Jazz at Lincoln Center brings “Songs We Love” to the MAC Feb. 19
McAninch Arts Center brings Jazz at Lincoln Center to celebrate St. Valentine’s with “Songs We Love” at 4 p.m. on Feb. 19.
Photo: Jazz from Lincoln Center.
“Music is the universal language... it brings people closer together,” said American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. McAninch Arts Center is happy to introduce Jazz at Lincoln Center with a special concert called “Songs We Love” featuring the music of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzerald, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and more. This St. Valentine’s celebration will take place at 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 19 at the MAC located on the grounds of the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.
“We believe in the power of jazz to uplift, inspire, and create a sense of community,” says the Jazz at Lincoln Center website. “It is in this spirit that we invite you to connect with the global jazz community through our performances, digital programming, and more.”
Located in the heart of New York City, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, culture, and arts education globally for over three decades. The orchestra’s music director Wynton Marsalis puts all his heart into this group of talented musicians. Not every musician can play jazz and not every singer can sing it, and finding professionals who can feel jazz, understand it, and perform it is a big job. However, once the right musicians come together and combine their talents, the miracle starts. It’s heard in every note, in every syncope, and in every pause. That’s how one of the most complicated styles of music – jazz – is born.
Jazz at Lincoln Center has brought the art form of jazz from the heart of New York City to over 446 cities in more than 40 countries. Nearly 200,000 students participate in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s education programs each year. This time, this band is happy to introduce its music to the Chicago suburbs.
The concert program “Songs We Love” is a musical journey through the first 50 years of jazz. Under the musical direction of Riley Mulherkar, three guest vocalists, Shenel Johns, Vuyo Sotashe and Brianna Thomas, will join an all-star band made up of New York’s rising stars.
Vuyo Sotashe is a young South African jazz vocalist. He is gradually making his mark in the New York jazz scene. Sotashe moved to NYC in 2013 after being awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a Master of Music at William Paterson University. He also won first prize at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival Vocal Competition in 2014 and performed on the festival's main stage in February of 2015. He won the Audience prize award and placed second at the Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition in 2015 held in Switzerland.
Brianna Thomas is an American jazz singer, vocalist, composer, songwriter, band leader, and percussionist. She was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois. She is the daughter of drummer and vocalist Charlie Thomas. Brianna made her singing debut at the age of six performing a duet rendition of the jazz classic, “What A Wonderful World,” with her father. Now, she is a popular jazz singer, whose singing is deeply enriched by an understanding of the masterful voices of jazz past.
Jazz at Lincoln Center is happy to collaborate with such talented and accomplished singers.
“Combining their distinct talents, the group will perform their way through four decades of music, beginning with the early blues and jazz of the 1920s and ending in the early 1950s. The program will include the music of Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and more,” says the MAC press release.
The season of 2022-2023 is an important season for Jazz at Lincoln Center. Like many other performers, they went through tough times during the pandemic. However, nothing can stop such devoted musicians from performing their mission. As always, Jazz at Lincoln Center keeps sharing their love for music with the world. They tour extensively, present Dizzy’s Club shows in New York City, introduce Jazz at Lincoln Center’s early childhood and adult music programs like WeBop and Swing University, release new albums, such as Blue Engine, and do much more.
“This season invites audiences to experience different voices from around the world harmonizing in the common language of jazz. For more than thirty years, Jazz at Lincoln Center has combined contrasting viewpoints and styles to create our own unique artistic identity that realizes a world without borders,” said Wynton Marsalis, JALC’s Managing and Artistic Director. “This is a precarious and divisive time, and humanity desperately needs the wisdom that jazz was born to deliver: come together, be together, stay together. Easier said than done, but no endeavor is more important at this moment.”
Come to the McAninch Arts Center and enjoy the beauty of jazz at 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 19. Jazz at Lincoln Center’s concert program “Songs We Love” will fill your day with wonderful sounds, intriguing jazz melodies, and great energy.
For tickets or additional information call 630-942-4000 or visit https://www.atthemac.org/. Box Office hours are Tuesday – Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. and three hours prior to performances. Ticket prices range from $50 to $60.
A free MAC Chat precedes the concert provided by a member of WDCB 90.9 staff at 3 p.m. In addition, WDCB 90.9FM Chicago’s Home for Jazz, is the Media Sponsor for this performance.
Natalia Dagenhart
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