Show List

Jazz Showcase's Upcoming Shows

Isaiah Spencer Quartet

Isaiah Spencer Quartet

Residency

Sat, Sep 26

With his edgy style and innovative beats, jazz and blues drummer Isaiah Spencer has carved out a unique reputation in Chicago and beyond. Critics have called his sound propulsive, fiery, and incendiary. A North Side native, Spencer has studied with Dr. Curtis Prince in Chicago’s All-City Jazz Band, with Dana Hall and Ernie Adams in the Ravinia Jazz in the Schools program, at Roosevelt University, and with legendary jazz educator Ronald Carter at Gallery 37, a paid summer job teaching the arts to youth. He has also studied with Ralph Peterson Jr., Kenny Washington, Greg Hutchinson, Ed Soph, Hamid Drake, Albert "Tutti" Heath, and Wilbur Campbell. Now, Spencer is the one doing the teaching. He is a teaching artist and mentor for a nonprofit organization called Youth Guidance, and a percussion teacher and assistant band director at New Trier High School. He directs his own drum camp program and through his mentoring and volunteer work, he teaches children how music can help them to overcome obstacles and reach greater heights. He has performed at the Chicago Blues Festival, the Englewood Blues Festival, Jazz Showcase, House of Blues, and Rosa’s, and shared the stage with greats including Fred Anderson, Pine Top Perkins, Eddie Clearwater, Buddy Guy, Clark Terry, Roy Hargrove, Tom Harrell, Donald Harrison, Wynton & Branford Marsalis, James Moody, Cyrus Chestnut, Johnny O'Neil, and Nicole Mitchell. He has toured with William Parker, Ernest Dawkins, and Guy King, among others.
Isaiah Spencer Quartet

Isaiah Spencer Quartet

Residency

Sun, Sep 27

With his edgy style and innovative beats, jazz and blues drummer Isaiah Spencer has carved out a unique reputation in Chicago and beyond. Critics have called his sound propulsive, fiery, and incendiary. A North Side native, Spencer has studied with Dr. Curtis Prince in Chicago’s All-City Jazz Band, with Dana Hall and Ernie Adams in the Ravinia Jazz in the Schools program, at Roosevelt University, and with legendary jazz educator Ronald Carter at Gallery 37, a paid summer job teaching the arts to youth. He has also studied with Ralph Peterson Jr., Kenny Washington, Greg Hutchinson, Ed Soph, Hamid Drake, Albert "Tutti" Heath, and Wilbur Campbell. Now, Spencer is the one doing the teaching. He is a teaching artist and mentor for a nonprofit organization called Youth Guidance, and a percussion teacher and assistant band director at New Trier High School. He directs his own drum camp program and through his mentoring and volunteer work, he teaches children how music can help them to overcome obstacles and reach greater heights. He has performed at the Chicago Blues Festival, the Englewood Blues Festival, Jazz Showcase, House of Blues, and Rosa’s, and shared the stage with greats including Fred Anderson, Pine Top Perkins, Eddie Clearwater, Buddy Guy, Clark Terry, Roy Hargrove, Tom Harrell, Donald Harrison, Wynton & Branford Marsalis, James Moody, Cyrus Chestnut, Johnny O'Neil, and Nicole Mitchell. He has toured with William Parker, Ernest Dawkins, and Guy King, among others.
Diego Hedez & Marion Mallard Quartet

Diego Hedez & Marion Mallard Quartet

Mon, Sep 28

Diego Hedez, a gifted trumpeter born in Cuba and now based in New York, embodies a dynamic spirit in contemporary jazz and improvised music.

Diego's musical journey includes collaborations with avant-garde icons like William Parker , David Virelles , Francisco Mela and Daniel Carter, and performances at notable venues and festivals globally like The Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Roulette Intermedium, Bric Festival, Forward Festival , Winter Jazz festival among others. His recent projects, including "The Forward Quartet" and collaborations with David Virelles and the Singer’s Grove, showcase his commitment to pushing musical boundaries through free improvisation , traditional Cuban music and sonic exploration.


Marion Sly Mallard is a young and upcoming artist in today’s music scene. She is an upright and electric bassist with many pursuits - performance, composition, touring, recording studio work, band-leading, music production/mixing, teaching, photography, and more. Originally from Decatur, IL, she has experienced many recognitions for her artistry, from being a JEN Sisters in Jazz selectee, to being selected for the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program. Marion moved to Chicago in 2020 to pursue and complete a degree in Jazz Studies at the DePaul University SOM, and since then she has become an important part of the music scene across a multitude of genres. Over the years, she has studied with many world-renowned musicians, such as Jason Moran, Mimi Jones, Marc Cary, Jimmy Greene, Carmen Lundy, Nate Smith, Dana Hall, Marlene Rosenberg, Lenard Simpson, Geof Bradfield, Scott Hesse, Sharel Cassity, Dennis Carroll, Carlos Henriquez, and Clark Sommers. She is currently involved in many ensembles, including those under her own name, as well as playing with world-renowned musicians such as Joel Ross. Marion is passionate in all her pursuits within the arts, and working toward many new collaborations within the Chicago and New York music scenes.