Jazz Showcase's Upcoming Shows

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).

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.

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.”

Born in Havana, pianist, composer and arranger Chuchito Valdés (Jesús Valdés Jr.) comes from one of the most distinguished musical families of Cuba. The son of legendary Cuban pianist Jesús “Chucho” Valdés, Chuchito also learned from listening to the recordings of his grandfather, Bebo Valdés, one of Cuba’s greatest composers. He was a child prodigy who studied with many Cuban masters, including his father. He has studied extensively, Cuban music, Classical music and Jazz piano. He has recorded and performed piano with the world renowned Cuban band, Irakere, which he led for 2 years. Chuchito Valdes’ Afro-Cuban Ensemble performs contemporary Afro-Cuban originals along with arrangements of classic Cuban standards by his father. With an expansive repertoire that makes room for traditional Cuban melodies like “Tres Lindas Cubanas'”next to compositions from John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”, the ensemble peppers their sets with Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz standards, intelligent originals and infectious rhythms. He has performed at festivals,clubs and concerts throughout the world. When Chuchito is not travelling around the world performing, he lives in Cancun, Mexico, where he leads his Afro-Cuban based Latin-Jazz ensemble.