Juan Pastor - Chinchano | Chicago Jazz Festival 2015

By TOM BOWSER

NOTE: If you plan to attend a Juan Pastor Chinchano performance, be sure to arrive early. The venue was filled to capacity, with people standing along the sides the day we saw them.

It was day three of the Chicago Jazz Festival at the Jazz and Heritage Pavilion, North Promenade. As our exploration of the 2015 Chicago Jazz Festival continues, my wife and I saw Juan Pastor perform with the James Davis band Beveled. Juan Pastor's performance with Beveled demonstrated his talent as a musician. We decided we needed to see him perform in his element as a drummer and percussionist playing Latin-influenced jazz.

Juan Pastor is an entertainer as well as a good musician. His enthusiasm for making music propelled the band and enthralled the audience. The band was tight and well- rehearsed. I liked the interaction between Patrick Mulcahy on double bass and Stu Mindeman on piano. Stu Mindeman's piano playing was perfect to round out Chinchano's sound.

I was impressed by Marquis Hill's versatility. He appeared to easily adapt his playing style to Latin-influenced music. This was the fourth different group Marquis had played in by this point in the 2015 Chicago Jazz Festival. Marquis Hill and Rich Moore played wonderfully together. I sensed a healthy competition between Marquis and Rich, with one musician driving, pushing the other. Rich Moore's sax playing was tasteful and compelling.

The Band:

• Juan Pastor - Drums and Percussion
• Patrick Mulcahy - Double bass
• Rich Moore - Alto Saxophone
• Marquis Hill - Trumpet
• Stu Mindeman - Piano

The technicians who work behind the scenes to make any live music event happen, rarely get the credit they deserve. Mixing live sound is a challenging job. The sound company did a good job producing a quality mix at a comfortable sound level. Nice work, guys!

The Chicago Jazz Festival is one of the largest, high quality, FREE jazz festivals in the United States.

Ben Waltzer | Chicago Jazz Festival 2015

By TOM BOWSER

Ben Waltzer played the first show held in Preston Bradley Hall during the 2015 Chicago Jazz Festival. Preston Bradley Hall is located in the Chicago Cultural Center. It is a spectacular looking room with a beautiful dome made of Tiffany Favrile glass. The dome is one of the largest of its kind. The stunning chandeliers suspended above the main seating area are also made by the Tiffany Glass Company of New York. The walls consist of hand-inlaid tiles that form intricate mosaics. It has been an especially beautiful room when lit for evening events I've attended, for example, Ragamala, held during the Chicago International Music Festival.

The construction materials used for a room ultimately affect and help determine the acoustics of the room. The acoustics of Preston Bradley Hall are bright/live, which makes it one of my least favorite venues in which to listen to amplified music. Performances within Preston Bradley Hall can become loud because of the many hard, reflective surfaces. I prefer Preston Bradley Hall for quieter, unamplified/acoustic instruments.

Ben Waltzer assembled a talented crew of musicians to work with for this show. Marquis Hill won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Trumpet Competition. He is also the bandleader of a talented group of musicians, "The Blacktet". The Marquis Hill Blacktet is well worth adding to your must see list. Yosef Ben Israel plays with Chicago's own Ari Brown Quintet. Bill McHenry and Gerald Cleaver are both jazz veterans who are currently part of the New York jazz scene.

I grew up listening to Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Jan Hammer on keyboards. Ben Waltzer introduced me to a different realm of jazz piano than I had previously listened to. I liked what I heard. After the show, I became motivated to discover more about Ben Waltzer and the music he plays. A crowd favorite (and mine) was Ben Waltzer's interpretation of Chicago pianist Art Hodes' composition “Clark and Randolph”.

The Band:

1. Ben Waltzer - Piano
2. Bill McHenry - Tenor Saxophone
3. Marquis Hill - Trumpet
4. Yosef Ben Israel - Double bass
5. Gerald Cleaver - Drums

NOTE: Unfortunately, it was difficult to take photos of Ben Waltzer from where I was sitting (sorry, Ben!). I did manage to take a few pictures of the other band members during the show. I'm NOT a professional photographer (barely a hobbyist) but hopefully the images help chronicle the event.

The Chicago Jazz Festival is one of the largest, high quality, FREE jazz festivals in the United States.