July 7 to September 18, Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park

601 S. Michigan Avenue    (Between Harrison Street and Balbo Drive)
Chicago SummerDance Hotline: 312.742.4077

Thursday, Friday, Saturday:  Dance lessons: 6-7PM  Live Music & Dancing 7-9:30PM

Sunday afternoon   Dance lessons:  4-5   Live Music & Dancing 5-7PM

Weather permitting!!

Jul 7, 2011                  Funkadesi (Bollywood, Bhangra, Reggae and Funk)

Jul 8, 2011                  Lost Bayou Ramblers (Cajun Swamp Music)

Jul 9, 2011                  Grupo Rebolú (Columbian)

Jul 10, 2011                New Millennium Swing Collective (Big Band Swing)

Jul 14, 2011                Megitza Quartet (Gypsy and Carpathian Folk Music)

Jul 15, 2011                Golden Horse Ranch Band (Country and Square Dance)

Jul 16, 2011                Angel Melendez & The 911 Mambo Orchestra (Mambo)

Jul 17, 2011                Teddy Lee Orchestra (Ballroom)

Jul 21, 2011                Orkestar Sloboda (Balkan Dance Music)

Jul 22, 2011                Paito Silgado (Columbian Folk Music)

Jul 23, 2011                The Platinum Band (Soul Train Dance Party)

Jul 24, 2011                Alan Gresik Swing Shift Orchestra (Vintage Ballroom)

Jul 28, 2011                L’Orchestre Super Vitesse (West African Big Band)

Jul 29, 2011                The Boilermaker Jazz Band (Swing and Jazz)

Jul 30, 2011                Matuto (Northeastern Brazilian Dance Music)

Jul 31, 2011                Nancy Hays & The Robert Benson Orchestra (Ballroom)

Aug 4, 2011                Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble (Salsa, Merengue, Latin Jazz)

Aug 11, 2011              Raul Jaurena & Maria de Buenos Aires Tango Orchestra (Argentine Tango)

Aug 12, 2011              Samba Django (Senegalese Fulani Dance Music)

Aug 13, 2011              Debo Band with special guests Fendika (Ethio Funk)

Aug 14, 2011             John Burnett Orchestra (Big Band)

Aug 18, 2011              Lamajamal (Middle Eastern and Balkan Dance Music)

Aug 19, 2011              Bonne Chance (Cajun)

Aug 20, 2011             Charanga Tropical (Cuban Salsa)

Aug 21, 2011              Willy Torres (Salsa Dura)

Aug 25, 2011              Tangata (Golden Age Tango)

Aug 26, 2011              DJ Casper (stepping and Slide Music)

Aug 27, 2011              Hoyle Brothers (Honky Tonk Country)

Aug 28, 2011             Sam Burckhardt Nonet (Swing)

Sep 1, 2011                 Sones de México Ensemble (Regional Mexican Folk Dance)

Sep 2, 2011                 De La Buena (Latin Jazz and Afro-Carribean Dance Music)

Sep 3, 2011                 The Flat Cats (Jump Blues-Swing)

Sep 4, 2011                 Weiss Brothers Orchestra (Ballroom)

Sep 8, 2011                 Grupa Legenda (Balkan Traditional Dance Party Music)

Sep 9, 2011                 Locos Por Juana (Pan-Latin Cornucopia)

Sep 10, 2011               Outcast Jazz Band (Big Band Swing)

Sep 11, 2011               Steve Cooper Orchestra (Ballroom)

Sep 15, 2011               Occidental Brothers Dance Band International (African Soukous)

Sep 16, 2011               Joaquin Diaz (Dominican Dance Music)

Sep 17, 2011               Bulgarika with Nikolay Kolev (Bulgarian Folk)

Sep 18, 2011               Sergent Garcia (Salsa and Reggae)

SummerDance originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on June 27, 2011.

Explore the world and discover music from cultures spanning the entire globe when Music Without Borders returns to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park for its sixth summer.  Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture.

Thursday, June 9 at 6:30pm

Hanggai + Aurelio Martinez

From Inner Mongolia, via Beijing, come six-piece Hanggai, bringing their unique sounds of Mongolian folk music to the stage.  Adapted from local songs of the inner Mongolian grasslands, lead singer Ilchi uses the extraordinary art of growled overtone technique (throat singing) alongside traditional instrumentation, providing audiences with an evening of otherworldly music and Asian crossover music at its best.

With a sound as warm and unpretentious as his Honduran upbringing, Aurelio Martinez has spent almost his entire life transforming the sights, sounds, and smells of West Africa and the Caribbean into a carefully crafted sonic art form. The current pinnacle of the Garifuna music scene, Martinez is known for his innate ability to respectably honor the genre’s extensive lineage while subtly innovating it with every new song.

Thursday, June 16 at 6:30pm

Dandana: A Celebration of Muslim Voices featuring Hakim + Alim Qasimov Ensemble

Recognized worldwide as a leader of the movement to popularize music of the younger generation (jeel), Hakim is an innovator who has revolutionized the genre of sha’bi (indigenous Egyptian music).  His songs fuse traditional melodies with urban dance beats, and his lyrics chronicle daily life through the rhythm of street slang.  A major figure in the international music scene, Hakim has played to sell-out crowds throughout the world.

The evening opens with the six member Alim Qasimov Ensemble of Azerbaijan.  One of the foremost mugham singers of classical Azerbaijan song, Qasimov is a recipient of the International Music Council—UNESCO Music Prize in 1999, one of the highest accolades for music worldwide.  Accompanied by the daf (drums), balaban (woodwinds) and kamancha (strings), audiences will be transported by the sounds of his vocal technique along with his passion and devotion.

Dandana: A Celebration of Muslim Voices is presented in collaboration with Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) and the Aga Khan Music Initiative, a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

Thursday, June 23 at  6:30pm

RAM + Sexteto Tabala

Standing for the initials of its founder Richard A. Morse, RAM champions the mizik rasin musical movement, an art form originating in Haiti in the late 1980s, combining Voodoo culture with rock and roll. Internationally renowned for their effortless intermingling of these two starkly different musical forms, RAM is also known for their outspoken, strong political stand found in their lyrics.

Afro-fusion can take many forms, and in the case of Sexteto Tabala, it materializes in the shape of an Afrobeat body with a Columbian soul. Merging strong Spanish influences with classic African undertones, Sexteto Tabala creates a distinctive, and truly intoxicating blended genre that is all their own.

Thursday, June 30 at  6:30p

Diogo Nogueira + Freshlyground

Millennium Park welcomes 30 year old Diogo Nogueira, one of Brazil’s rising stars of samba and a 2008 Latin Grammy Award-nominee for Best New Artist.  A native of Rio de Janiero, Nogueira performs the samba-canção, a more melodic variation of the samba, full of romantic lyrics that wax poetic about love, music, soccer, and an endless infatuation with Rio.

www.diogonogueira.com.br/english

With band members hailing from South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, Freshlyground makes their Chicago debut in Millennium Park, seamlessly blending folk, jazz, blues, and indie-rock with traditional African beats.  With four celebrated albums, an MTV Award and a collaboration with Shakira in the 2010 World Cup, Freshlyground has established their place on the international music map.

Thursday, July 7 at  6:30p

Caravan Palace + Baloji

Paris-based Caravan Palace brings its own unique brand of electroswing—a mix of gypsy jazz, American swing and a high energy electronic beat—to Millennium Park.  With influences ranging from Django Reinhardt to Daft Punk, the dancing sounds of Caravan Palace will be one not to miss.

A Belgian rapper of Congolese decent, Baloji comes to Millennium Park bringing a seamless blend of Afrobeat crossed with Hip Hop sounds.  His two albums, Hotel Impala and last year’s stunning Kinshasa Succursale, show off Baloji’s diversity of styles and unique vocal sounds—a mix of Congolese dance music (soukous), 60s soul and the lyrical edge of Hip Hop’s pioneers.

Thursday, July 14 at 6:30pm

Sierra Maestra + Susheela Raman

Originally founded at the University of Havana in 1976, Sierra Maestra has spent the last 35 years revitalizing, reinventing, and preserving the Cuban son music tradition. They have played their infectious dance music around the world, redefining this style for new generations and reintroducing it into the Cuban mainstream.

British musician Susheela Raman exploded onto the music scene in 2001 with her debut album, Salt Rain, garnering meteoric success and earning the UK’s coveted Mercury Prize.  She keeps her tamil heritage alive in her music—a mix of South Indian classical music crossed with jazz, folk and pop influences and makes her Chicago debut in Millennium Park this summer as part of “Eye on India.”

Thursday, July 21 at 6:30pm

Yemen Blues + Etran Finatawa

Growing up in Israel to a Yemenite family, Ravid Kahalani quickly learned to appreciate the artistic undertones of his cultures’ traditional chants. Wanting to further that appreciation into a tangible art form, Kahalani created Yemen Blues, a hybrid musical experience that combines strong Yemenite melodies with the world of  blues, jazz and funk. This event is supported by the Israeli Consulate of Chicago.

Niger’s Etran Finatawa’s hypnotic musical groove evokes the breathless heat and shimmering horizon of the Sahara.  Literally meaning “stars of tradition,” the band of Wodaabe and Touareg nomads bring their laid back guitars, driving rhythms and compelling voices to the stage for a night of highly innovative sound and rich performances.

Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.

Music Without Borders originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on June 11, 2011.

This Festival is scheduled and present by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.

Chicago Jazz Festival originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on June 1, 2011.

This Festival is scheduled and present by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.

Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.

Taste of Chicago originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on May 14, 2011.

The highly anticipated free concert series, Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays, returns to Millennium Park for a third summer, featuring an eclectic mix of music discoveries, cutting-edge indie rock, pop bands and rock veterans. Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, the series will include ten double-bill concerts on Monday nights, running May 23 through July 25, 2011.

Monday, May 23

Bonnie Prince Billy featuring the Cairo Gang + Special Guest

Monday, June 6

Iron and Wine + The Head and the Heart

Monday, June 20

Kings Go Forth + Ben L’Oncle Soul

Monday, July 4

Seefeel + Cave

Monday, July 18

Blonde Redhead + Special Guest

Monday, May 30

Justin Townes Earle + Andre Williams and the Goldstars

Monday, June 13

Campbell Brothers

Monday, June 27

Low + Special Guest

Monday, July 11

Delicate Steve + Bombino

Monday, July 25

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists + Rachel Ries

Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.

Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 22, 2009.

The festival will take place June 8th through the 10th in Grant Park.

Interested in performing in this festival? See the How to Apply to Perform at the 2010 MOSE Music Festivals page at ExploreChicago.org.

Chicago Blues Festival 2011 originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 21, 2009.

Welcome to ChicagoFestivals.net! originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 21, 2009.

Dusk Variations returns to Millennium Park for a third summer, mixing pop and alternative genres with classical music. Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture.

Monday, August 1, 6:30 PM
Turtle Island Quartet Presents the Music of Jimi Hendrix and David Balakrishnan

The two time Grammy^® Award-winning quartet ventures to Electric Ladyland, tackling works by singer songwriter, Jimi Hendrix.  Tonight’s program features Hendrix’s music as well as Tree of Life by Turtle Island Quartet founder David Balakrishnan, a new work inspired by the legendary guitarist’s music.  For over 25 years, TIQ has been an ambitious force, propelling the creation and development of chamber music for strings while managing to honor the past and redefine the present. With two Grammy^® Awards (2006 and 2008) for Best Classical Crossover, and a new album, Have You Ever Been…?, Turtle Island Quartet is sure to continue their role as the primary innovative energy for chamber music.

Monday, August 8, 6:30 PM
My Brightest Diamond with Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras

A project led by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Shara Worden, My Brightest Diamond consistently provides an overtly intoxicating sonic atmosphere through the seamless blending of rock, opera and chamber music. Recent collaborations with artists ranging from The Decemberists to Sufjan Stevens to David Byrne have thrust Worden into a new artistic dimension. Tonight, she appears with the internationally acclaimed Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, performing a variety of her works newly orchestrated for this performance.

Monday, August 15, 6:30 PM
Rasputina

With their seventh album released last summer, Rasputina has thoroughly embedded itself into the realm of true artistic success. A witty and shockingly refreshing mix of classical sensibilities with a true rock attitude, every note seems pioneering. They have performed with a variety of artists ranging from Nirvana, Marilyn Manson and Belle & Sebastian to Jane’s Addiction.  Their newest album, Sister Kinderhook, marks a return to the group’s earlier, more organic sound, making this the perfect time to see the most innovative of cello-driven trios.

Monday, August 22, 6:30 PM
A Steve Reich Celebration:  Presented by eighth blackbird and Third Coast Percussion

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion pulses with energy and joy as two of Chicago’s world-class ensembles, eighth blackbird and Third Coast Percussion, join forces to throw Steve Reich a wild 75th birthday party. The program includes Drumming, a thrilling virtuosic slap in the face, counterpointed by Double Sextet, a funky, off-kilter jam session, and concludes with Reich’s epic, mesmerizing musical road trip, Music for 18 Musicians, featuring some of America’s finest young performers.

Dusk Variations originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 20, 2009.

Edible Audible Picnic originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 20, 2009.

ACCLAIMED SERIES RETURNS TO MILLENNIUM PARK JULY 28—SEPT. 1, 2011

The celebrated Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz series returns to Millennium Park featuring Chicago’s leading jazz artists and concerts that explore jazz connections to Africa, Latin America and the rhythm and roots of the South Side of Chicago.  The 2011 series includes tribute concerts and retrospectives, along with opening night of the 33^rd Annual Chicago Jazz Festival. Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago.

Thursday, July 28 at 6:30 PM

Truth Be Told: Celebrating the Legacy of Von Freeman

Some say you can hear all of Chicago in Von Freeman’s playing—from skyscrapers to el trains to the deep waters of Lake Michigan.  Freeman is a true jazz master who mentored a generation of equally inquisitive players, including Steve Coleman and an all star line-up of special guests who have been invited to arrange and perform Freeman’s original music under the artistic direction of drummer Michael Raynor and guitarist Michael Allemana.

Thursday, August 4 at 6:30 PM

Otis Clay: The Gospel of Jazz and Soul

In Otis Clay’s 50 years of singing he has crossed musical paths with musicians from Sam Cooke to Curtis Mayfield to Duke Ellington.  Partnering with arranger/drummer Tom Tom Washington, Clay will be joined by tenor saxophone player Gene “Daddy G” Barge, trumpet player Burgess Gardner, baritone saxophone player Willie Henderson and vocalists Sue Conway and Willie Rogers (of the Soul Stirrers) to present a musical salute for Mahalia Jackson’s centennial and Sam Cooke’s 85th birthdays.

Thursday, August 11 at 6:30 PM

African Journeys featuring Ryan Cohan and Geof Bradfield

In 2008, pianist Ryan Cohan’s quartet was selected by the Rhythm Road program (co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and Jazz at Lincoln Center) to perform as cultural ambassadors in Africa.   The experience profoundly affected all members of the band, and inspired Cohan and saxophonist Geof Bradfield to each compose music describing what they had experienced in their travels. Heard together for the first time on one stage, Cohan’s The River and Bradfield’s African Flowers share reflections on the universal joys and sadness of the human experience.

Thursday August 18 at 6:30 PM

Latin Inspiration: Howard Levy with Chevere, Trio Globo and Special Guests

Composer and virtuoso pianist (and harmonica player) Howard Levy’s imagination is inspired by many muses including the Blues, but closest to his heart is the amalgam of the rhythms of the Americas known as Latin Jazz. This evening includes the premiere of a new suite with his long-time comrades in Chévere, selections from Steering by the Stars, a new recording of his Trio Globo group, and feature several duets with the astounding guitarist Chris Siebold.

Thursday, August 25 at  6:30 PM

Kindred Spirits of the Horn: Corey Wilkes Celebrates Miles Davis and Roy Eldridge

Known for igniting the spark that became Bebop, Roy Eldridge and Miles Davis’ influences also loom large in the multi-directional work of trumpeter Corey Wilkes.  Past meets future in a centennial tribute to the men who set the standard for the modern jazz trumpet. Wilkes will premiere a new work in collaboration with electronics artist and DJ Osunlade and his Chicago cohorts, Robert Irving III, De’Sean Jones, Fareed Haque, Junius Paul, Kahil El’Zabar and Makaya McCraven.

Thursday, September 1 at  6:30 PM  OPENING NIGHT OF THE CHICAGO JAZZ FESTIVAL

Spiritual Source: Randy Weston and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble featuring the arrangements of Melba Liston

Randy Weston collaborated with trombonist/composer/arranger Melba Liston to create a new music that explores cultures, connectedness and music of the African Diaspora.  For this special occasion, Weston will partner with the Center for Black Music Research and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, both resident at Columbia College Chicago, to illuminate and perform works from his dynamic union with Melba Liston, and premier new compositions inspired by their music collaborations.

The 33^rd Annual Chicago Jazz Festival will once again be free admission, produced by the City of Chicago and programmed with the Jazz Institute of Chicago.  This year’s event will run from September 1-4 and will be held in three locations: the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Grant Park.

Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz originally appeared on Chicago Festivals on April 20, 2009.