ABOUT

The original Jazz in the Courtyard concerts began in 2007 as a creative way to attract more people to the landscaped courtyard area at the Hyde Park Shopping Center at 55th Street and S. Lake Park Avenue. The concert series was the idea of Scott Mosak, General Manager of McCaffery Interests, the property management company for the Hyde Park Shopping Center.

One of the first performers was Mosak's friend, Morikeba Kouyate, a griot (African troubadour/historian), and kora player (West African stringed instrument). Kouyate performed for several years, until Mosak had a chance meeting with Carolyn Albritton at a local coffee shop. Albritton (who passed away in 2026) was a Hyde Park legend — she booked talent for the city’s top clubs and restaurants and was also one of the founders of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, begun in 2007. Albritton was responsible for promoting the Chicago jazz scene as well as other music genres and comedy on the South Side, and was recognized for spotting undiscovered talents who are now household names.

Albritton was the official programmer of Jazz in the Courtyard from 2009-2025, bringing some of jazz's most notable musicians to Hyde Park. Those daytime summer concerts have always been pure joy - shared with friends in folding chairs, enjoying a picnic lunch from home or burgers and hotdogs from the Treasure Island grill.

The concert series was on hiatus due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, but has been back since 2022, now in Harper Court (5235 S. Harper Court) to allow more room for concertgoers.

Join us from 12-2:30 p.m. on the first Fridays of June, July, August, and September as we celebrate summer and Hyde Park's shared love of jazz!

Note: due to holidays, some concerts are not on the first Friday of the month.

IN MEMORY OF CAROLYN ALBRITTON

In the early morning hours of Monday, April 6, 2026, we said goodbye to Carolyn Virginia Albritton - a beloved mother, a Chicago original, and a quiet force behind some of the most memorable moments in this city's cultural history. She passed just three days before what would have been her 85th birthday on April 9th, a milestone her family had hoped to celebrate with her.

Carolyn spent decades as a talent manager, booker, and producer who shaped Chicago's entertainment landscape from the inside out. In the late 70s and early 80s she worked in music and public relations at Playboy Magazine. She helped launch the critically acclaimed Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre. She co-founded "Carolyn's Open Mic" at the Cotton Club, a stage that gave early platforms to Bernie Mac, Adele Givens, Sheryl Underwood, R. Kelly, and countless others. She booked legends including Carmen McRae, Roy Ayers, and Cassandra Wilson. For over a decade she served as music producer for the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, as well as Jazz in the Court. She did all of this with, as those who knew her would say, the patience of Job and a heart of gold.

We have had a plaque made to commemorate Carolyn's contributions to the Jazz in the Courtyard series, and will be installing on a bench in the Hyde Park Shopping Center this summer.

ABOUT

IN MEMORY OF CAROLYN ALBRITTON

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