Shemekia Copeland

Martha Redbone Roots Project + DJ James Porter

Supported by 93XRT and Alligator Records

Bio

GRAMMY® Legacies and Looking Ahead - Vieux Farka Touré & Cedric Burnside + DJ Daniel Villarreal

Bio

PJ Morton

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio + DJ Selah Say

Supported by Inspiration 1390

Bio

Carla Morrison

Girl Ultra + DJ Roxyo Sounds

This program is supported by WBEZ and Cary D. McMillan in honor of WTTW – Channel 11.

Carla Morrison’s performance is made possible by a grant from the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Bio

Tribute to Ramsey Lewis: A Gentleman of Jaz, featuring performances by Orbert Davis, The Urban Knights, Donald Lawrence & The Co., The Ramsey Lewis Legacy Band, Monty Alexander Trio featuring Steve Jordan, Thaddeus Tukes Trio, Santita Jackson, and more. Orbert Davis presents a special string arrangement of Lewis’s iconic work, Les Fleur. The concert is hosted by Mark Ruffin of Sirius XM’s Real Jazz.

Ramsey Lewis is one of the most iconic jazz pianists of all time. This program will review and highlight Ramsey Lewis's numerous creative innovations and contributions that have impacted the legacy of modern American music over his illustrious career. Additionally, the program will acknowledge the enduring impact of his influence on future generations of musicians. The program will include appearances by numerous surprise guests that have performed with him over the years, and have been inspired by his extraordinary gift and touched by his compassion and benevolence. The program also corresponds with the book launch of Ramsey Lewis' autobiography Gentleman of Jazz : A Life in Music by Blackstone Publishing, with a discussion at the Chicago Cultural Center preceding the show with the co-author and other special guests.

Ramsey Lewis (1935–2022) was one of the most prolific jazz pianists of all time, with more than eighty albums to his name. A National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, Top 10 hitmaker, and winner of three Grammys, Lewis also hosted popular television and radio shows that honored the history of jazz music. He was not only influential for many modern jazz artists but compositions he created decades ago have been sampled and can be heard across R&B and hip-hop. Through it all, Lewis remained grounded, never leaving behind his roots in Chicago.

In the words of former president Barack Obama, “Ramsey Lewis is a man who has touched all of our lives. Not everybody finds their calling in life as a four-year-old boy sitting at a piano in the living room, but ever since he did he’s filled our lives with music and with joy.”

Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra / El Laberinto del Coco + Puerto Rican Arts Alliance

Grammy award-winning pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer Eddie Palmieri has been at the forefront of salsa and Latin jazz for most of his life. Born to Puerto Rican parents in the South Bronx, by the age of 11 Palmieri had already performed at Carnegie Hall. In 1961 his band La Perfecta revolutionized both jazz and Latin orchestras by swapping out trumpets in favor of trombones for his front line, innovating a new sound that wove American jazz into Afro-Caribbean rhythms, laying the foundation for the New York salsa sound. His 1971 record with his elder brother Charlie as Harlem River Drive initially flew under the radar but has since been minted as an underground Latin funk classic, a socially conscious album that spoke to the inequality experienced in El Barrio, Spanish Harlem. Palmieri brings his salsa orchestra to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, performing his greatest hits from a career spanning more than six decades.

El Laberinto del Coco is an Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba Fusion ensemble founded in 2017 by visionary percussionist Hector “Coco” Barez. The 13-piece band is made up of some of the most exhilarating musicians, blending the traditional sounds of Puerto Rican Bomba with sizzling music ideas. Barez brings to life a unique concept with a very distinctive sound with rich syncopated horn lines, funky guitar licks, solid multilayered percussion and enchanting voices, making El laberinto del Coco a fan pleaser.

Big Freedia / "The Femmergy" featuring Mister Wallace & Friends + DJ VITIGRRL

Known as the larger-than-life ambassador of New Orleans Bounce music, Big Freedia is a nationally recognized hip-hop artist, TV personality and cultural influencer. Most recently she made headline news for her feature on Beyoncé’s Grammy-Award winning single, “Break My Soul,” released in 2022.

In addition to releasing her own critically acclaimed EPs, ‘3rd Ward Bounce’ (2018), ‘Louder’ (2020), and ‘Big Diva Energy’ (2021), Big Freedia, also known as the Queen of New Orleans Bounce, also appeared on numerous high profile projects, including Beyoncé’s Grammy award-winning, “Formation,” and on Drake’s “Nice For What,” where she brings her distinctive voice and signature catchphrases to all her work. Last year, she covered “Judas” on Lady Gaga’s Born this Way The Tenth Anniversary album (2021).

Big Freedia’s ascension in the music industry was chronicled over six seasons in the highly rated reality show, ‘Big Freedia Bounces Back’ from 2011-2016 on Fuse TV. Currently, she is filming a brand new series, ‘Big Freedia Means Business,’ chronicling Freedia’s triumphs in music, business and life that will debut in the summer of 2023 on Fuse.

The Femmergy is a celebration of femmes and gender expansive artists presented by Chicago’s most beloved and creative queer collectives. The showcase features performances by rappers Mister Wallace (Futurehood) & J Bambii (The Fifi), Empress Darling Shear (Slo ‘Mo), Zolita (Molasses) and is hosted by Your Godmutha Tristen & Party Mom Kristen (Slo ‘Mo). This display of Chicago queer artistry aims to activate self-love and joy, with a soundtrack that elevates R&B, house, disco and funk of the past and present, with a strong focus on women-powered music.

Yemi Alade / Son Palenque + DJ's TopDonn & Dee Money

Yemi Alade is a Nigerian Afropop singer-songwriter. Her fame has taken a continental and international importance with her single, “Johnny.” Since then Yemi has gained prominence in the music industry and is considered one of the biggest artists in Africa. In 2013 she broke records and gained international fame with her hit song “Johnny.” In 2019, in addition to appearing on Beyonce's single, “Don't Jealous Me,” she released her fourth studio album Woman of Steel containing collaborations with artists such as Rick Ross, Angelique Kidjo and Funke Akindele.

The Afro-Colombian band Son Palenque blends music of their native Colombia with the rich variety of African styles. On August 30, 1979, a group of young people from San Basilio de Palenque, lead by Justo Valdés, son of the drummer Cecilio Valdés Simanca "Ataole", gave life to one of the most important groups in the mix between the music of the region, the champeta and the African sounds. The band performs ancestral palenquera music with deep roots in the champeta musical genre, which emerged on Colombia's Caribbean coast in the 70s and 80s.

Stephen Marley / Skanking Lizard + Jump Up Records' 30th anniversary set with DJ Chuck Wren

Stephen Marley is an award-winning singer, songwriter and producer. From his solo works to family collaborations and production credits, Stephen Marley’s music has earned him eight Grammy Awards. He is the second eldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley and Rita Marley, raised in Kingston, Jamaica. Stephen started singing professionally at 7 years old with his elder siblings Ziggy, Sharon and Cedella in The Melody Makers. Stephen has garnered recognition as a solo artist for his Grammy-winning albums Mind Control (dubbed “the best Marley album in a generation” by Entertainment Weekly), Mind Control Acoustic and Revelation Part I: The Root of Life, while also receiving multiple Grammys as a producer - most notably for Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley’s massive cross-over hit Welcome To Jamrock. In 2022, he released an EP collection of songs produced with female vocalists as an homage to legend Nina Simone, Celebrating Nina: A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone.

Skanking Lizard was Chicago's first reggae band formed in 1978. During the 1980’s the lineup of northside musicians became one of the city's favorite festival bands touring with the likes of Toots and the Maytals, Mighty Diamonds, Steel Pulse, Neville Brothers, and the B-52’s. The band developed their own unique sound incorporating American roots rock with Jamaican reggae rhythms. The band today consists of members from its original lineup including DJ Chuck Wren, who has hosted the weekly ska radio show “Everything Off-Beat'' across the Chicago dial since 1989.

Kurt Vile and the Violators / Finom

Since his earliest self-produced CD-Rs, Philadelphia psych-pop master Kurt Vile has referred to himself as “Philly’s Constant Hitmaker“—and while he gave himself that name with a sly wink, he was also nodding toward the songwriting prowess that would result in him becoming one of his home city’s most celebrated rock artists. “I’m always thinking about catchy music, even though it’s fried, or sizzled, out,” he says. “It’s my own version of a classic thing—it’s moving forward and backward at the same time.” On his latest album, (watch my moves), Vile pulls his talents as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer in unexpected directions—and the result is a vibrant, yet meditative album propelled by Vile’s laid-back charm and curious spirit.

Formed in 2014, Finom (formerly known as OHMME) is made up of longtime friends and songwriters, Sima Cunnningham and Macie Stewart. They formed their unbreakable bond performing throughout the fringes of Chicago’s many interlocking communities, collaborating with titans from the city’s indie rock, hip-hop, and improvised worlds. Together, they’ve stretched the boundaries of what guitar music can do with their unconventional approach to their instruments. In the studio and on the stage, Finom’s eclecticism merges into a sound that is cohesive, daring, and distinctly their own.

Shemekia Copeland / Martha Redbone Roots Project

Award-winning blues, soul and Americana singer Shemekia Copeland possesses one of the most instantly recognizable and deeply soulful roots music voices of our time. She is beloved worldwide for the fearlessness, honesty and humor of her revelatory music, as well as for delivering each song she performs with unmatched passion. Copeland — winner of the 2021 Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year— connects with her audience on an intensely personal level, taking them with her on what The Wall Street Journal calls “a consequential ride” of “bold and timely blues.” NPR Music says Shemekia sings with “punchy defiance and potent conviction.” The Houston Chronicle describes her songs as “resilient pleas for a kinder tomorrow.”

Martha Redbone, a vocalist, songwriter, composer, educator, along with her longtime collaborator and husband Aaron Whitby and family band of funkateers, play Afro-Indigenous Americana music. The New Yorker called it “a brilliant collision of cultures”. Redbone plays a mix of folk, blues and gospel inspired by her childhood in coal country Harlan County, Kentucky, infused with the eclectic grit of pre-gentrified New York City. Redbone’s songs and storytelling gives voice to social justice issues and celebrate the human spirit.

GRAMMY® Legacies and Looking Ahead - Vieux Farka Touré & Cedric Burnside + DJ Daniel Villarreal

The Recording Academy’s Chicago Chapter is continuing the legacy of supporting music creators with a showcase of cross genre and multi-generational talents.

Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara”, Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981. He is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré, who died in 2006. Ali Farka Touré came from a historical tribe of soldiers, and defied his parents in becoming a musician. When Vieux was in his teens, he declared that he also wanted to be a musician. His father disapproved due to the pressures he had experienced being a musician. Rather, he wanted Vieux to become a soldier. But with help from family friend the kora maestro Toumani Diabaté, Vieux eventually convinced his father to give him his blessing to become a musician shortly before Ali passed.

Vieux was initially a drummer / calabash player at Mali’s Institut National des Arts, but secretly began playing guitar in 2001. Ali Farka Touré was weakened with cancer when Vieux announced that he was going to record an album. Ali recorded a couple of tracks with him, and these recordings, which can be heard on Vieux’s debut CD, were amongst his final ones. It has been said that the senior Touré played rough mixes of these songs when people visited him in his final days, at peace with, and proud of, his son’s talent as a musician.

GRAMMY-winning blues guitarist and singer/songwriter, Cedric Burnside contains within him the legacy and future of the region’s prescient sound stories. At once African and American and southern and Mississippian, these stories tell about love, hurt, connection, and redemption in the South. His newest contribution to this tradition is I Be Trying, a 13-track album treatise on life’s challenges, pleasures, and beauty.

PJ Morton / Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio + DJ Selay Say

PJ Morton is a multi Grammy-winning R&B and soul singer, songwriter, performer and producer whose latest project, Gospel According to PJ, earned the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album. The New York Times says the New Orleans native "runs the influences of Allen Toussaint and Stevie Wonder through a bevy ideas from R&B's more recent decades," and since the breakthrough of his 2017 LP Gumbo he's led a creative and critically-acclaimed streak of six self-released and self-produced albums, ten Grammy nominations and back-to-back-to-back wins, his first-ever NAACP Image Award and Soul Train nominations, BET Award nominations, appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, The Tonight Show, TODAY Show, MSNBC, CNN, Inside the NBA, NPR's Tiny Desk, COLORS, The Super Bowl Halftime Show, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and more.

Formed in May 2015, The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, sometimes referred to as DLO3, is a Seattle-based three-piece band playing feel good music – with a blend of 1960s soul-jazz, slinky New Orleans funk, vintage instrumental soul, and a splash of acid-rock guitar. The band’s fiery and intuitive chemistry is unstoppable, brimming with improvisation, instant composition, imaginative takes on classic tunes, and an exhilarating back catalog of soulful gems. The band features organist Delvon Lamarr, guitarist Jimmy James, and drummer Dan Weiss.

Carla Morrison / Girl Ultra + DJ Roxyo Sounds

Grammy-nominated and three-time Latin Grammy-winning artist Carla Morrison has had an explosive year following the release of her highly anticipated album, El Renacimiento, via Cosmica Artists. Her first project in over 6 years, it arrived to large worldwide critical acclaim and has solidified Carla’s rightful place alongside today's biggest superstars within the pop arena. Carla remains one of the most pivotal artists of the past decade with her art surpassing the boundaries of the Latin space resulting in a global, devout following and large cultural impact. She was recently featured on projects by Ricky Martin, J Balvin and Nicky Jam, the latter of which sampled her song "Disfruto" on his explosive track "Desahogo."

Mexico City native, singer and songwriter Girl Ultra, sings tender R&B steeped in sensuality and caressed by slippery Latin, hip-hop, and jazz beats. As part of the Finesse Records talent roster, she collaborated with other artists on the FR label and made a name for herself in CDMX's Boiler Room scene. Her musical background was fostered by the introduction to her father's record collection, which introduced her to the likes of the Doors, Pink Floyd, and David Bowie.