Sarah Marie Young will perform on Friday, Nov. 8, at Studio 5. Credit: Farrad Ali Photography
I’m writing this on Election Day, and everyone is thinking about winning or losing. I’m thinking about a loss that occurred a few days ago — the death of the great Quincy Jones. I wore out his Walking in Space album when I was a high school trombonist. Quincy once said, “The last things to leave this planet will be water and music. People cannot live without music.” I believe this.
We should be safe this week — there is lots of local music to keep our world spinning.
This is a week of hard choices. On Friday there are two magnificent female vocalists performing at the same time in Evanston — Jazzmeia Horn at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall and Sarah Marie Young at Studio 5. On Saturday, there are two choral groups presenting unusual programs that will happen simultaneously — Northwestern University Chorus at Galvin Recital Hall and the North Shore Choral Society at First Presbyterian Church of Evanston. On Sunday, you get to choose between Irish music and dance in Skokie or real-deal blues in a dive bar in Rogers Park. On Tuesday, choose between our local guitar ace Donovan Mixon or South African jazz pianist Nduduzo Makhathini. Unlike our presidential election, it’s not easy to make a choice among these excellent musical candidates.
Friday, Nov. 8Chad Willetts Quartet, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Willetts is a drummer, pianist and owner/operator of this excellent East Rogers Park jazz club/restaurant. His jazz quartet features a guest artist every Friday night. $15.
Student Composers Concert, 7:15 p.m. at Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, Regenstein Master Class Room, 60 Arts Circle Dr. These student compositions are full of unconventional music. While many of the works feature typical symphonic instruments (piano, violin, viola, cello, flute), others feature more obscure musical voices (bass clarinet, electric guitar, bass trombone, toy piano). Keep an open mind if you attend. Free.
Jazzmeia Horn Quartet, 7:30 p.m. at Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Dr. Horn is a 33-year-old jazz singer with an old soul — she combines the classic stylings of Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald with a contemporary flair. She won the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition. This woman is on her way to being a giant of vocal jazz. $40/$15 students.
Vienna Connection, Mathias Tacke, violin, and William Koehler, piano, 7:30 p.m. at Seman Violins, 4447 Oakton St., Skokie. Tacke was the second violinist of the acclaimed Vermeer Quartet from 1992 until 2007. He is professor of violin and chamber music at Northern Illinois University and also lectures at Northwestern University. Koehler is professor emeritus at Northern, where he taught piano from 1985 to 2014. This program focuses on music composed in Vienna by Franz Schubert in 1816, Anton Webern in the early 20th Century and György Kurtág in 1979. $25.
Tavern and Skip Class and the Dropouts, 8 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Tavern is a band of talented Northwestern students, led by vocalist Annie Wallach (a sophomore) and trumpet player Ben Chaddha (also a sophomore at Bienen School of music at NU). The band plays a mix of covers, old (ABBA, Billy Joel) and new (Carrie Underwood, Backseat Lovers). They also mix in a few originals. If you love a band that inspires a crowd to sing along on choruses, you’ll love Tavern! Skip Class and the Dropouts is a high-energy rock band with a retro feel. This band has played at various venues in the Chicago area, including the Cubby Bear, the Fat Shallot in Evanston and the Skokie Farmers Market. They released an EP earlier this year, and it contains some excellent original songs. $15.
Sarah Marie Young, 8 p.m. at Studio 5, 1938 Dempster St. Young is a wonderful genre-hopping singer/songwriter. She has an elastic soprano voice and can sing like a jazz vocalist, an R&B diva or a folk-rocker. Young also strums a ukulele, which is surprisingly effective.This Chicago-based artist can take an old rock song and turn it into a spine-tingling experience. She’s a stone-cold killer, folks. This performance will incorporate dancers choreographed by Béa Rashid of Dance Center Evanston, which is a part of Studio 5. $27/$37.
Noam Ginsparg, student cello recital, 8 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave. Ginsparg is an undergraduate music major at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music. He will play a program that will include a piece by Sergei Prokofiev. Ginsparg will be accompanied by Liang-yu Wang on piano. This young man shreds on the cello!
Frogmouth plays Ween, 8:30 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. Frogmouth is a brand-new band and this gig at Cary’s will be its first performance. The band covers the music of Ween, a wild & crazy alt rock band formed in formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene Ween and Dean Ween. Frogmouth features Chicago actor/musician Nick Pardo and percussionist David Clayton Condon. Frogmouth will perform Ween’s 1994 album Chocolate and Cheese in its entirety. Free.
Annamarie Collins, Student piano recital, 8:30 p.m. at Northwestern University, Bienen School of Music, Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Dr. Collins is pursuing a dual major at Northwestern, working on degrees in both engineering and music. She will play pieces by Bach, Maurice Ravel and Heitor Villa-Lobos. Side note: Collins is also an excellent church organist and won a scholarship in 2022 to focus on pipe organ performance and liturgical music at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, home of the century-old Opus 327 Skinner church organ. She also won the Association of Anglican Musicians’ 2024 James Litton Grant for Choral Training and is now the Choral and Organ Scholar at the Episcopal Church of the Atonement in Chicago. Free.Saturday, Nov. 9Rent Party, 4 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. Rent Party describes itself as “feminist garage folk band.” Frontwoman Snezana Zabic sings and plays guitar, Holly Rose Shapiro plays drums and Matt Sobczyk plays bass. Their lyrics lean into introspection and social commentary. Free.
Chad Willetts Quartet, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Willetts is a drummer, pianist and owner/operator of this excellent East Rogers Park jazz club/restaurant. His Saturday night quartet features Dez Desormeaux on tenor sax. Desormeaux has that full-throated Chicago tenor sax tone! $15.
North Shore Choral Society: Literary Greats, 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Evanston, 1427 Chicago Ave. The North Shore Choral Society, a 120-member community chorus, has been serving the northern suburbs of Chicago and beyond for more than 80 years, giving hundreds of nonprofessional singers the opportunity to perform choral masterworks. This concert will feature the words of great literary icons (Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Martin Luther, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Lewis Carroll) set to music by Randall Thompson, Emma Lou Diemer, Felix Mendelssohn, Rosephanye Powell and others. $32/$29 seniors/$10 students.
Northwestern University Chorale, 7:30 p.m. at Northwestern University, Bienen School of Music, Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Dr. University Chorale is a large mixed-voice ensemble devoted to performing a diverse selection of works. This program is entitled Just a passing phase, and will ponder the transient nature of the human condition with a selection of works by Brahms, Orlando Gibbons, Pawel Lukaszewski, Ingrid Stölzel, Stephen Paulus, Eriks Ešenvalds and others. $6/$4 students.
Hackensaw Boys with Al Scorch Band, 8 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. The Hackensaw Boys are a string band known for high-energy, rowdy Americana music. The band started up in 1999 in central Virginia and they remain based in Charlottesville, Virginia. These gents write some catchy melodies and sing tight harmonies while doing all that string band noodling that bluegrass folks love. I hear a touch of punk rock in their lyrics. The band also invented a percussion instrument made out of empty cans and other miscellaneous metal objects — they call it the “charismo.” This weird thing is now a signature sound for the Hackensaw Boys. Al Scorch is a singer/songwriter and banjoist. He is a versatile performer — sometimes he uses a full band and covers Tom Petty, and sometimes he performs as a duo with a fiddle player. All of his music is full of energy and grit. $15/$25.
The Soul Stones, 8:30 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. This band describes itself as a “Funk Rock Jam/Cover band out of Chicago with plenty of energy and flair.” The band began performing in public relatively recently and doesn’t have much music available online yet. Here is what I found. Free.
Christy Bennett, 11 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave. Chicago. Bennett is a busy jazz vocalist who performs a late-night set at Le Piano every Friday night. She is accompanied by Kevin Fort on piano. $15.Sunday, Nov. 10Northshore Concert Band: Resilience, 3 p.m. at Northwestern University, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Dr. The Northshore Concert Band (NCB) is a group of 100 mostly nonprofessional musicians from all walks of life. The band is opening its 69th season with Resilience, a program that exemplifies the enduring strength of the human spirit. NCB will connect pieces of music with historic events that demonstrate human heroism and courage. $25/$20 seniors/$10 students.
A Taste of Ireland, 3 p.m. at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. This Irish music and dance extravaganza returned to the United States after touring the world (mostly countries with large populations of folks with Irish roots). The show follows the narrative of Irish history, presenting music and dances from different points in time. The dancing is impressive and the music is selected to get the dancers moving (jigs, reels, hornpipes, flings etc. etc.). If you loved Riverdance, you will probably love this, too. $35/$65.
Northwestern Camerata, 3 p.m. at Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Dr. The Northwestern Camerata is a vocal ensemble made up of women from all academic disciplines at Northwestern. This concert is centered on Imogen Holst’s Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow, a piece that sets John Keats’ poetry to harp accompaniment. The program also includes works by William Billings, Benjamin Britten, Henry Purcell and Joni Mitchell. $6/$4 students.
Ron Sorin/John Neafsey Blues Duo, 4 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. Sorin is one of Chicago’s top blues harmonica players, and that is saying something — Chicago has tons of blues harmonica players. He has played with many of the city’s blues stars, including the late, great Bo Diddley. Sorin was also a member of the local supergroup, Big Shoulders, in the 1980s. John Neafsey is a solid guitarist and vocalist who can be heard playing and singing Irish tunes around Chicago with the Parting Glass Trio (he can play the blues, too). Free.
Rachel Drew, 4 p.m. at Sketchbook Brewing, 4901 Main St., Skokie. Drew is a singer-songwriter and a Chicago native. Her songs are soulful and remind me of some of the music that came out of Sun Studio in Memphis. Free.
Oliver Zhang, student trumpet recital, 6 p.m. at Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, Regenstein Master Class Room, 60 Arts Circle Dr. Zhang is currently a sophomore majoring in neuroscience and trumpet performance where he is studying with David Bilger, former principal trumpet with the Philadelphia Symphony and the Dallas Symphony. Zhang has assembled a varied program, and he is a fine player – here’s a sample of his artistry.
Amr Fahmy Trio, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N. Glenwood Avenue. Fahmy is the pianist for the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, a hard-grooving group of top-notch musicians who often perform with the marvelous vocalist Dee Alexander. He brings his trio to Le Piano every Sunday. $15.
Trouble Ahead — Grateful Dead Tribute, 7 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. I guess the Dead will never die, even if the musicians in the band do pass away (RIP Phil Lesh). Trouble Ahead is a top tribute band that reproduces those great old hippie tunes like Truckin’, Shape I’m In, etc. ad infinitum. The musicians in Trouble Ahead are very good and they take their job seriously. The tables at SPACE are mostly sold out for this show, but there is plenty of standing room. I think the fan base might prefer to sit these days. Most Deadheads are now AARP members, and they don’t twirl like they did when Jerry Garcia was on stage. $15/$25.
Northwestern University Baroque Music Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. at Northwestern University, Bienen School of Music, Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Dr. The Baroque Music Ensemble will perform J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 and C.P.E. Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in G Minor (by the way, C.P.E. Bach is the son of J.S. Bach). $6/$4 students.
The Humble Voice and the Isaiah Eby Band, 7:30 p.m. at Skokie Theater, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Vocalist Ruben Varela is the Humble Voice. He will be singing with the Isaiah Eby Band. Eby is a singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist from South Bend, Indiana. The band plays some covers and quite a few originals. Eby has just released his first single. $30.
Natalia Warthen, graduate student saxophone recital, 8:30 p.m. at Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, Regenstein Master Class Room, 60 Arts Circle Dr. Warthen is a candidate for a masters in saxophone performance. She plays all the saxophones (soprano/alto/tenor/baritone), and she is quite impressive. Her program will include works by J.S. Bach and Maurice Ravel. Free.Monday, Nov. 11
Manouche Mondays with Christy Bennett’s Fumee’ Gypsy-Swing Jazz, 7 p.m. at Rogers Park Social, 6920 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Vocalist Christy Bennett has a clear and strong voice, and she is also a relentless musical researcher. She has uncovered the works of songwriter Irene Higgsnbotham, a woman best known for her song, Good Morning Heartache, which became one of Billie Holiday’s signature tunes. Bennett has assembled a marvelous group of Chicago jazz veterans (including Art Davis on trumpet, Don Steirnberg on mandolin, Christian Dillingham on bass and Don Stille on accordion. The Fumee’ project focuses on the pre-WWII gypsy jazz world that introduced the great guitarist, Django Reinhardt, to the world. The word “Manouche” refers to a French subgroup of the Roma (aka gypsy) — the word means “human being” in the Romani language. Django Reinhardt was a Manouche. Free.
Tuesday, Nov. 12Nduduzo Makhathini will perform at SPACE on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Credit: Brian McMillen PhotographyIrish Music Session, 7 p.m. at Sketchbook Brewing Evanston, 821 Chicago Ave. Traditional Irish music session with a shifting cast of players; Sketchbook owner Shawn Decker usually brings his fiddle and joins in the session. Folks that can play Irish music can join in! Free admission.
Cabaret Night featuring Nitz and Friends North, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave. Daryl Nitz has been performing and producing cabaret shows in Chicago for years while teaching for 30 years in Chicago area public schools. He retired last year from his teaching career and is devoting his full efforts to his art. Nitz’s musical partner is pianist Ester Hana. This is a recurring show every Tuesday night. $15.
Donovan Mixon’s Progressive Jazz Quintet, 7 p.m. at Second Church of Christ Scientist, 2715 Hurd Ave. This is another concert in Mixon’s Donovan’s Garage series. For this show, guitarist Mixon has recruited one of the biggest stars of the progressive jazz movement. Saxophonist Ernest Dawkins is 71 years old now, and he has been doing amazing things for over 50 years. The other players in Mixon’s Progressive Quintet are pianist Dennis Luxion, bassist Evan Levine and percussionist Cliff Wallace. This will be largely on-the-spot, improvised jazz music. Mixon and his friends are sure to spring some surprises on the audience. Free, but voluntary contributions are encouraged.
Northwestern University Jazz Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. at Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Dr. This NU Jazz Ensemble is made up of undergraduate musicians. The group will present a program dedicated to the music to Duke Ellington. The group is led by jazz saxophonist and educator Darius Hampton. $8/$5 students.
Nduduzo Makhathini, 7:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Pianist/composer/vocalist Makhathini is the latest South African jazz musician to be noticed by the world at large. South Africa has long had a vibrant jazz culture, and the music and musicians played a role in the battle against apartheid. Many Americans have heard of South African trumpet player Hugh Masekela due to his #1 hit record, Grazin’ In The Grass in 1968. Masekela was a huge figure in South African jazz, but there are many other fantastic artists that didn’t achieve his popularity. Makhathini made his debut in New York in 2019 at the Blue Note jazz club and as Wynton Marsalis’ guest at Jazz at the Lincoln Center. His music can create a joyful trance state by merging American jazz with traditional African rhythms harmonies and vocal exhortations. $2/$40
Open blues jam, 8 p.m. at Fritzy’s Tavern, 6156 N. Clark St., Chicago. We have no open blues jams in Evanston — the Tuesday night jam at the defunct Bill’s Blues Bar was epic, but it’s gone. This jam is a 10-minute drive from Evanston’s southern border, and it’s worth the trip. The jam is hosted by the Edgewater Rhythm and Blues Experience. Fritzy’s is owned by Karen King. She is a tenacious small businesswoman that managed to keep her bar from dying during the COVID crisis. The drinks are reasonably priced, and the jammers are often talented. Free admission.Wednesday, Nov. 13The Tim Fitzgerald Guitar Trio, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave. Fitzgerald is a skilled guitarist that is heavily influenced by jazz great Wes Montgomery. Organist Tom Vaitsas often joins Fitzgerald. This is a recurring show on Wednesday nights. $15
Jake Rosenkalt Quartet, 7:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Rosenkalt is an up-and-coming jazz drummer. He recently graduated from the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston. This young man has mad percussion skills! Rosenkalt’s quartet includes some veteran Chicago jazz players — Geof Bradfield on saxophone, Scott Hesse on guitar and Clark Sommers on bass. It will be fun to hear this young lion of the drums do his thing. $15/$25.
Scott Burns Trio, 9 p.m. at Prairie Moon, 1635 Chicago Ave. Burns is a seasoned, highly skilled saxophonist who has been a major figure in Chicago’s jazz scene since the late 1990s. He has led his own groups and has performed as a sideman for national artists such as Harry Connick Jr. and McCoy Tyner. He also works with local stars, including Jodie Christian and Bobby Broom. Burns is a member of the great Chicago Jazz Orchestra. Burns is also the director of jazz studies at DePaul University. $7.Thursday, Nov. 14Ben Paterson Organ Trio, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Downbeat Magazine said Paterson is “as soulful a pianist/organist as exists anywhere.” He played for several years with the great Chicago tenor player Von Freeman. Paterson also has a wonderful singing voice. LePiano has a Hammond B3 organ performance every Thursday evening. $15.
Northwestern University — CIERA’s 15th Anniversary Public Lecture: The Jazz of Physics, 7 p.m. at Lufkin Memorial Hall, 700 University Pl. This is an event that combines music and physics. Northwestern’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) is hosting physicist and jazz musician Stephon Alexander, who will speak about how jazz can provide insight into physics’ most vexing questions about the past and future of the universe. There will also be music by Star Eyes. This group uses diverse styles of music to communicate physics topics with wide and varied audiences by performing original compositions crafted with scientific narratives in mind. Free, but reservations are necessary.
The Canal Jumpers, 8 p.m. at American Legion Post 42, 1030 Central St. The Canal Jumpers is a group of Evanston musicians led by Larry Knox on guitar. The group plays blues and that good old rock and roll. The Canal Jumpers are also the house band for Post 42. This show will feature some covers of Grateful Dead tunes in honor of the recently departed Grateful Dead icon, Phil Lesh. Free.
Griffin House, 7:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. House is a singer/songwriter who made a bit of a splash back in 2009 with his song, The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind — it was a very popular tune with female love addicts. House was also the subject of an excellent documentary called Rising Star that chronicles his life, joys and sorrows as a scuffling musician on the road. House projects sincerity and seems like a good companion for beers at the local pub. $22/$42
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Chris Gillock is a blues harmonica player, vocalist, non-profit board member and retired investment banker. He is also an occasional blogger – you can find his blog at https://g-freethoughts.blogspot.com/….
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