Members, We hope you are having a wonderful start to the New Year! As I write this, I am reflecting on the meaning of Black History Month, gazing out of my window onto a fresh "mantle of white" mixed with graying Chicago slush. Through the ups and downs of the past 23 months and the joys it also held, I am hearing Louis Armstrong sing:
We are proud to be keeping toes tapping and heads bopping as we embark on a new year that will bring six new community programs led by Chicago musicians, three new commissioned works, the 25th anniversary of the JazzCity concert series in partnership with the Chicago Park District, and so much more online and in person.
I see skies of blue And clouds of white The bright blessed day The dark sacred night And I think to myself What a wonderful world
Please enjoy this issue of the JazzGram and stories of Chicago's own Dr. Timuel Black's (and JIC Board Member) memorial service, Maggie Brown and Oscar Brown, Jr, and our Education Corner saluting Jazz Links Alumni and students, and updates on our school programs.
ings
Perhaps the sacredness of a dark night is truly the hope of red roses and trees of green. Maybe it is the faces of the smiling people we see online and miss in person. Perhaps it is lessons learned and the silver lining of an otherwise confusing and isolated time. It is indeed the memory of a good time, the hope for those times to come, and the joys found within music, rhythms, lyrics, and harmony.
This 53rd year of the Jazz Institute is extra-special because we will celebrate the centennial of the arrival of Louis Armstrong to Chicago with a full slate of panels, an all-star Chicago trumpeter concert, a partnership with the Armstrong House Museum in Queens, NY, and so much more. No mention of Mr. Armstrong would be complete without celebrating his first wife—composer, pianist, and bandleader Lil Hardin Armstrong. Women's History Month discussions and a JazzCity concert will honor her role in his career and the story of jazz music.
Thank you for being a valued part of jazz's past, present, and future. We thank you are grateful for your support! I do hope, as Mr. Armstrong did at another charged time in American history, that we will be shaking hands and saying, "How do you do?" together soon! All the Best,
Heather Ireland Robinson, Executive Director