Jazz: Live Near You!

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[00:00:00]
Jason Croft: Good evening from Urbana and the University of Illinois, it's Prairie Performances. WILL's weekly show presenting classical and jazz from the heart of the prairie in central Illinois. Prairie Performances is made possible in part by funding from the John Frayne Graduate Student Classical Music Work Experience Endowment.

[00:05:33]
Mel Miller: That was "Throw Something" by Somi. Good evening and welcome to our monthly jazz episode of Prairie Performances. I'm your host, Mel Miller. Tonight we're listening to jazz from artists who will be playing live near you in the near future. Lots of great performances coming up in and around the state of Illinois this month. Maybe tonight's episode will have you scheduling your next jazz outing.

We opened the episode with a piece by Somi, a singer and songwriter of Rwandan and Ugandan descent and the first African woman to be nominated for a Grammy in the jazz category. She'll be playing at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana on September 17th. If that first tune left you wanting more, here's the title track from her latest album, "What Does It Take to Bloom." After that, you'll hear Free Speech, Phase 1 and Phase 2 from the Joshua Redman, who will also be playing at Krannert in early October. That's coming up next, here on Prairie Performances.

[00:23:24]
Mel Miller: "Free Speech Phase 1" and "Phase 2" — two tracks from the Joshua Redman Quartet, who will be playing at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts this coming October. Before that, you heard "What Does It Take to Bloom" by Somi, also playing at Krannert next week Thursday. Somi's also from Champaign, Illinois and studied at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. You're listening to Prairie Performances. I'm your host, Mel Miller. Tonight we're listening to jazz from artists who are playing live near you in the coming month.

If you're thinking about taking a trip to Indianapolis sometime soon, here's your sign. Nicole Zaraitis and Rick Braun will be in town on September 25th and 26th, respectively. Or if you'd rather stay closer to home, the Charlie Parker Trio will be playing at the Gallery Art Bar on September 24th. Can't decide what you want to see more? Maybe one of these tracks will help you make up your mind. Next up, Charlie Parker and Leon Parker play "The Spin Seekers." After that, Rick Braun's rendition of "Feels So Good" from his latest album, "Rick Braun Plays Chuck Mangione." After that, music from Nicole Zaraitis, here on Prairie Performances.

[00:42:00]
Mel Miller: "He's a Demon, He's a Devil, He's a Doll" — a classic standard sung here by Nicole Zaraitis. Before that, you heard Rick Braun's rendition of "Feels So Good" and Charlie and Leon Parker playing "The Spin Seekers." You're listening to Prairie Performances. I'm your host, Mel Miller. We're reaching the end of this week's episode, but before we go, three more performances on the north side of the state to look forward to in the month of September.

Mexican singer Lucía Gutiérrez Rebolloso will be stopping by Highland Park for a performance on September 13th. If that's too soon for you, you might give Kevin Forts and Andy Brown a try. They're premiering their new album at The Checkout in Chicago on September 17th. Or if you're craving a trip to Milwaukee, singer Leslie Vincent has a show coming up on September 18th.

Again, if you're not sure which of those you want to see more, here's a few samples to help you decide. First, we have Lucía Gutiérrez Rebolloso "Alfonsina y el Mar" with Edward Simon on piano. After that, the title track to Kevin Forts's and Andy Brown's new album, "Chiaroscuro." Then finally, we'll close this evening with Leslie Vincent singing "Analog Love Affair" from her new album, "Little Black Book." I've been your host, Mel Miller. Thank you so much for listening with me this evening here on Prairie Performances.

[00:57:47]
Mel Miller: Prairie Performances is a production of Illinois Public Media. I'm your host, Mel Miller. I hope you'll join me next time!