Christian McBride will play at SPACE on Oct. 11. Credit: Edölia Stroud for the New York Times Credit: Edölia Stroud for the New York TimesWe will experience a rare event in Evanston in the upcoming week: two musical icons (from different genres and generations) in town!
On Friday, SPACE will host the great jazz bassist/bandleader/artistic director Christian McBride. Next Tuesday and Wednesday, Cahn Auditorium will set the time machine for 1969 and Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young will hit the stage for a two-night stand. Evanston native Kat Victoria will bring her Gladys Knight tribute show to the Skokie Theater on Saturday and the North Shore Chamber Orchestra will present an all-Beethoven program at Northminster Presbyterian Church on Sunday afternoon. Hey, it’s just another awesome music week in Hevanston, amiright?
Thursday, Oct. 10Ben Paterson Organ Trio, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Downbeat Magazine said Paterson is “as soulful a pianist/organist as exists anywhere.” He played for several years with the great Chicago tenor player Von Freeman. Paterson also has a wonderful singing voice. LePiano has a Hammond B3 organ performance every Thursday evening. $15.
John Cragie with special guest Tré Burt, 8 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Craigie is a folksinger/songwriter and storyteller who’s been compared to Woodie Guthrie. He is a modern troubadour and is heavily influenced by the late, great John Prine. Craigie is a proud graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz. (Sorry, but I have to mention that this university has adopted the banana slug as the school mascot.) Craigie’s music is not sluggish, however. It is full of inventive lyrics and easy-going Americana/country vibes. Special guest Burt is also a folksinger/songwriter who uses the traditional acoustic guitar and harmonica in the neck rack setup. NPR said, “Burt’s music expresses an ache for harmony, justice and solidarity. I would love to see Burt at the next Evanston Folk Festival. $30.
Highplanes, 8 p.m. at American Legion Post 42, 1030 Central St. Highplanes is a solid rock band that can pump out some hard-driving tunes. The five-piece group includes Matt Berry on guitar and vocals; Nate Lindsey, guitar; Joe Quinn, bass and vocals; Ben Rosenberg, keys and vocals; and Bill Prichard, drums and percussion. Free.Friday, Oct. 11Chad Willetts Quartet, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Willetts is a drummer, pianist and owner/operator of this excellent East Rogers Park jazz club/restaurant. His jazz quartet features a guest artist every Friday night. $15.
Christian McBride & Ursa Major, 7 and 9:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. This show is a must for anyone with any interest in the bass (electric or acoustic). McBride is a major, multi-talented force as a bass player, bandleader, composer, artistic director and radio host. He has released 20 albums as leader and on an astonishing number of albums as a sideman (at least 96!). The artists McBride has supported range from the great pianist Chick Corea to rapper/singer/actress Queen Latifah. Oh, and one of his high school classmates is Questlove. He was named artistic director of the seminal Newport Jazz Festival in 2016 (succeeding the festival’s founder, George Wein). It would take a book to list all of this man’s amazing achievements, and to top it off, he appears to be a kind-hearted, delightful human being. He also loves playing duets with fellow bass players. The early show is standing-room only; the later show is also running low on tickets. Ursa Major is a wonderful group of talented young musicians, including saxophonist Nicole Glover, guitarist Ely Perlman, pianist Mike King and drummer Savannah Harris. This is a concert no jazz lover should miss! $28/38.
The Fabulous Soul Brothers, 7:30 p.m. at the Skokie Theater, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Led by vocalist/instrumentalist Dre Hilton, the Fabulous Soul Brothers are a tribute band focused on classic Motown and soul artists like James Brown, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and many more. Hilton has been touring with this show for quite a while. $35/$42.
The Paulina Project, 7:30 p.m. at American Legion Post 42, 1030 Central St. This is an Evanston-based band that loves R&B, soulful rock and other good stuff. The band traces its roots to a group of young folks who met in downtown Chicago at the Bloom School of Jazz in the mid-’90s and formed a band that rehearsed in an attic on Paulina Street in Chicago. Free.
The Alexander/McLean Project, 8 p.m. at Studio 5, 1938 Dempster St. Vocalist Dee Alexander and guitarist John McLean lead their band back to Studio 5 for another outstanding evening of vocal jazz. Alexander’s singing is warm and emotionally rich. She also has terrific stage presence. She deserves to be an international superstar, and knowledgeable people agree: Ben Ratliff at the New York Times named her 2013 Newport Jazz Festival performance one of his 10 favorite live-music experiences of that year, calling it “both low key and extraordinary, with well-worn standards and risky originals, earthiness and high-flown mysticism.” She is the queen of Chicago’s jazz singers, and she can get funky, too! It seems McLean is every jazz artist’s favorite guitarist. He has worked with Kurt Elling, Mose Allison, Dave Douglas, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Patricia Barber, Randy Brecker, Adam Nussbaum, Arthur Blythe and many more. $32.20/$42.49.
Christy Bennett, 11 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Bennett is a busy jazz vocalist who performs a late-night set at Le Piano every Friday night. She is accompanied by Kevin Fort on piano. $15.Saturday, Oct. 12Master Class with Midori, violin, 4:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave. Midori is the Dorothy Richard Starling Chair in Violin Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia as well as the artistic director of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute’s Program for Piano and Strings. She started her career as a professional violinist at age 11. Midori will work with three students from the Academy at the Music Institute of Chicago. Free.
Charlie Pierce & Friends, 4 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. Pierce is a Chicago pianist/songwriter who migrated to Austin, Texas, a few years ago. Now he’s back in town! Pierce is known as the leader and frontman of Choctaw Fire, a soulful Americana group that plays with deep emotion. Pierce has a marvelous bass-baritone voice and he can tickle dem ivories! Pierce will be joined by James Wiegel, who has played with the bluegrass band Henhouse Prowlers and the oddly named bluegrass group Sexfist. Free.
Chad Willetts Quartet, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Willetts is a drummer, pianist and owner/operator of this excellent East Rogers Park jazz club/restaurant. His Saturday night quartet features Dez Desormeaux on tenor sax. Desormeaux has that full-throated Chicago tenor sax tone! $15.
Amethyst Winds, 7 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1509 Ridge Ave. This concert is part of St. Mark’s Fall 2024 Concert Series. This is a group of fine young woodwind players. Their chamber music repertoire focuses on violins, violas and cellos. The other sections of the orchestra also make beautiful music in small groups. Amethyst Winds includes Westley Art Hodges on clarinet, Lauren Moldenhauer on flute, Claire Bravo Cutting on oboe, Walter van Gieson on bassoon and Connor Cowart on French horn.
Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show, 7 and 9:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Sexton is a singer/songwriter who got started by busking on street corners and going to open mics in Boston. He has released 13 albums over his career. He is fond of covering Beatles tunes. He will focus on the songs on the last Beatles album Abbey Road during the two sets at SPACE. Sexton is a great entertainer and he gets the audience involved. $35/$89.
Kat Victoria in A Knight of Gladys, 7:30 p.m. at the Skokie Theater, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Victoria has a huge gospel-tinged voice and she has been doing tributes to/impressions of the great soul divas for years. Victoria is also an award-winning musical theater professional and a respected cabaret singer. She is also an Evanston native! $50/$70.
Petra Van Nuis, 11 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Van Nuis is jazz vocalist with a light, delicate voice who performs the late-night set at Le Piano every Saturday. She’s very active in Chicago and often works with her husband, jazz guitarist Andy Brown. Pianist Dennis “Deluxe” Luxon accompanies Van Nuis during the late-night set at Le Piano. $15.Sunday, Oct. 13Civitas Ensemble, 3 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave. Founded in 2011, Civitas Ensemble is one of the leading chamber music groups in Chicago. The Ensemble presents repertoire spanning four centuries of music history in numerous genres and styles. The musicians also nurture relationships with living composers to commission new works. During the past 12 years, Civitas has commissioned and premiered more than 10 new works. This concert will celebrate the works of Anton Bruckner, the virtuosic Austrian composer and musician who would have turned 200 years old on Sept. 4. His work still influences the culture of today’s classical music. $30/$20 seniors/$8 students.
North Shore Chamber Orchestra, 3:30 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 2515 Central Park Ave. The North Shore Chamber Orchestra is a community group of enthusiastic amateur musicians — everyone has a day job. The ensemble was launched in 1972 and has been a source of excellent local classical music in Evanston since then. The orchestra will perform an all-Beethoven program, including the Coriolan Overture, Romance in F Major (Christopher Gottardi-Little, violin soloist) and Symphony No. 3 (Eroica). Allen Dennis, founder/president/conductor of Midwest Young Artists, will lead the ensemble. $15/children free.
Paul Abella Trio, 4 p.m. at Sketchbook Brewing, 4901 Main St., Skokie. Percussionist Abella has assembled an interesting trio that fits into tight spaces. He plays the cajon and other hand percussion instruments instead of a space-eating drum kit. Abella is joined by Steve Knight on guitar and Chris Bernhardt on bass. This group is dedicated to the soul jazz genre, citing the Meters, Booker T and the M.G.’s and The Funk Brothers as inspiration. Free.
Amr Fahmy Trio, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Fahmy is the pianist for the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, a hard-grooving group of top-notch musicians who often perform with the marvelous vocalist Dee Alexander. He brings his trio to Le Piano every Sunday. $15.
Hiss Golden Messenger with Monde UFO, 8 p.m., at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Michael Carington (M.C.) Taylor formed Hiss Golden Messenger with Scott Hirsch When their previous band, Court and Spark, broke up. In 2010, Taylor recorded several solo songs — just guitar and voice — and pressed 200 vinyl records to sell at his gigs. That home recording became the album Bad Debt, which caught the attention of music critics at the New Yorker and Washington Post. The record became popular with fans of stripped-down, introspective folk music. Taylor will perform the entire record solo at SPACE. The opening act, Monde UFO, is a duo based in Los Angeles. Ray Monde and Kris Chau are known for their free jazz and bossa nova-inflected low-key psychedelia. Monde UFO is completely different from Hiss Golden Messenger. $30.
Baronhead’s Windy City Revival, 8 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. Baronhead is Matthew Baron, a guitarist and vocalist who lived in Chicago for many years. He moved to Maryland but is back in town and has put together a reunion concert with his old Chicago bandmates. Baronhead is putting together a jam band with blues, funk and Grateful Dead influences. Free.Monday, Oct. 14Eric Lugosch and Mary Flowers, 7:30 p.m., at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Evanston resident Lugosch is well known to people who studied at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago in the late 20th and early 21st centuries: he was one of the most sought-after teachers there. He’s also well-known to guitar nerds worldwide. His mind-blowing finger-style guitar expertise and wide-ranging taste in musical genres catches the attention of anyone who has picked up the acoustic six-string monster. Lugosch has even converted jazz saxophonist superstar Sonny Rollins’ rollicking St.Thomas into a meditative acoustic guitar masterpiece. Portland, Oregon-based Mary Flowers is also an outstanding acoustic guitarist and teacher focusing on finger-style picking and lap-slide playing. She can play lots of different styles but has an affinity for the blues. $15-$25.
Christine Goerke vocal master class, Galvin Recital Hall, Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, 70 Arts Circle Dr. Goerke is a soprano who has performed at major opera houses worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Deutsche Oper Berlin. Her recording of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra won a 2003 Grammy Award for Best Classical Recording and Best Choral Performance. In this master class, she will coach accomplished Bienen School voice and opera students as they perform works by Puccini, Rossini, Handel and Strauss.Graham Nash will be at Cahn Auditorium on Tuesday and Wednesday (Oct. 14 & 15) Credit: grahamnash.com/The Mark Spector CompanyTuesday, Oct. 15Irish Music Session, 7 p.m. at Sketchbook Brewing Evanston, 821 Chicago Ave. Traditional Irish music session with a shifting cast of players. Sketchbook owner Shawn Decker usually brings his fiddle and joins in the session. Folks who can play Irish music can join in! Free.
Cabaret Night featuring Nitz and Friends North, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N Glenwood Ave., Chicago. Daryl Nitz has been performing and producing cabaret shows in Chicago for years. This is a recurring show every Tuesday night. $15.
Donovan Mixon presents Trio Bien, 7 p.m. at Second Church of Christ Scientist, 2715 Hurd Ave. Evanston’s guitar star Mixon has moved his Donovan’s Garage series back indoors now that summer is over. Pianist Jeff Kier and bassist Edo Castro join Mixon to perform a program of original works penned by all three musicians. Mixon is an excellent songwriter! Free.
Late Breaking News, 7 p.m. at American Legion Post 42, 1030 Central St. Late Breaking News is an Evanston-based group that plays acoustic Americana music ranging from country to rock and roll to blues. Free.
Bitch with Summer Osborne, 7:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. I apologize for using the “b-word,” but that is the stage name of singer/songwriter Karen Mould. Her decision to use this moniker was driven by a feminist desire to reframe a word used to insult and demean women. Bitch can pump out very edgy, theatrical pop music. She also can play violin (her first musical experience was classical violin). I love her vibe! The opener, Summer Osborne, hails from St. Louis. She is another pop-oriented singer/songwriter who can write a truly uplifting anthem of self-afirmation. This is an evening featuring two excellent Queer artists. $15/$18.
Graham Nash, More Evenings of Songs and Stories, 8 p.m. Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St. OK, Boomers, to prep for this concert, throw your old Crosby Stills, Nash and Young records on the turntable and fire up your bong. Nash is a historic figure in rock music, a Grammy award winner and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He is still on the road at the age of 82, bringing memories to life with his stories and tunes, and his voice still sounds great! Evanston SPACE has arranged this two-night stand by one of the all-time greats of classic rock. $54.50/$79.50.
Open blues jam, 8 p.m. at Fritzy’s Tavern, 6156 N. Clark St., Chicago. We have no open blues jams in Evanston; the Tuesday night jam at the defunct Bill’s Blues Bar was epic, but it’s gone. This jam is a 10-minute drive from Evanston’s southern border, and it’s worth the trip. The “jam master” is Ed Genne, a solid blues guitarist, and a fine human being. Fritzy’s is owned by Karen King. She is a tenacious small-business leader who managed to keep her bar from dying during the COVID crisis. The drinks are reasonably priced, and the jammers are often amazingly talented. Free.Wednesday, Oct. 16The Tim Fitzgerald Guitar Trio, 7 p.m. at Le Piano, 6970 N Glenwood Ave, Chicago. Fitzgerald is a skilled guitarist heavily influenced by jazz great Wes Montgomery. Organist Tom Vaitsas often joins Fitzgerald. This is a recurring show on Wednesday nights. $15.
Daniel Nunnelee with Shane T., 7:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Nunnelee is a 26-year-old folk-rock singer/songwriter. His light, tenor voice is a soothing instrument for delivering his lyrics that examine a young adult’s cares and aspirations. Shane T. (Shane Toriscelli) is a Florida-born, New York-based indie rock singer/songwriter. He generally sings and accompanies himself with a guitar and drum machine. His self-reflecting lyrics are artful and intriguing. $17.
Graham Nash, More Evenings of Songs and Stories, 8 p.m. Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St. See Oct. 15 listing for details. $54.50/$79.50.
Meghan Stagl Trio, 9 p.m. at Prairie Moon, 1635 Chicago Ave. Stagl is a young pianist/vocalist/songwriter who can scat-sing! She has been breaking into the Chicago jazz scene over the past few years. She will be joined by Michael Hudson-Casanova on sax and Ben Dillenger on bass. $7.
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Chris Gillock is a blues harmonica player, vocalist, non-profit board member and retired investment banker. He is also an occasional blogger – you can find his blog at https://g-freethoughts.blogspot.com/….
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