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In August 1979, the ensemble was the opening band on the first night of the First Annual Chicago Jazz Festival. 46 years later, the CJO stands as not only the oldest professional big band in Chicago, but also the second oldest professional civic jazz orchestra in the United States (second only to the Columbus Jazz Orchestra).

Kevin King is a Woodwindist and Composer from the south side of Chicago, Illinois. King honed his skills on the Chicago music scene under the tutelage of Chicago Legends Willie Pickens, Orbert Davis, and Diane Ellis. King is an improviser on all woodwind instruments including, Oboe, Bassoon, Flute, Clarinet, and Saxophone. The Regime Currently includes Nick Litman on Bass, and Shravan Raghuram on Drumset. King has played all over the country with countless artists including Arturo Sandoval, Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, The Temptations, Marcus Strickland, Marquis Hill, Joel Ross, Arturo Sandoval, Willie Pickens, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Buddy Guy, Adam Neely, etc. The Kevin King Regime is a culmination of King’s vision of creating a “Heavy Band with improvisation”. “ The Kevin King Regime is influenced by every sound known and unknown to man creating a sound unlike anything heard before. The original compositions I write are in many ways a symbol of the values I live by. An urgency to improve the world we live in with the art of sound creation, experimentation, and exploration. The music is a reflection of the world itself.”

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.

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.