With two days left in August, fall is already crowding out summer. When I left for the Chicago Jazz Festival today, the temperature was at least 10° below what Chicagoans had experienced for much of August. I wasn’t complaining, particularly with 30 pounds of camera gear packed in my backpack. I hate my Sigma 150mm to 800mm lens, only using it for festivals. It is an extreme telephoto lens, meaning it is awkwardly large and heavy.

As I entered Millennium Park, I could hear Victor Garcia’s Septet playing in the Von Freeman Pavilion. I’ve seen Garcia countless times over the years. He always delivers. With him were Maddie Vogler (alto saxophone), Rocky Yera (tenor saxophone), Stu Mindeman (piano), Joshua Ramos (bass), Victor “Junito” Gonzalez (congas), and Jonathan Wenzel (drums). When I arrived, the band was engaged in an extended jam rooted in Latin rhythms. Each musician was allotted time to solo.

I was particularly taken by a subsequent number because Garcia exercised the privileges that come with being the leader. He and his silver flugelhorn took an extended solo journey, playing what I would describe as a ballad. At times, Garcia sounded as if he were a muted siren, but with a wistful vibe. Superb.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]

**Victor "Junito" Gonzalez on Congas with the Victor Garcia Septet**

**Maddie Volger Adding Another Sax to Victor's Brew**

**Stu Mindeman About to Strike the Keys**

**The Impeccably Dressed Victor Garcia Leading His Septet**

**Rocky Yera Adding Saxphone to the Mix**

At a festival, time does not stand still, so I needed to rush to the WBCB Jazz Lounge, on the opposite side of the plaza to catch the Ben Patterson Organ Trio. With Patterson were guitarist Bobby Broom and drummer Greg Artry.

Given the size of the Lounge (a small tent) Patterson, not surprisingly, wasn’t seat at a Hammond B6 organ. Instead, in played an electric piano. Fortunately, he was able to twist the knobs so as to create sounds similar to those that come out of the classic Leslie speaker, with a rotating horn encased in a large cabinet. Everyone sounded great, particularly Bobby Broom, who was playing a Wes Montgomery-style hollow-body electric guitar. It was a beauty.

As for the music: No new ground was covered. Some of the historic organ trios came immediately to mind, including those led by Brother Jack McDuff and Jimmy McGriff. But truth be told, sometimes no new ground need be trod. The trio played a highly enjoyable set, perfect for those sitting on colorful stools surrounding adjacent to the tent.

**Bobby Broom Having a Good Time with Ben Paterson**

**Indiana's Favorite Son, Greg Autry, Keeping the Beat**

Following my stay with Patterson and Company, I headed to Pritzker Pavilion, hoping to catch Mario Abney and the Windy City Ramblers make their grand entrance into the pavilion. A little context is necessary to fully appreciate what Abney and his friends are up to. In New Orleans, parades involving jazz bands are organized by the Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs; these clubs obtain the permits required for the parades. The so-called “first line” includes those who are authorized by the permit to participate in the parade. Being a party city, New Orleans jazz parades attract other players, who follow in the footsteps of the authorized players. Those cats are referred to as the second line.

As I discovered, the Windy City Ramblers began their journey immediately adjacent to Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, popularly known as the Bean. By the time I arrived, the plaza was already packed. Saxophonist Ed House was soloing. Eventually, a security team cleared a pathway leading to the Pritzker Pavilion, with the Ramblers chaotically marching toward the Great Lawn. Trombones were pointed upward, and then downward, with the occasional outward thrust. Everyone wanted a photograph of the two kids leading the way as they played their trumpets. Consequently, security constantly was motioning photographers, both professional and amateur, out of the band’s pathway, so the Ramblers could make forward progress.

Eventually, the group arrived at the Pritzker Pavilion sound booth, where Abney leapt onto a large platform, soloing above the crowd. While the spectacle is loads of fun, it is also serious business because it honors a century-old New Orleans tradition. Notably, many, if not all of the Ramblers, are first-call Chicago musicians who can be seen year-round working in a variety of settings and styles. Don’t miss this experience if the Ramblers return next for next year’s festival.

**Ed House Giving the Crowd Gathered Around a Taste**

**The Two Little Guys are Out Front and Blowing Hard**

**Chicago's Second Line Comes to the Pritzker Pavilion**

**One Little Rambler Taking a Break from All the Excitement**

After the Ramblers wrapped, I took a break and then headed to the Pritzker Pavilion Press Pit. First up today, the Ava Logan Quintet. With vocalist Logan were pianist Roger Harris, bassist Jim Cox, drummer Charles Heath, and saxophonist Jarrard Harris.

Logan is a classic jazz singer. Not to suggest that she sounds like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, or Nancy Wilson, but her voice is both rich and classic. Moreover, her repertoire spans the American Songbook, which was evident in today’s set list. Among her selections were Nina Simone’s Wild is the Wind, Duke Ellington’s I Ain’t Got Nothing But the Blues, and two pieces penned by Johnny Mercer. The first being Autumn Leaves, and the second one remained unfinished at Mercer’s death. At the request of Mercer’s wife, Barry Manilow wrote lyrics and Nancy Wilson recorded the song, which appears on Wilson’s album, With My Lover Besides Me.

Logan did add a more current number to her setlist, Colors of the Wind, which can be heard as part of the soundtrack for the Disney movie, Pocahontas. As was true for everything she sang, Logan’s diction was perfect, every word was discernible—no words or phrases were garbled, mumbled, or mangled.

As warranted by the material and the vocalist, Logan’s band was understated, never upstaging the singer, but Logan was generous, giving each musician the opportunity to solo. Going forward, Logan should add another swinging Blues number to her set.

**Pianist Roger Harris Accompanying Ava Logan**

**The Festival's Go To Drummer, Charles Heath, Brings Out the Brushes**

Ava Logan Taking on Nina Simone's *Wild is the Wind*

**The Smartly-Attired Jarrard Harris Taking a Solo**

Ada Logan Adding Some Swinging Vocals to Her Set with Duke Ellington's, *I Got Nothing But the Blues*

**The Very Limber Jarrad Harris Looking On**

**Ava Logan Singing a "Mashup" of Two Johnny Mercer Songs**

Following Logan’s performance, the Jazz Institute’s executive director, Heather Ireland Robinson, took the stage, first to offer everyone greetings and to thank the sponsors. She then presented scholarships to three promising high school student musicians—Brodie Pence, Abigail Hachim, and Donald Brisco.

The Institute’s scholarship program is quite inventive. Each recipient identifies a Chicago musician who he or she wants as an instructor. The Institute then pays for ten lessons/mentoring sessions with the selected musician. Everybody wins. The students learn from the best, and the best receive some additional income. As an audience, we are assured of new talent and ideas.

**Heather Ireland Robinson Welcoming Everyone to Saturday Night's Festivities**

**Brodie Pence, Abigail Hachim, and Donald Brisco Displaying Their Jazz Institute Mentorship Awards**

**Did the National Weather Service Issue a Flood Warning for Millennium Park?**

This past Thursday, everyone had the opportunity to see saxophone master and AACM member Ernest Dawkins perform with a group of high school students that he mentors. Tonight, Dawkins brought several of the students back to the stage, together with several others, including the internationally acclaimed Marquis Hill.

Before a single note was heard, Dawkins took the mic, first warning that he likes to talk. And talk he did, but that was no problem. I loved his story about his encounter with Charles Mingus at the Quiet Night. Just 17 at the time, Dawkins headed to Evanston to see one of the greats. Much to Dawkins’ shock, Mingus and one of his band members got into a dispute while on stage, which started with several shouted FUs, which escalated into a physical altercation. Young Dawkins wondered if being a jazz musician meant fighting with your bandmates. In apparent memory of the incident, Dawkins and company then launched into a piece written by Dawkins to honor Mingus, which is entitled Mingus Peace, a nod to events that happened long ago at the Quiet Knight.

With Dawkins were Elip Wijaya (piano), Jamal Damien (trumpet), Senya Rogers-Kaufman (guitar), Ethan Philion (bass), Mich Collier (bass), and Frank Morrison (drums). In addition to Hill, Kevin King (tenor saxophone) and Isaiah Spencer (drums) joined the ensemble for several numbers.

Dawkins’ work is infused with Black history, as evidenced by three selections, all of which appear on his new album. Zulu Alchemy, which he also performed at the Chicago Cultural Center on Thursday, is a tribute to the fierceness exhibited by Zulu tribe members, who according to Dawkins, never picked cotton—in other words, they avoided involuntary transport to the United States.

Another Dawkins composition, Black Cowboys, is a tribute to the Black cowboys who do not receive much credit the traditional mythology surrounding the American West. Like the Zulus, these cowboys were tough hombres. Finally, Dawkins performed a number entitled Johnson-Trane, a tribute to John Coltrane and John H. Johnson, the founder and publisher of Ebony, Jet and other magazines that gave voice to Black Americans during the second half of the Twentieth Century.

To Dawkins’ credit, he includes a variety of styles in his set. I heard passages that could have easily been performed Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers classic early-Sixties lineup. No surprise, with trumpeter Jamal Damien on stage, who at times seems to be channeling Lee Morgan. But Dawkins and company also could do justice to more abstract material. During one number, guitarist Rogers-Kaufman went into full attack mode during an extended solo, punctuating the air with forceful chords in what struck me as a cascade of staccato lines, with plenty of space separating each phrase. He is currently a student at the Manhattan School of Music, which is located just north of Columbia University’s main campus.

Dressed in a bright yellow tracksuit, Kevin King brought his tenor saxophone to the stage. He and Dawkins played off each other to nice effect.

During one number, Dawkins turned the stage over to bassists Philion and Collier. You don’t see two bass players doing battle all that often. Their effort certainly is worth repeating. Imagine an album filled with just bass duets.

Once again, Dawkins demonstrated why he is a Chicago treasure, particularly given his willingness to mentor and share the stage with young musicians.

**Ernest Dawkins Setting the Stage for What Is to Come**

**One Man (Micah Collier) and His Bass**

**Ethan Philion in Today's Battle of the Basses**

**Everybody is Doing the Crouch Thang Today**

**Kevin King in Yellow Track Suit (Not Recommended)**

**An Exceptional Student and the Master**

**Senya Rogers-Kaufman Picking with the Ernest Dawkins Ensemble New Horizons Redux**

**Ernest Dawkins, Up Close and Personal**

**Kevin King Looking for a Cue from Ernest Dawkins**

Following Dawkins’ performance, I headed to the WDCB Jazz Lounge to hear trumpeter Quentin Coaxum’s Satellite, which is comprised by tenor saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi, guitarist Jeff Swanson, pianist Julius Tucker, bassist Joshua Griffin, and drummer Marcus Evans. The tent was crowded, but the band sounded good. I didn’t stay long, but from what I recall, the band had a early Seventies vibe, probably due to the electric piano, which I associate with that time period.

**His Mom Came to See Julius Tucker Play Today**

**Marcus Evans Looking at Quentin Coaxum**

**Dustin Laurenzi with Quentin Coaxum's Satellite**

**Jeff Swanson Thinking About What He Is Doing**

Returning to the Pritzker Pavilion, i was just in time to see Gary Bartz, who I’ve seen at the Jazz Showcase, and in 1975, at the Newport Jazz Festival. With Bartz were Theo Croker (trumpet), Kassa Overall (drums), Paul Bollenback (guitar), and Marcos Valera (bass). Bartz brought his alto saxophone.

Before beginning to play, Bartz first cleared the stage of evil spirits, declaring it a “no more magic zone,” if I heard him correctly. He recited the line “Evil and bad thoughts going to leave right now” over and over, changing what would leave the stage each time he repeated the phrasing. During one refrain, he included the word “fascist,” another thinly veiled reference to Donald J. Trump that I have heard throughout the festival.

When the music began, it was exactly what I expected. Bartz’s alto saxophone was out front, driving the band. The air was punctuated with touches of funk and straight-ahead jazz, with an updated Seventies sensibility.

**The Incromprable Gary Bartz on Alto Sax Leading NTU**

**Paul Bollenbock Having a Quick Laugh with Gary**

**Theo Croker Blowing Up a Storm with Gary Bartz**

**Marcos Valera (B), Gary Bartz (AS), and Theo Croker (T)**

**Pianist Joe Block Finally Shows His Face**

**Gary Bartz Trying His Hand at Vocals**

This being Saturday night, those programming the festival decided to end the evening with an upbeat set, handing the Pritzker Pavilion stage over to Kermit Ruffins & the Barbeque Swingers, who hail from New Orleans. The band’s name tells you everything you need to know about what transpired.

Ruffins took the stage, jokingly revealing that he had “quit smoking weed,” apparently because his wife left him for “the weed man.” I was worried, because that might affect his performance tonight, but then he reassured everyone, he had smoked some weed for us. Who knows? If nothing else, the line at least generated laughter from the audience.

The Barbeque Swingers included Yoshitaka Tsuji (piano), Kevin Morris (bass), and Jerry Anderson (drums). During his set, Ruffins brought his daughter, Neshia out to sing two songs, and James Winfield, who also sang two songs.

The set began with Dear Old Southland, a New Orleans staple, first popularized by Paul Whiteman. I associate the song with Allen Toussaint, but when asked, many will recall Louis Armstrong’s rendition. Listening to Ruffins’ take, I immediately realized that Ruffins’ voice was a dead ringer for Armstrong’s voice. I don’t think Ruffins intended to mimic Armstrong, but the similarity between the two voices set the stage for what was to come.

I knew virtually every number that Ruffins’ sang. His set included Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now; Armstrong’s 1968 hit, What a Wonderful World, which topped the UK charts; Frank Sinatra’s L.O.V.E. (”L is the way you look at me,” etc.); one Judy Garland’s memorable numbers from the Wizard of Oz, If I Only Had a Brain; and the New Orleans classic, Iko, Iko. Being a trumpet player, Ruffins also paid tribute to the late Chuck Mangione, playing his best-known song, Feels So Good. At one point, he launched into Chicago, but more to acknowledgment the city where he was performing than as a fully developed out number. He only sang a few lines.

As should be apparent, absolutely no new ground was broken tonight, but Ruffins is a great entertainer. as well as a creditable musician and vocalist. Mid set, he did one thing that greatly please me. Rather than drinking water out of a water bottle when his throat needed a little lubrication, he pulled a brown bottle hidden somewhere near the piano, taking a few swings. At the time, I couldn’t see the label, but it was a beer bottle. When I reviewed my photographs, I noticed the head of foam, as well as a portion of a label that led to me to believe that he was drinking Bud.

Sometime long ago, bottles of Jack Daniels and cans of beer disappeared from stages, replaced by ubiquitous plastic bottles water bottles that make everyone look like wimps. Ruffins has some street cred, at least with me (and I don’t drink alcohol).

About halfway through his set, Ruffins brought out his daughter, Neshia out. After her first song, I was reminded of a concert several years back when Tony Bennett’s daughter served as Bennett’s opening act. You can’t argue with a father for trying create a family business that his children will inherit. Unfortunately, Bennett’s daughter was not up to sharing a bill with her father. Let me close by simply saying the same can be said of Ruffins’ daughter.

Two thirds of the way through the concert, Ruffins invited James Winfield to the stage, who at age 64, released his first album in 2007. He has since become a popular New Orleans singer. His stint on stage was enjoyable, but certainly not earth shattering.

When Winfield was leaving the stage after completing his second song, Ruffins said that that Winfield was 99-years old. I was a bit surprised. He was the youngest spriest looking 99-year-old I’ve ever seen. As Ruffins finished his set, I headed to the men’s room. I ran into Winfield, who was standing by himself at the base of the Pritzker Pavilion. I stopped, asking if he really was 99-years old. Shaking his head, he uttered something to the effect, ‘I wish he hadn’t said that.’ I then gave him a chance to correct the record. Winfield is 82, with his next birthday in November.

Overall, Ruffins and the Barbeque Swingers were the perfect closers. I, however, was a bit disappointed. I had hoped for several dancers clad head to toe in feathers. I guess I should head down to New Orleans next year for Mardi Gras.