Top high school jazz bands and ensembles from across Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana will perform in the 21st annual Evanston Township High School (ETHS) Jazz Festival on Feb. 8, a celebratory daylong event that culminates in an evening concert with The Chicago State University Community Jazz Band with Saxophone Soloist Tia Fuller.
ETHS’s own Jazz Ensemble, led by Director of Bands Matthew Bufis will open at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium Theater at ETHS, 1600 Dodge Ave. Earlier in the day, the Anthony Bruno Quartet will perform a free concert in the main auditorium at 12 p.m.
Established in 2004 as a non-competitive, all-day jazz immersion event, the ETHS Jazz Festival gives students of all levels a rare chance to take clinics and master classes from some of the Chicago area’s best jazz musicians and jazz educators, who act as facilitators.
Throughout the day, 50 bands and combos from 26 schools across Illinois — including ETHS’s ten bands and combos — perform in front of world class professional musicians, university professors and educators. These experts lead clinics after each session, offering musicians personalized advice, encouragement and guidance.
Overall, more than 1,200 musicians, community members and jazz fans are expected to attend the festival, which boasts one of the best programs in Illinois and the Midwest. Over the years, this long-standing tradition has brought in such great artists as Maynard Ferguson, The Jeff Hamilton Trio, Donny McCaslin, Slide Hampton and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars.
“The enthusiasm and musical talent among our next generation is something worth celebrating, and demonstrates that the future of jazz music is very bright,” Bufis said. “They’ll have the chance to work with some of the jazz scene’s best artists for a day of fun, growth and inspriration.” When they are not playing, students can attend additional clinics throughout the day. Over the last two decades, organizers have added play by ear and improvisation workshops, in addition to the rhythm section clinic.
ETHS has one of the largest extracurricular jazz bands in Illinois, serving 70 to 90 students annually in three large big bands and seven small group combos.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. evening concert featuring The Chicago State University Community Jazz Band with Saxophone Soloist Tia Fuller in ETHS’s main auditorium are $20 for adults, $15 for students with ID and for senior citizens. They can be purchased online or by calling 847-424-7848. All proceeds benefit jazz education at ETHS.
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The Chicago State University Community Jazz Band, created and directed by Roxanne Stevenson in 1992 was started as an answer to the need for music reading sessions for local musicians, students and teachers. The CSU Community Concert and Jazz Bands began with five musicians playing their primary instrument for one ensemble and their secondary instrument for the other. Together, the two ensembles have had over 400 participants and have performed hundreds of selections for CSU graduations, galas, basketball games, local clubs and churches. The CSU Community Jazz Band renders a soulful montage of music from the African American tradition while being true to the diverse styles of jazz created through access and cultural diversity. The band has performed many festivals and concerts including the Jazz Education Network, Midwest Clinic, Illinois Music Educator’s Conference and Trinity UCC’s Jazzapalooza.
Tia Fuller, renowned Grammy-nominated solo jazz saxophonist, will be joining the Chicago State University Community Jazz Band at the 21st Annual ETHS Jazz Festival Evening Concert. Currently, Fuller balances the worlds of performance and education, fulfilling a demanding schedule as both a busy touring and recording artist and a full-time professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Already established as a leading jazz musician, Fuller was selected to be a member of the all-female band touring with Grammy-winning pop star Beyoncé. Performing as part of the Beyoncé Experience World Tour on stages across the globe, Fuller also became a featured soloist on the Beyoncé Experience DVD (Me, Myself and I), I AM Yours I DVD (Wynn Theatre) and also appeared on number of major television shows, including Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, BET Awards, American Music Awards, the Grammy Awards and as a featured soloist with Beyoncé for President Obama at the White House.
She has also performed with such luminaries as the Ralph Peterson Septet, Rufus Reid Quintet, Wycliff Gordan Septet, T.S. Monk Sextet, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Nancy Wilson Jazz Orchestra, the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Chaka Khan, Ledisi, Kelly Rowland, Jay-Z, Jill Scott, Patti LaBelle, Sheila E, Valerie Simpson, Dionne Warwick, Janelle Monáe, Patrice Rushen, Erykah Badu, and the late Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson and Geri Allen.
Anthony Bruno is a distinguished and in-demand Chicago saxophonist who has honed his craft performing around the world with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Larry Carlton (Steely Dan), Bobby Watson, Jeff Hamilton, Joel Ross, Gerald Clayton, Sean Jones, Bobby Broom (Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins), Melissa Aldana and Mary Wilson of The Supremes (to name a few). Since 2020, he has had a burgeoning career as a solo artist, crafting songs that combine lyrical melodies with complex musicality. Bruno’s music is rooted in jazz but draws from pop, rock and R&B. He writes and plays unapologetically from the soul, combining these genres in a unique way that has won praise at jazz clubs and festivals all across the country.
21st annual ETHS Jazz Festival set for Feb. 8 is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.