By Neil Tesser
CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER
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As it has done for the last three years, the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington; 744-6630) plugs the gaps in the festival lineup. Think the fest could use a little more international flavor? On Tuesday, August 29, at 12:15 PM in the Randolph Cafe, saxist Ernest Dawkins leads a quartet representing his Chicago-South Africa Jazz Initiative, which draws on his experiences on tour in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The festival looks a little light on young jazz stars who’ve never played Chicago? Canadian pianist D.D. Jackson performs in Preston Bradley Hall on Thursday, August 31, at 4 PM. Jackson, who studied with the late Don Pullen, matches his bold swaths of keyboard color and piano percussion (heard on his recent major-label debut, Anthem, and in groups led by David Murray) with the temerity to speak out on such issues as the narrow-minded autocracy that controls Lincoln Center Jazz in New York.
JAZZ RECORD MART
Open less than three months and a little out of the way compared to other after-fest mainstays, the recently reconstituted Piano Man (3801 N. Clark; 773-472-2956) ventures tentatively into the fray with a light after-fest lineup and no cover charge. In the mid-80s, this place boasted a pretty good schedule of local players and a cozy atmosphere with cheap drinks; now the former music space serves as an anteroom and neighborhood watering hole and a newly restored interior room hosts the music, using an excellent sound system to reach the 100 or so people that can squeeze into the tables and along the back bar. On Friday, September 1, alto saxist Grady Johnson and his quintet–a little-known but wonderful swing-to-bop veteran with a sweet gritty tone–warm up for their Grant Park appearance; on Saturday, September 2, pianist Dave Gordon and his trio take the small stage to play a mix of bright originals and jazz standards. Local label Southport Records books the artists; during the festival weekend they’ll sell any CD in the catalog for $10.
