Winter Jazz Fair Continues To Build Community Around Jazz Music

Heather Ireland Robinson, Executive Director of the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Photo provided by the Jazz Institute of Chicago.
Heather Ireland Robinson, Executive Director of the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Photo provided by the Jazz Institute of Chicago.

Winter Jazz Fair Continues To Build Community Around Jazz Music

By Tia Carol Jones

The Jazz Institute of Chicago was founded in 1969 by a group of musicians, jazz enthusiasts and journalists who wanted to ensure jazz would stay alive. With a mission to nurture and promote jazz in all its forms, in 1979, the organization started its Winter Jazz Fair. The Jazz Institute of Chicago will host its annual Winter Jazz Fair from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20th, at the Chicago Cultural Center, located at 78 E. Washington St.

The Jazz Institute of Chicago has also been partnering with the city of Chicago since 1979 to also envision and program the Chicago Jazz Festival. The Winter Jazz Fair was revived in 2024 because of interest from people who remembered it in its heyday, being presented at the Blackstone Hotel until 1996, then moving to the Palmer House for a few years. After a 30-year run, it ended in 2008. The Feb. 20th event will be the third one since it was revived.

“We brought it back because it’s really for everyone. If you are a die hard jazz fan, and you want to see your favorite musicians up close, or you want to hear more about the music, if you’re somebody just passing through the Chicago Cultural Center and you want to see some art or hear some music, sit on down and check it out,” said Heather Ireland Robinson, Executive Director of the Jazz Institute of Chicago.  

The day-long event will include performances and talks, featuring Chicago-based artists and ensembles, as well as thought leaders. Bobbi Wilsyn, Robert Irving III, Velvet Lounge Jam Session led by Isaiah Spencer, Gustavo Cortiñas, Swan Brothers Collective and Jazz Links Ensemble will be in attendance.

There will also be student performers and an opportunity for people to see them participate in jam sessions. Robinson said that the Winter Jazz Fair is a time for people to gather and share their love of jazz, see people they haven’t seen in a while and enjoy some music. She said people really enjoy that they can be in community around the arts and around jazz music.

“What makes the Winter Jazz Fair unique is the breadth of voices represented,” John Foster, Managing Director of Programs and Education Initiatives at the Jazz Institute of Chicago, said in a release. “From legendary artists to the next generation of musicians, the fair creates meaningful dialogue between past, present, and future. It’s not just a showcase, but it’s an opportunity to experience the full continuum of Chicago jazz in one place.”

Robinson said that while jazz music sales have declined, there are still jazz venues that are packed every weekend, and young people are still choosing to learn and play the genre of music. She said it is now more important than ever to build community and remind people how important jazz music is, because of its cultural history and its American roots. She said that having young people engaged with jazz music is a way to keep it alive and to keep it moving forward.

The suggested donation for the Winter Jazz Fair is $10. For more information about the Jazz Institute of Chicago, visit www.jazzinchicago.org.

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