Ramsey Lewis

Pianist Ken Chaney wasn't as famous as many of his Chicago colleagues, but the high caliber of his playing, the originality of his composing-arranging and the extent of his advocacy efforts for jazz made him an important figure in Chicago music. As...

The Ravinia Festival has announced the remainder of its programming for the 2013 summer season. The schedule comprises more than 120 classical, popular, jazz and dance events, presented almost nightly from June 6 to Sept. 15 at Ravinia Park in Highland...

A tribute to Benny Goodman, a double-bill featuring pianist Ramsey Lewis and singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, and a return by singer Tony Bennett will highlight the Ravinia Festival's summer jazz offerings. The jazz season will begin with musicians from...

The music will range from A to Z -- Amadeus to Zappa, that is -- when the Los Angeles Philharmonic celebrates its 10th anniversary season at Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2013-14. In marking the occasion, the Phil also will attempt both to look back at...

The death of esteemed Chicago pianist Ken Chaney in December, at age 73, caught his fans by surprise and left a hole in the city's musical life. As bandleader, he presided over such distinctive ensembles as the funk-tinged Ken Chaney Xperience, which...

The New Year has just begun, but the jazz scene never settles down. Among the weekend's highlights: Rob Mazurek: The enterprising Chicago cornetist has produced remarkable work with his aptly named Exploding Star Orchestra, which conjures a...

A new year brings new hopes for music in Chicago. Here are key resolutions for 2013: Create a concise Cultural Plan. After months of town hall meetings, the city's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events last fall came up with a 48-page wish...

Chicago singer-songwriter Terry Callier never received a fraction of the acclaim he deserved, but no one who heard him ever forgot him. The imploring, incantatory quality of his vocals distinguished him from peers, as did his knack for mixing elements...

I'm a big Dave Brubeck fan. I say am, not was, because his music lives on in my collection. He and Ramsey Lewis turned me on to jazz when I was a teenager with "Take Five" and "The In Crowd" and I've been turned on ever since. Many years ago, Dave...

Terry Callier, a singer-songwriter who captivated a cult following with his quietly hypnotic baritone voice and hard-to-classify music that combined elements of folk, blues and jazz, died of cancer Oct. 27 at a hospital in Chicago. He was 67. Callier...

I occasionally make a list of things I've liked recently. Here's one for the holidays. 1. Gift idea: a pizza stone My colleague Kevin Pang, culinary savant, told me I had to put this on the list. His testimonial: "This $45 slab of rock has changed...

Until three weeks ago, no jazz club owner ever had been selected to receive the country's pre-eminent jazz honor: the National Endowment for the Arts' Jazz Masters Fellowship, which carries with it $25,000 and considerable prestige. Anyone who follows...