Friday, June 3

DEE ALEXANDER QUARTET

12-2:30 p.m. 

Dee Alexander is one of Chicago’s most gifted and respected female vocalists/songwriters. Her talents span every music genre, from gospel to R&B, from blues to neo-soul. Yet her true heart and soul are experienced in their purest form through her performance of jazz music. 

From a soft, sultry traditional ballad; to a contemporary jazz-funk groove; from a high-flying swing, to a scat-filled romp; Dee Alexander delivers each style with a passion and love of music that comes across in each and every note, with a style and grace that is truly her own.

Dee has shared the stage with Ahmad Jamal, David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, Gerald Albright, Roy Ayers, Joshua Redman, and the O’Jays.

Dee has also formed the Evolution Ensemble, an acoustic group that consists of string instruments and percussion with a strong emphasis on original compositions. 

WEBSITE / SPOTIFY

Friday, July 1

DENISE THIMES QUARTET

12-2:30 p.m.

Over the course of a multi-faceted career spanning three decades, Thimes is no stranger to the music world, growing up in a home surrounded by all types of music from her father & radio icon, the late Lou “Fatha” Thimes. 

Denise has performed with such jazz notables as Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (St. Louis, MO); the late Clark Terry (The Blue Note, NY); Dr. Billy Taylor, Earl May, Benny Powell (Flushing Town Hall); and James Moody (Blue Note, NY). She has also graced the stage with Houston Person, Jimmy & Tootie Heath, Bobby McFerrin, and Bucky Pizzarelli. 

In recent years she has appeared and toured Paris with David Sanborn, sung for the Queen of Thailand, Queen Elizabeth II, President George W. Bush, and was hand picked by the Queen of Soul (Aretha Franklin) to perform for her 72nd birthday celebration.

WEBSITE

Friday, August 5

CHUCK WEBB with Margaret Murphy-Webb and Tony Carpenter

12-2:30 p.m.

Chuck Webb is an electric & acoustic bassist who has performed with such notable artists as Aretha Franklin, Ramsey Lewis, David Sanborn, Al DiMeola, Grover Washington Jr.,  Freddie Hubbard, and many others.

As one of Chicago's top studio bassists, Chuck has performed on hundreds of records, commercial jingles, and soundtracks. A graduate of University of Miami's Frost School of Music, Chuck is on the board of directors of the Theater Musician’s Association (Chicago chapter), a member of the National Federation of Musicians, and the National Educators Association.

A versatile writer and producer, Chuck is also on the faculty of Columbia College Chicago's music department, having served as coordinator of bass studies, bass instructor, ensemble director and coordinator of the contemporary, urban and popular music ensemble program.

WEBSITE

Friday, September 2

THADDEUS TUKES QUARTET

12-2:30 p.m.

Thaddeus Tukes is a jazz composer, arranger and percussionist from Chicago who has performed with artists including Branford Marsalis, Victor Goines, Roy Hargrove, and Chance the Rapper. Thaddeus has been showcased at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Center, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the Green Mill. 

Thaddeus graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School on Chicago’s Near West Side, and is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he studied Jazz Vibraphone and Piano, and Journalism. 

He is the first person in the country to receive a degree in jazz vibraphone from a non-conservatory university (public or private), and was the first student to major in jazz vibraphone at Northwestern. Among other awards and distinctions, in 2015 Tukes was named a Luminarts Jazz Fellow.

FACEBOOK / SPOTIFY