The current Elmhurst University Jazz Festival rose from the ashes of the now-defunct American College Jazz Festival. The original Festival, established in 1968, was comprised of eight regional sites throughout the United States. Elmhurst University (then Elmhurst College) hosted the Midwest event. Each regional festival produced a winning band, combo, and vocalist, who then performed at a national festival on Memorial Day weekend. American Airlines, Budweiser, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sponsored the annual extravaganza.

The national festival expired in 1973, but Elmhurst University continued its festival with a new approach. Instead of a winner-take-all format, the emphasis was shifted from competition to education. Guest artists offer constructive critiques of each performing group, conduct clinics, and demonstrate their skill in concert. The artists also grant awards to outstanding ensembles, individual musicians, and student composers and arrangers.

The Festival has hosted some of the most iconic names in jazz. Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley, Lee Konitz, Clark Terry, Bob Brookmeyer, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Dave Holland Quintet, Nicholas Payton, Diana Krall, Dee Dee Bridgewater, the Bill Holman Band, the Phil Woods Quintet, the Count Basie Orchestra, Maynard Ferguson, Patti Austin, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, the Joe Lovano Quartet, the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, the Jeff Hamilton Trio, Ryan Truesdell’s Gil Evans Project and the Dave Douglas Quintet all have graced our stage.

Since 1968, there have been countless memorable moments. Many of them have been the performances by the legendary artists who make the journey to our stage each year. But the student musicians who perform on the afternoon and evening sessions have created a great number of those moments of magic. They deliver heartfelt performances and give the audiences all they have and more. Many have gone on to careers in music and have made their mark in the art form. Professionals who performed here as students include Delfeayo Marsalis, Rich Perry, Cecil Bridgewater, John Harmon, John Fedchock, Peter Erskine, Tim Hagans and Dee Dee Bridgewater.

The Festival is above all else a forum for jazz education. It is a gathering where some of the world’s most acclaimed artists come together with the next generation of musicians to not only perform the music, but also to study it. The Festival is a place where students have access to some of the best musicians in the business and can ask them directly about their artistry.

In 2022 the Festival celebrated its 55th Anniversary, and we are able to look back on a history that clearly marks its status as an institution. It is a special happening: a rare blend of educational enrichment and exciting entertainment. Welcome to our celebration of America’s sublime art form.

Schedule:

Thursday, February 23, 2023

12:30 p.m.

- High School Invitational
    -- Big Foot High School - Walworth, WI
    -- Lyons Township High School - La Grange, IL
    -- Oswego High School - Oswego, IL
    -- Mundelein High School - Mundelein, IL
    -- Richwoods High School - Peoria, IL

- Tamir Hendelman, Dennis Mackrel and Terell Stafford with the Elmhurst University Jazz Band (at approx. 4:30 p.m. CST)

Friday, February 24, 2023

12:00 p.m.

- University Performances
    -- Late Night Blues - Elmhurst University
    -- Jazz Ensemble II - University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
    -- Elmhurst University Combo - Elmhurst University
    -- Columbia College Fusion Ensemble - Columbia College
    -- Lab Band - Elmhurst University
    -- Jazz Ensemble I - University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

7:30 p.m.

- Drake University Jazz Ensemble One - Drake University

- Featured Performance: Tamir Hendelman, Dennis Mackrel and Terell Stafford with the Elmhurst University Jazz Band

Saturday, February 25, 2023

10:00 a.m.

- Free clinic/masterclass with Tamir Hendelman, Dennis Mackrel and Terell Stafford.

12:00 p.m.

- University Performances
    -- UIC Jazz Ensemble - University of Illinois at Chicago
    -- Hillsdale College Big Band - Hillsdale College
    -- Wayne State University Jazz Band - Wayne State University
    -- Purdue Jazz Band - Purdue University
    -- UIC Jazz Combo - University of Illinois at Chicago
    -- University of Kentucky Mega-Sax - University of Kentucky

7:30 p.m.

- Elmhurst University - Big Band “Jazz Band”

- Feature Performance: Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band

Sunday, February 26, 2023

11:30 a.m.

University Performances
    -- Harper College Lab Band - Harper College
    -- DuPage Community Jazz Ensemble - College of DuPage
    -- JJC Jazz Band - Joliet Junior College
    -- Harper College Jazz Ensemble - Harper College
    -- Large Jazz Ensemble - Roosevelt University
    -- Calvin Jazz Ensemble - Calvin University

- Featured Performance: John Pizzarelli Trio (at approx. 4:30 p.m. CST)
*The “John Pizzarelli Trio” will not be live-streamed and will be In-Person ONLY.

University Performances will still be live-streamed starting at 11:30 a.m.

Date:

February 23-26, 2023

Location:

Hammerschmidt Chapel,
190 Prospect Avenue,
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126.

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