Jazzing Up Chicago!

Duke Ellington was a great composer as well as band leader living in Chicago who passed away in the summer of 1974.
In his honour a group of musicians from Chicago held a festival to commemorate his life and work.
This festival was held in Grant Park at the South end and saw the participation of almost ten thousand fans and music lovers.
This popularity demanded the festival become an annual event.
In 1978, the John Coltrane Memorial Concert was organised, also at Grant Park, by a group of musicians with the Council of Fine Arts of Chicago.
This too attracted a huge crowd and was cemented as an annual event.
When the Jazz Institute of Chicago started to organise a jazz festival which would also take place at the end of Summer (August), it meant three different jazz groups organising festivals around the same time.
The Special Events Mayor's Office therefore, proposed a solution, which took effect immediately.
These three events were to be combined to offer one great Jazz Festival.
The event would feature a John Coltrane Night, a Duke Ellington Night and The Jazz Institute of Chicago would organize five other different jazz related programmes.
This festival, which spanned over 4 days, was moved to the Petrillo Music Shell.
These four days are held a week before Labour Day, featuring not just local musicians but famous artists from around the world.
The extended free jazz festival is vastly popular and continues to draw in massive crowds each year.
Prominent Chicago Musicians such as Karl E.
H.
Seigfried, Dana Hall, David Boykin, and Fred Anderson take the festival further by hosting jam sessions which start after the festival and goes on till the early hours.