August 18, 2005

Chicago's Jazz Unites Festival at the South Shore Cultural Center was in a New York state of mind on Sunday evening August 7th, 2005

By: Harold L. Lucas

As a founding member of the Coalition to Save South Shore Country Club (CSSSCC), a community based coalition that organized to prevent South Shore County Club from being demolished back in the late 70's and early 80's, I am always proud to attend events at this marvelous public facility on Chicago's south lakefront.

The 24th Annual Jazz Unites Festival on August 6th and 7th 2005 was a wonderful occassion to bring my entire family together for a Sunday afternoon and evening in the lakefront park and to hear some great jazz music.. The attached Chicago Tribune Jazz review of the Saturday performances will give you a perspective of that evenings entertainment.

My family and I got out to the park around 1pm Sunday afternoon seeking a good spot. My sister Helen Lucas who now lives in Madison Wisconsin was in town visiting family and we thought the Jazz festival would be a grand occassion for her to attend. We had our tent, big umberrallas, barbeque and all the picnic fixings. Only to find out as we drove up to the gate check point that the festival did not allow tents, big umberallas or barbeque in the festival. So being from Chicago, we quickly improvised a plan to move the barbeque equipment to another area of the park, while my great nephew Justin Herron and I staked out a good place in the festival to lay out our blankets, chairs and cot. We set up under a group shade tree, stage left with great sight lines.

After setting up, I went back and picked up my sisters and the barbeque and got back to our designated spot just in time just as the music started. We broke out our barbeque and the picnic was on.

By late afternoon the sun began to shift and we were now directly in the hot sun. The only complaint about festival security was that they were extremely serious about making sure no one put up a umbrella.

So we again had to improvise and put our umberella up on the gound to cover the face of the newest member of my family who is only 3 months old.

The young people who performed big band sounds were very entertaining, but the highlight of the evening were the performances of the Fred Anderson Quintet and Oleta Adams who's first album "Circle of One" went platinum in 1990, opened her performance with her version of a New York State of mind that lit the park up.

I immediately jumped up went down front and took some great shots of her outstanding performance. Congradulations to Ms Geraldine DeHaas , who was also a founding member of the CSSCC for organizing this great annual event on the southlake front. Although she is not in the best of health these days, her skills in organizing her staff and volunteers in presenting this event were superlative.

We love you madly Geraldine!

JAZZ REVIEW

South Shore JazzFest all about community, making great music

By Aaron Cohen
Special to the Tribune
Published August 8, 2005

If one musician captured the optimistic, determined spirit of the South Shore Cultural Center's annual JazzFest it was pianist Geri Allen, who performed on Saturday.

To be sure, Geraldine De Haas and her Jazz Unites organization have seen more than their share of challenges since they began programming the event in 1981. But they have not let ongoing funding concerns prevent them from bringing world-class musicians to perform at a free, beautifully staged outdoor festival that is built around the idea of community.

Like Jazz Unites, Allen transformed what could have been a major obstacle into a musical victory. Because of an injury, her right arm was in a cast. This potential setback did not prevent Allen from shaping the direction of trumpeter Wallace Roney's septet. Besides, since she's worked with such unpredictable musicians as Ornette Coleman, unusual trials are undoubtedly part of her vocabulary. That Roney is the pianist's husband seemed to accentuate the day's family vibe.

As two electric keyboards and a concert grand piano surrounded Allen, she made a few notes from all three of them create startling resonance. Initially, she insisted on repeating strong riffs until Roney and tenor saxophonist Antoine Roney responded through elongated lines. Even under ordinary circumstances, this would have made Allen a valuable foil in a group. But then, surprisingly enough, she was the one who came up with complex chord changes as the horns shifted to a minimalist approach. Other times, the two Roneys engaged in a heated dialogue as the trumpeter's muted tone offset the saxophonist's low-end honks. It was difficult, however, to figure out what deejay Val added to the group's overall dynamic. Aside from her occasionally interesting vocal samples, the scratches and effects just detracted from the accomplished rhythm section of bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Eric Allen. Okegwo and Allen were funky enough on their own to make Val's pale electronic beats superfluous.

Just after headlining singer Ernestine Anderson took the stage following the Roney septet, she declared that, at 76, she's "earned the right to sit down." Her decades spent singing blues and jazz alongside such legendary bandleaders as Johnny Otis and Lionel Hampton would also grant her license to relax. But musically, Anderson did not coast.

She shrewdly kept much of her extroverted delivery in reserve at first. Starting with a vocal version of Miles Davis' "All Blues," Anderson's smooth phrasing showed that she would not be easily classified as a belter. Instead, she gradually raised her fervor while sliding in passages from the spiritual, "Down By The Riverside." But Anderson dramatically switched gears toward the middle of her set. As she unleashed a series of growls, the singer's take on classic blues turned rough and uncompromising. After pianist Tony Foster's tasteful responses, the singer sounded stronger when she performed unaccompanied.

Singer Julia Huff, who performed earlier in the afternoon, could have used more of Anderson's gritty rasp. With her bright smile and bubbly delivery, she did not make the tale of poverty in The Drifters' "On Broadway" sound very convincing. Still, her breezy style fit the standard, "At Last."

Trumpeter Tito Carrillo's performance was a vivid reminder of this festival's value in presenting up-and-coming Chicago talent to a wider audience than typical club gigs can provide. He's an impressive composer, especially his ballad, "Song For Alicia."

Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune

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