A Chicago native, Isabella is an actor, vocalist, pianist, music director, and conductor who has had the great honor of sharing her artistry on stage and screen both at home and internationally.  Notable performances include: singing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall and Ravinia, performing with her quartet at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and three performance tours across Europe.   Isabella is a proud alum of The Second City, Acting Studio Chicago, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Additional studies include the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and the Jacobs School of Music. She is a member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians and is currently working on her debut record. 

A Chicago native, Isabella is an actor, vocalist, pianist, music director, and conductor who has had the great honor of sharing her artistry on stage and screen both at home and internationally.  Notable performances include: singing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall and Ravinia, performing with her quartet at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and three performance tours across Europe.   Isabella is a proud alum of The Second City, Acting Studio Chicago, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Additional studies include the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and the Jacobs School of Music. She is a member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians and is currently working on her debut record. 

A Chicago native, Isabella is an actor, vocalist, pianist, music director, and conductor who has had the great honor of sharing her artistry on stage and screen both at home and internationally.  Notable performances include: singing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall and Ravinia, performing with her quartet at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and three performance tours across Europe.   Isabella is a proud alum of The Second City, Acting Studio Chicago, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Additional studies include the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and the Jacobs School of Music. She is a member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians and is currently working on her debut record. 

A Chicago native, Isabella is an actor, vocalist, pianist, music director, and conductor who has had the great honor of sharing her artistry on stage and screen both at home and internationally.  Notable performances include: singing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall and Ravinia, performing with her quartet at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and three performance tours across Europe.   Isabella is a proud alum of The Second City, Acting Studio Chicago, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Additional studies include the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and the Jacobs School of Music. She is a member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians and is currently working on her debut record. 

Chicago Calling is a quartet that's all about the jazz greats that came from Chicago or spent some formative years there. The band presents music written by or associated with musicians; Johnny Griffin, Eddie Harris, Dinah Washington, Joe Williams, Sun Ra, John Gilmore, Clifford Jordan, Johnny Hartman, Von Freeman, Gene Ammons, Earma Thompson, and Jodie Christian, and they relate the history, circumstances and personalities that made these musicians Chicago legends. Chicago Calling’s shows are a unique musical tour through a history of the Chicago legends and the places they played. Chicago Calling is ; Juli Wood - saxophone and vocals ; Mike Allemana - guitar; Matt Ferguson - bass ; Mike Schlick - drums 

Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian Dillingham is equally at home in two musical worlds. His parents spun jazz records around the house, while his mother was an avid pianist who loved to play Chopin and Debussy. These childhood experiences left a deep impression and ended up as the foundational philosophy of his career in music. Dillingham is that rare musician who excels in an orchestral setting, yet has an intuitive feel for nuance and the improvisational skills necessary to play jazz. A native of Brookfield, Ohio, Dillingham played in rock and jazz bands throughout high school. He became serious about music as a career while at Youngstown State University, studying under the instruction of Tony Leonardi and Micah Howard. After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Music degree in Music Performance with an Emphasis on Jazz, Dillingham’s education continued at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where he worked with Jeffrey Turner, principal bass of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and subsequently received a Master’s of Music degree in Music Performance. He also attended the National Repertory Orchestra Festival in Breckenridge, Colorado and the School for Improvisational Music in New York. Upon graduation, Dillingham was invited to play in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and moved to the city to perform with them for the next two seasons. Since then, he has made frequent appearances in Chicago’s vibrant classical scene, playing with the Lyric Opera, the Grant Park Symphony, and the Chicago Opera Theatre. Dillingham is also a member of the Chicago Sinfonietta, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Matt Jones Orchestra, and the Chicago Philharmonic. He appears on albums by the Chicago Sinfonietta and Camerata Chicago. At the same time, he became a regular presence in Chicago’s rich jazz community, performing at Fred Anderson’s iconic Velvet Lounge, the Green Mill, the Jazz Showcase, Constellation Chicago, Hungry Brain, Andy’s Jazz Club, Elastic Arts and other Chicago venues as well as at the Chicago Jazz Festival. Dillingham has played and recorded with dozens of musicians, including John Legend, Kirk Franklin, Herlin Riley, Peter Bernstein, Kevin Mahogany, Willie Pickens, Dee Alexander, Victor Goines, Bobby Broom, Sean Jones, Greg Ward and Mike Reed. He currently performs with a number of diverse projects crossing genres from jazz, classical and roots to the avant-garde and leads his own band, which features his original compositions. In fall of 2020 he joined the faculty at Indiana University teaching jazz bass. Eventbrite is the official & sole seller of tickets to all events at Jazz Showcase. Only the original buyer will be admitted into our events, and your name/ID must match the name on your ticket. Tickets purchased outside of the Eventbrite platform will not be admitted into any event. 

Gabriel Wade - Trumpet Jared Schultz - Alto and Tenor Saxophone Isaiah Jones Jr. - Piano  Nat Lin - Bass Sid Smith IV - Drums Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Gabriel Wade is a trumpeter, pianist, and educator who has been surrounded by music all his life. He has had the opportunity to play with the Count Basie Orchestra, Cab Calloway Orchestra, Clif Wallace Big Band, Evon J. Sams Quintet/Sextet/Nonet, Reginald Lewis Quintet, and the Marlene Rosenberg Quartet. As a sideman, he has performed at notable venues and festivals such as Andy's Jazz Club, the Elmhurst Jazz Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Showcase.  As a bandleader, he has performed at various locations in the central and southeastern Arkansas area, as well as in the northern Illinois area and at Fulton Street Collective and Angelo's Wine Bar in Chicago, Illinois. Recently, he qualified as a semifinalist in the Jazz Improvisation Division for the International Trumpet Guild's 2024 Ryan Anthony Memorial Trumpet Competition and earned first place in the 2024 Tom Williams Jazz Division of the National Trumpet Competition. 

Gabriel Wade - Trumpet Jared Schultz - Alto and Tenor Saxophone Isaiah Jones Jr. - Piano  Nat Lin - Bass Sid Smith IV - Drums Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Gabriel Wade is a trumpeter, pianist, and educator who has been surrounded by music all his life. He has had the opportunity to play with the Count Basie Orchestra, Cab Calloway Orchestra, Clif Wallace Big Band, Evon J. Sams Quintet/Sextet/Nonet, Reginald Lewis Quintet, and the Marlene Rosenberg Quartet. As a sideman, he has performed at notable venues and festivals such as Andy's Jazz Club, the Elmhurst Jazz Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Showcase.  As a bandleader, he has performed at various locations in the central and southeastern Arkansas area, as well as in the northern Illinois area and at Fulton Street Collective and Angelo's Wine Bar in Chicago, Illinois. Recently, he qualified as a semifinalist in the Jazz Improvisation Division for the International Trumpet Guild's 2024 Ryan Anthony Memorial Trumpet Competition and earned first place in the 2024 Tom Williams Jazz Division of the National Trumpet Competition. 

Gabriel Wade - Trumpet Jared Schultz - Alto and Tenor Saxophone Isaiah Jones Jr. - Piano  Nat Lin - Bass Sid Smith IV - Drums Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Gabriel Wade is a trumpeter, pianist, and educator who has been surrounded by music all his life. He has had the opportunity to play with the Count Basie Orchestra, Cab Calloway Orchestra, Clif Wallace Big Band, Evon J. Sams Quintet/Sextet/Nonet, Reginald Lewis Quintet, and the Marlene Rosenberg Quartet. As a sideman, he has performed at notable venues and festivals such as Andy's Jazz Club, the Elmhurst Jazz Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Showcase.  As a bandleader, he has performed at various locations in the central and southeastern Arkansas area, as well as in the northern Illinois area and at Fulton Street Collective and Angelo's Wine Bar in Chicago, Illinois. Recently, he qualified as a semifinalist in the Jazz Improvisation Division for the International Trumpet Guild's 2024 Ryan Anthony Memorial Trumpet Competition and earned first place in the 2024 Tom Williams Jazz Division of the National Trumpet Competition. 

Gabriel Wade - Trumpet Jared Schultz - Alto and Tenor Saxophone Isaiah Jones Jr. - Piano  Nat Lin - Bass Sid Smith IV - Drums Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Gabriel Wade is a trumpeter, pianist, and educator who has been surrounded by music all his life. He has had the opportunity to play with the Count Basie Orchestra, Cab Calloway Orchestra, Clif Wallace Big Band, Evon J. Sams Quintet/Sextet/Nonet, Reginald Lewis Quintet, and the Marlene Rosenberg Quartet. As a sideman, he has performed at notable venues and festivals such as Andy's Jazz Club, the Elmhurst Jazz Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Showcase.  As a bandleader, he has performed at various locations in the central and southeastern Arkansas area, as well as in the northern Illinois area and at Fulton Street Collective and Angelo's Wine Bar in Chicago, Illinois. Recently, he qualified as a semifinalist in the Jazz Improvisation Division for the International Trumpet Guild's 2024 Ryan Anthony Memorial Trumpet Competition and earned first place in the 2024 Tom Williams Jazz Division of the National Trumpet Competition. 

Julian Davis Reid (M.Div., Candler School of Theology) is a Black artist-theologian from Chicago whose work invites us to rejoice, lament, and hope together. A pianist, composer, producer, speaker, and writer, Julian is the founder of the ministry Notes of Rest®, a contemplative-musical experience that invites the weary to practice God’s transforming rest. A member of Emory University’s Alumni Class of 2025 40 under 40, Julian steadily releases and performs new music, this year having released Vocation, Notes of Rest Hymns Vol.1, and BEHOLD (with The JuJu Exchange). Julian is also the Artistic Director for Testify!, a project from Christian Theological Seminary that strengthens Christian witness in Black churches by reviving testimony traditions for contemporary practice. Julian has toured in Asia, Europe, and across North America, having performed at the Montreal Jazz Fest, Lollapalooza, and the Berlin Jazz Fest. He has created with Jennifer Hudson, Chance the Rapper, Tank and the Bangas, Andrew Bird, Jamila Woods, Derrick Hodge, Ken Medema, Peter CottonTale, Keyon Harrold, Kenneth Whalum, Isaiah Collier, and Abiodun Oyewole from The Last Poets. An award-winning writer, Julian writes about his journey as an artist-theologian on his Substack “Julian’s Note.” He has published essays on Notes of Rest in several books, including Naming the Spirit: Pneumatology through the Arts (Sept 2025), At This Time: Dialogues in Theological Education (Jan 2026) and Light for the Way (Jan 2026). His work has been covered in The New York Times, Forbes, Sojourners, Billboard, and Downbeat. Julian lives in Chicago with his wife Carmen and their daughter Lydia and they are members of Lawndale Christian Community Church. — Hailing from the Southwest side of Chicago, Julian grew up playing classical, gospel, and jazz piano. He is a proud alum of Whitney Young High School and Merit School of Music, and sat under excellent private instructors, including Willie Pickens, Pharez Whitted, Steve Million, Kevin O’Connell, Ann Birman, Lucius Bell and Rev. Jim Bryson. He was confirmed in the St. Mark United Methodist Church. Julian attended Yale College, where he earned his B.A. in philosophy (2013) and took classes in music theory. He served as keyboardist and musical director of Black Church at Yale for all four years and also led his own working jazz trio. His thesis explored the political lessons learned from being a member of a jazz quartet. After graduating, he served Yale as a campus minister through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and as a non-denominational pastor for Black Church at Yale. He remained active on the New Haven jazz scene, mentored by bassist Jeff Fuller. Julian married his college sweetheart, Carmen, and together they moved to Atlanta for graduate school. Julian matriculated into Candler School of Theology at Emory University as a Woodruff Scholar, where he earned a Master of Divinity with a focus in Scripture, Theology and the Arts (2019). For his work in biblical studies, he won the Chad Davis Memorial Award, awarded to a student who has shown particular skill in biblical scholarship. He worked with Drs. James Abbington, Don Saliers, Dwight Andrews, Greg Ellison, Ted Smith, Joel LeMon, Noel Erskine, Nichole Phillips, and Kwok Pui-Lan. His master’s thesis was on the theological implications of wordless improvisation. He has taught and lectured at Candler, Garrett Evangelical-Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, Duke Divinity School, Columbia Theological Seminary, Morehouse College, City Seminary of New York, and the American Academy of Religion. He continues to collaborate with Dr. Ted Smith on Theological Education Between the Times, a project funded by the Lilly Endowment to help theological educators navigate the shifting terrain of North American theological education in the 21st century. Through this collaboration he’s worked with Drs. Willie Jennings, Maria Liu Wong, Keri Day, and Mark Jordan. While in seminary, Julian co-founded the band The JuJu Exchange. The other members are his blood brother Nova Zaii (also known as Everett Reid) and musical brother Nico Segal (fka Donnie Trumpet). The JuJu Exchange is an instrumental group that blends acoustic and digital music to cultivate wonder and trust. Their first release, Exchange (2017), debuted at #1 on iTunes Jazz Charts. In 2018, Julian led the effort to write a commissioned oratorio for Fulcrum Point New Music entitled Price of Peace, which addresses Chicago’s complex racial and geographic past in order to ask the listener: “Do we really want to pay the price for peace?” The band’s most recent release is The Eternal Boombox EP (2020), which is a musical accompaniment to the stages of grief. It emerged from the band’s navigation of the pandemic along with the rest of us. The JuJu Exchange has performed across the country at various jazz festivals, has conducted master classes at the Apple Store and for the Jazz Institute of Chicago, and has been featured in TEDxChicago and Chicago Ideas Week. Along with The JuJu Exchange, Julian leads contemplative retreats called Notes of Rest, where he places meditations from a Bible passage or piece of Black writing on a bed of music for the sake of promoting rest, contemplation, and creativity amongst communities. This ministry emerged out of his growing sense that the Global North needs to rediscover the liberating possibilities of stillness. In addition to the numerous records Julian has released, he has recently put out music with his own ensemble, Circle of Trust. His first full-length LP, Vocation, is all about the vocations he has lived in his life, which he pieced together with the intention of helping his listeners discern the vocations that they are called to live. You can listen to the 10-track album here. Julian is thankful to be back in Chicago where he attends Lawndale Christian Community Church with his wife and daughter. He has continually played in church throughout his life, and has directed for a wide array of congregations, from non-denominational to Roman Catholic. Julian has been blessed to collaborate or share the stage with many artists spanning various literary and musical genres, from jazz to classical to hip-hop to gospel. This list includes Chance the Rapper, Jennifer Hudson, Derrick Hodge, Vic Mensa, Peter CottonTale, Tank and the Bangas, Jamila Woods, Dixson, Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets, the Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society, Rev. Dr. Dwight Andrews, Tiff Joy, Dr. Jimmie Abbington, Dr. Alysia Nicole Harris, Zora Howard, Josephine Lee and Chicago Children’s Choir and Andrew Bird. 

Alexander McLeanBorn on Chicago’s west side, DEE ALEXANDER is one of Chicago’s most gifted and respected female vocalist/songwriters. Her talents span every music genre, from Gospel to R&B and Blues to Neo-Soul, yet her true heart and soul are experienced through her performance of Jazz. Whether in a soft, sultry ballad or a scat-filled romp, she delivers with a passion for music that comes across in every note, and a grace that is truly her own. Alexander boasts long and fruitful associations with Chicago’s jazz elite, including Ramsey Lewis, Orbert Davis, Nicole Mitchell, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). She leads her own Dee Alexander Quartet, as well as the Evolution Ensemble, whose music ranges from original compositions to renditions of James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. Her Jazz Institute of Chicago-commissioned tribute to Nina Simone and Dinah Washington, Sirens of Song, marked the beginning of worldwide recognition, and her performance on the Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion stage launched a period of extensive touring in Europe. Alexander has received the Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz award and the 3Arts Award for Music. Her CD, Wild is the Wind, was named the album of the summer in France; earned her top votes in Downbeat’s Readers’ and Critics’ polls; received 5 stars in Downbeat; and was chosen as one of the magazine’s top ten recordings in the first decade of the new millennium. She has garnered accolades in African, Australian, European, and North American press. She is currently a host on the WFMT Jazz Radio Network.  JOHN McLEAN’S career has included work as a guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, bandleader, and educator. Since completing his studies at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Miami, he has toured throughout the world and appeared on over fifty recordings. He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Kurt Elling, Mose Allison, Randy Brecker, Branford Marsalis, Anat Cohen, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Richie Cole, Ken Nordine, Joe Locke, Regina Carter, Louis Bellson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terry Callier, Renee Fleming, John Patitucci, Adam Nussbaum, Ernie Watts, Dave Douglas, Patricia Barber, Kendrick Scott, Arthur Blythe, Eddie Gomez, and many others. Over the course of his thirty years of touring both as a leader and sideman, he has performed in virtually every major city in North America as well as London, Paris, Moscow, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney, Sao Paolo, Jakarta, Dublin, Rome, Madrid, Warsaw, Berlin, Oslo, Reykjavik, Oslo, Stockholm, Istanbul, Bucharest, Helsinki, Seoul, Lisbon, Vienna, Budapest, Brussels, Prague, Copenhagen, and Zurich. He has conducted clinics throughout the United States and Canada, as well as Europe and Asia. He currently resides in the Chicago area and teaches at North Central College. 

Alexander McLeanBorn on Chicago’s west side, DEE ALEXANDER is one of Chicago’s most gifted and respected female vocalist/songwriters. Her talents span every music genre, from Gospel to R&B and Blues to Neo-Soul, yet her true heart and soul are experienced through her performance of Jazz. Whether in a soft, sultry ballad or a scat-filled romp, she delivers with a passion for music that comes across in every note, and a grace that is truly her own. Alexander boasts long and fruitful associations with Chicago’s jazz elite, including Ramsey Lewis, Orbert Davis, Nicole Mitchell, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). She leads her own Dee Alexander Quartet, as well as the Evolution Ensemble, whose music ranges from original compositions to renditions of James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. Her Jazz Institute of Chicago-commissioned tribute to Nina Simone and Dinah Washington, Sirens of Song, marked the beginning of worldwide recognition, and her performance on the Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion stage launched a period of extensive touring in Europe. Alexander has received the Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz award and the 3Arts Award for Music. Her CD, Wild is the Wind, was named the album of the summer in France; earned her top votes in Downbeat’s Readers’ and Critics’ polls; received 5 stars in Downbeat; and was chosen as one of the magazine’s top ten recordings in the first decade of the new millennium. She has garnered accolades in African, Australian, European, and North American press. She is currently a host on the WFMT Jazz Radio Network.  JOHN McLEAN’S career has included work as a guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, bandleader, and educator. Since completing his studies at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Miami, he has toured throughout the world and appeared on over fifty recordings. He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Kurt Elling, Mose Allison, Randy Brecker, Branford Marsalis, Anat Cohen, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Richie Cole, Ken Nordine, Joe Locke, Regina Carter, Louis Bellson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terry Callier, Renee Fleming, John Patitucci, Adam Nussbaum, Ernie Watts, Dave Douglas, Patricia Barber, Kendrick Scott, Arthur Blythe, Eddie Gomez, and many others. Over the course of his thirty years of touring both as a leader and sideman, he has performed in virtually every major city in North America as well as London, Paris, Moscow, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney, Sao Paolo, Jakarta, Dublin, Rome, Madrid, Warsaw, Berlin, Oslo, Reykjavik, Oslo, Stockholm, Istanbul, Bucharest, Helsinki, Seoul, Lisbon, Vienna, Budapest, Brussels, Prague, Copenhagen, and Zurich. He has conducted clinics throughout the United States and Canada, as well as Europe and Asia. He currently resides in the Chicago area and teaches at North Central College. 

Alexander McLeanBorn on Chicago’s west side, DEE ALEXANDER is one of Chicago’s most gifted and respected female vocalist/songwriters. Her talents span every music genre, from Gospel to R&B and Blues to Neo-Soul, yet her true heart and soul are experienced through her performance of Jazz. Whether in a soft, sultry ballad or a scat-filled romp, she delivers with a passion for music that comes across in every note, and a grace that is truly her own. Alexander boasts long and fruitful associations with Chicago’s jazz elite, including Ramsey Lewis, Orbert Davis, Nicole Mitchell, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). She leads her own Dee Alexander Quartet, as well as the Evolution Ensemble, whose music ranges from original compositions to renditions of James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. Her Jazz Institute of Chicago-commissioned tribute to Nina Simone and Dinah Washington, Sirens of Song, marked the beginning of worldwide recognition, and her performance on the Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion stage launched a period of extensive touring in Europe. Alexander has received the Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz award and the 3Arts Award for Music. Her CD, Wild is the Wind, was named the album of the summer in France; earned her top votes in Downbeat’s Readers’ and Critics’ polls; received 5 stars in Downbeat; and was chosen as one of the magazine’s top ten recordings in the first decade of the new millennium. She has garnered accolades in African, Australian, European, and North American press. She is currently a host on the WFMT Jazz Radio Network.  JOHN McLEAN’S career has included work as a guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, bandleader, and educator. Since completing his studies at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Miami, he has toured throughout the world and appeared on over fifty recordings. He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Kurt Elling, Mose Allison, Randy Brecker, Branford Marsalis, Anat Cohen, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Richie Cole, Ken Nordine, Joe Locke, Regina Carter, Louis Bellson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terry Callier, Renee Fleming, John Patitucci, Adam Nussbaum, Ernie Watts, Dave Douglas, Patricia Barber, Kendrick Scott, Arthur Blythe, Eddie Gomez, and many others. Over the course of his thirty years of touring both as a leader and sideman, he has performed in virtually every major city in North America as well as London, Paris, Moscow, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney, Sao Paolo, Jakarta, Dublin, Rome, Madrid, Warsaw, Berlin, Oslo, Reykjavik, Oslo, Stockholm, Istanbul, Bucharest, Helsinki, Seoul, Lisbon, Vienna, Budapest, Brussels, Prague, Copenhagen, and Zurich. He has conducted clinics throughout the United States and Canada, as well as Europe and Asia. He currently resides in the Chicago area and teaches at North Central College. 

Alexander McLeanBorn on Chicago’s west side, DEE ALEXANDER is one of Chicago’s most gifted and respected female vocalist/songwriters. Her talents span every music genre, from Gospel to R&B and Blues to Neo-Soul, yet her true heart and soul are experienced through her performance of Jazz. Whether in a soft, sultry ballad or a scat-filled romp, she delivers with a passion for music that comes across in every note, and a grace that is truly her own. Alexander boasts long and fruitful associations with Chicago’s jazz elite, including Ramsey Lewis, Orbert Davis, Nicole Mitchell, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). She leads her own Dee Alexander Quartet, as well as the Evolution Ensemble, whose music ranges from original compositions to renditions of James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. Her Jazz Institute of Chicago-commissioned tribute to Nina Simone and Dinah Washington, Sirens of Song, marked the beginning of worldwide recognition, and her performance on the Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion stage launched a period of extensive touring in Europe. Alexander has received the Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz award and the 3Arts Award for Music. Her CD, Wild is the Wind, was named the album of the summer in France; earned her top votes in Downbeat’s Readers’ and Critics’ polls; received 5 stars in Downbeat; and was chosen as one of the magazine’s top ten recordings in the first decade of the new millennium. She has garnered accolades in African, Australian, European, and North American press. She is currently a host on the WFMT Jazz Radio Network.  JOHN McLEAN’S career has included work as a guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, bandleader, and educator. Since completing his studies at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Miami, he has toured throughout the world and appeared on over fifty recordings. He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Kurt Elling, Mose Allison, Randy Brecker, Branford Marsalis, Anat Cohen, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Richie Cole, Ken Nordine, Joe Locke, Regina Carter, Louis Bellson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terry Callier, Renee Fleming, John Patitucci, Adam Nussbaum, Ernie Watts, Dave Douglas, Patricia Barber, Kendrick Scott, Arthur Blythe, Eddie Gomez, and many others. Over the course of his thirty years of touring both as a leader and sideman, he has performed in virtually every major city in North America as well as London, Paris, Moscow, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney, Sao Paolo, Jakarta, Dublin, Rome, Madrid, Warsaw, Berlin, Oslo, Reykjavik, Oslo, Stockholm, Istanbul, Bucharest, Helsinki, Seoul, Lisbon, Vienna, Budapest, Brussels, Prague, Copenhagen, and Zurich. He has conducted clinics throughout the United States and Canada, as well as Europe and Asia. He currently resides in the Chicago area and teaches at North Central College. 

Petra's Recession Seven: Petra van Nuis - vocals Art Davis - trumpet Eric Schneider - reeds Russ Phillips - trombone Andy Brown - guitar Dan DeLorenzo - bass Bob Rummage - drums At the start of the Great Recession in September 2008, Petra's Recession Seven, an authentic Chicago-style jazz band was born at Chicago's legendary Green Mill. The seven piece ensemble is led by Petra van Nuis, a vocalist praised by the Chicago Tribune for her "interpretive savvy...light-and-silvery vocals and, better still, saucy manner of delivery that emphasizes the art of the double entendre." Petra's Recession Seven features a front line of all-star internationally known Chicago veteran horn players. Trombonist Russ Phillips grew up "in the wings" listening to his dad, Russ Phillips Sr. play trombone in Louis Armstrong's All-Stars. Russ Jr. decided to follow in his dad's footsteps, and in addition to Chicago performances is a popular fixture on mainstream jazz festivals and cruises. Reedist Eric Schneider began his early career as a member of the bands of Count Basie and Earl Fatha Hines. Since then, Eric has played with many legends including Benny Goodman, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald and continues to be one of the busiest working musicians in Chicago. Trumpeter Art Davis is charter member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra and a highly respected jazz educator. Early in his career, Art toured with Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney and continues to be the top call trumpeter for musicians touring through Chicago. The swinging rhythm section of bassist Dan Delorenzo and drummer Bob Rummage is led by guitarist Andy Brown, recognized in Downbeat Magazine's annual critics poll as a “rising star.” In their hometown of Chicago, Petra's Recession Seven is a big hit at the Jazz Showcase, the Green Mill, Andy's Jazz Club, Winter's Jazz Club and Fitzgerald's. Festival performances include the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Cedar Basin Jazz Festival, the Juvae Jazz Festival and the American Music Festival. Regionally, the Recession Seven has played jazz societies including the Madison Jazz Society, the Starr-Gennett Foundation, the Illiana Jazz Club, the "Masters of Swing" series at Cincinnati's Xavier University, the Lafayette Jazz Club and the Indianapolis Jazz Club. The American Rag, in a review of the band's 2011 on location recording "Live In Chicago" praises “a killer of a band that grabs your attention and doesn't give it back until they are finished playing." www.petrasings.com 

Bob Lark is recognized regionally, nationally and internationally as a contemporary jazz educator and performer of integrity. His approach to pedagogy and rehearsal techniques has been noted by participation in professional conferences; publication of articles; compact disc recordings as both a performer and ensemble director; and the direction of numerous student honors ensembles. Down Beat magazine recognized Bob’s work in 2010 with their Jazz Education Achievement Award. In speaking of Lark, jazz icon Clark Terry stated, “He’s a very good trumpet player, a very good musician. He’s paid his dues.” Recordings on the Jazzed Media label include those by The Bob Lark/Phil Woods Quintet, Bob Lark and his Alumni Big Band, and Bob Lark and Friends, with Phil Woods, Rufus Reid, and Jim McNeely. Bob’s playing and writing are also featured on the CD recordings Until You and First Steps on the Hallway label. He is an exclusive Yamaha Performing Artist. Bob is an active clinician, soloist and guest conductor.He has served as host for the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition, is the past-president of the Illinois Unit of the International Association for Jazz Education, and has chaired the International Trumpet Guild jazz improvisation competition.For thirty-one years, Dr. Lark served as Professor of Music and Director of Jazz studies at DePaul University, in Chicago. Currently, Bob is the Director of Jazz Studies at Valparaiso University in Indiana.He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in performance from the University of North Texas, having earlier earned a Master’s degree from that school, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from The Ohio State University. 

Ryan Bills - Saxaphone Aiden Buck - Trumpet Leon Lewis-Nicol - Piano Sam Mösching - Guitar Jayden Richardson - Drums Jeremiah Hunt - Bass “K.I.M. (Keeping It Moving) is a genre-blending band led by Chicago bassist Jeremiah Hunt, fusing jazz, funk, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and more into a sound that’s fluid, bold, and deeply human. Whether it’s life, love, or the grind—K.I.M. is about pushing forward. With groove-driven performances and soul-charged compositions, this band isn’t just making music—they’re making motion.” 

Ryan Bills - Saxaphone Aiden Buck - Trumpet Leon Lewis-Nicol - Piano Sam Mösching - Guitar Jayden Richardson - Drums Jeremiah Hunt - Bass “K.I.M. (Keeping It Moving) is a genre-blending band led by Chicago bassist Jeremiah Hunt, fusing jazz, funk, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and more into a sound that’s fluid, bold, and deeply human. Whether it’s life, love, or the grind—K.I.M. is about pushing forward. With groove-driven performances and soul-charged compositions, this band isn’t just making music—they’re making motion.” 

Ryan Bills - Saxaphone Aiden Buck - Trumpet Leon Lewis-Nicol - Piano Sam Mösching - Guitar Jayden Richardson - Drums Jeremiah Hunt - Bass “K.I.M. (Keeping It Moving) is a genre-blending band led by Chicago bassist Jeremiah Hunt, fusing jazz, funk, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and more into a sound that’s fluid, bold, and deeply human. Whether it’s life, love, or the grind—K.I.M. is about pushing forward. With groove-driven performances and soul-charged compositions, this band isn’t just making music—they’re making motion.” 

Ryan Bills - Saxaphone Aiden Buck - Trumpet Leon Lewis-Nicol - Piano Sam Mösching - Guitar Jayden Richardson - Drums Jeremiah Hunt - Bass “K.I.M. (Keeping It Moving) is a genre-blending band led by Chicago bassist Jeremiah Hunt, fusing jazz, funk, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and more into a sound that’s fluid, bold, and deeply human. Whether it’s life, love, or the grind—K.I.M. is about pushing forward. With groove-driven performances and soul-charged compositions, this band isn’t just making music—they’re making motion.” 

Julius Tucker is a pillar of Chicago’s jazz and creative music community—a pianist, composer, bandleader, and producer whose expansive artistry transcends genre boundaries. With a career spanning over 15 years, Tucker has solidified his reputation for masterful keyboard fluency, harmonic sophistication, and a multifaceted voice that moves effortlessly between jazz, improvised music, electronic experimentation, and beyond. Rooted in Chicago’s rich musical legacy, Tucker began his classical training at the Van Moody School of Music at age seven. He later honed his jazz sensibility at the Merit School of Music and Whitney Young Magnet High School, ultimately completing his academic journey at Northwestern University earning degrees in both Jazz Piano and Civil Engineering. Tucker is also a recipient of the Luminarts Cultrual Foundation’s Jazz Improvisation Fellowship and is an Artist in Residence at The Cliff Dwellers. A seasoned artist with international experience, Tucker has performed at legendary venues and world-renowned festivals, including The Green Mill, The Jazz Showcase, Sam First, and Red Light Cafe, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, San Antonio’s Fiesta Jazz Fest, the Iowa City Jazz Festival, and Italy’s JazzIt Festival. Beyond performance, Tucker’s work as a producer and composer reflects a deep commitment to both jazz tradition and contemporary innovation. From intimate trio sessions to genre-blending electronic projects and compositions for film and television, his creative reach extends throughout Chicago’s vibrant music scene and beyond. 

Miguel de la Cerna is a powerhouse pianist, arranger, and composer who bridges the soul of jazz with the pulse of innovation. A Chicago native and third-generation jazz artist, de la Cerna descends from musical royalty—his grandfather, General Morgan, recorded with Billie Holiday, and his aunt, Gloria Morgan, was a noted vocalist and recording artist. Following studies at the American Conservatory of Music and Oberlin Conservatory, de la Cerna toured internationally for over a decade as pianist and conductor. His genre-defying artistry spans continents, collaborating with creative icons like Kahil El’Zabar and Nicole Mitchell and orchestrating major productions such as Corey Wilkes’ Donny Hathaway and House Music tributes at Millennium Park. In theater and opera, he has brought fire and finesse to Regina Taylor’s Crowns and Exhibit, and served as featured pianist in South Shore Opera Company’s world premieres of Harriet Tubman and Fannie Lou Hamer. A two-time Orion Ensemble commission recipient and the 2022 Hyde Park Jazz Festival commissioned composer, his Three Children Songs for Left Hand is featured in the award- winning documentary For the Left Hand. As Music Director for the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s JazzCity concert series, de la Cerna continues to shape the city’s sound—anchored in tradition, driven by innovation. 

Miguel de la Cerna is a powerhouse pianist, arranger, and composer who bridges the soul of jazz with the pulse of innovation. A Chicago native and third-generation jazz artist, de la Cerna descends from musical royalty—his grandfather, General Morgan, recorded with Billie Holiday, and his aunt, Gloria Morgan, was a noted vocalist and recording artist. Following studies at the American Conservatory of Music and Oberlin Conservatory, de la Cerna toured internationally for over a decade as pianist and conductor. His genre-defying artistry spans continents, collaborating with creative icons like Kahil El’Zabar and Nicole Mitchell and orchestrating major productions such as Corey Wilkes’ Donny Hathaway and House Music tributes at Millennium Park. In theater and opera, he has brought fire and finesse to Regina Taylor’s Crowns and Exhibit, and served as featured pianist in South Shore Opera Company’s world premieres of Harriet Tubman and Fannie Lou Hamer. A two-time Orion Ensemble commission recipient and the 2022 Hyde Park Jazz Festival commissioned composer, his Three Children Songs for Left Hand is featured in the award- winning documentary For the Left Hand. As Music Director for the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s JazzCity concert series, de la Cerna continues to shape the city’s sound—anchored in tradition, driven by innovation. 

Miguel de la Cerna is a powerhouse pianist, arranger, and composer who bridges the soul of jazz with the pulse of innovation. A Chicago native and third-generation jazz artist, de la Cerna descends from musical royalty—his grandfather, General Morgan, recorded with Billie Holiday, and his aunt, Gloria Morgan, was a noted vocalist and recording artist. Following studies at the American Conservatory of Music and Oberlin Conservatory, de la Cerna toured internationally for over a decade as pianist and conductor. His genre-defying artistry spans continents, collaborating with creative icons like Kahil El’Zabar and Nicole Mitchell and orchestrating major productions such as Corey Wilkes’ Donny Hathaway and House Music tributes at Millennium Park. In theater and opera, he has brought fire and finesse to Regina Taylor’s Crowns and Exhibit, and served as featured pianist in South Shore Opera Company’s world premieres of Harriet Tubman and Fannie Lou Hamer. A two-time Orion Ensemble commission recipient and the 2022 Hyde Park Jazz Festival commissioned composer, his Three Children Songs for Left Hand is featured in the award- winning documentary For the Left Hand. As Music Director for the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s JazzCity concert series, de la Cerna continues to shape the city’s sound—anchored in tradition, driven by innovation.