Ravinia 2022, Issue 1

OREN CHOLLETTE (HILL); KESSE KITT (WRIGHT) MARQUIS HILL Born in Chicago in 1987 and raised on the city’s South Side, Marquis Hill began play- ing drums at age 4, but he was wooed over to the trumpet by the time he entered mid- dle school. He grew up steeped in the sounds of Motown and R&B, but around that same time, Hill got his first taste of jazz through a Lee Morgan album from his band director, and those sonic connections have informed his musical palate and palette ever since. While Hill was in high school, he partici- pated in the Ravinia Jazz Scholars program, learning from and performing with such Chi- cago jazz stalwarts as pianist Willie Pickens, guitarist Bobby Broom, and trumpeter Tito Carrillo, and he went on to attend Northern Illinois University, earning a bachelor’s de- gree in music education 2009. He was then invited to the Ravinia Steans Music Institute Program for Jazz as a 2010 fellow, and he con- tinued studies at DePaul University, earning a master’s in jazz pedagogy in 2012. During those years, Hill established himself among the vanguard of Chicago’s jazz scene, per- forming in the Chicago Jazz Orchestra and playing gigs and sessions as a sideman with such artists as saxophonists Fred Anderson, Ernest Dawkins, and Von Freeman. In 2014, four albums deep with his longtime working group, the Blacktet, Hill won the Thelonious Monk Trumpet Competition, which awarded him a recording contract with Concord, on which he released The Way We Play in 2016. From those early discs— New Gospel (2011), Sounds of the City (2012), The Poet (2013), and Modern Flows, vol. 1 (2014)—to his re- cent projects Modern Flows, vol. 2 (2018), Love Tape (2019), and Soul Sign (2020) issued on his Black Unlimited Music Group label imprint, to this spring’s New Gospel Revisit- ed co-released on Edition Records, Hill has garnered critical praise from the New Yorker , the New York Times, JazzTimes , NPR Music, and DownBeat , where he topped the “Rising Star, Trumpet” category in the 2016 Critics Poll. In addition to frequent touring with his Blacktet, Hill has supported and guested the likes of Marcus Miller, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Boney James, Kurt Elling, Joe Lovano, and trailblazing Chicago peer Makaya McCraven. Tonight he is making his eighth Ravinia con- cert appearance. LIZZ WRIGHT Vocalist Lizz Wright is a steward of American music, bringing brilliant color and vibrance to singular original works and compositions by some of the greatest contemporary song- writers. Wright pulls inspiration from her Southern upbringing in Georgia, where she became the music director of the small church in which her father was the pastor. Gospel mu- sic and the call-and-response singing with the church congregation informed her first brush- es with music. Singing classical repertoire with Dwight Coleman while attending Georgia State University and then studying jazz and spirituals with Richard Harper at The New School in New York, personal study of the folk tradition and traversing the Great American Songbook all fostered Wright’s keen interest to discover her own voice across diverse genres. At the age of 22, Wright made a name for herself nationally as a vocalist with a touring concert tribute to Billie Holiday, where her poised performance stole the show. The very next year, she signed with Verve Records and released her debut album, Salt , which quickly hit number two on Billboard ’s Contemporary Jazz chart and remained on the list for nearly a year. Her sophomore album, 2005’s Dreaming Wide Awake , did one better on the Contempo- rary Jazz chart and continued to bring out her nascent songwriting prowess. Wright featured many more original songs on 2008’s The Or- chard , which also tipped at number two on the Contemporary Jazz chart, and then returned to gospel standards on 2010’s Fellowship , draw- ing a wealth of material from several Black female contemporaries like Angélique Kidjo. She joined the ConcordMusic family for 2015’s Freedom & Surrender , and the following year her original track “Lean In” was selected for President Obama’s “Summer Playlist,” solidify- ing the bevy of rave reviews from critics at the New York Times , Wall Street Journal , and NPR, which featured the disc on a list of favorite al- bums of the year. Wright’s most recent record- ing, 2017’s Grace , sought to reveal deep-run- ning roots of story and song that bind together the vastly diverse traditions of the American South. Alongside one original track she fea- tured singular arrangements of music by Ray Charles, Allen Toussaint, Nina Simone, k.d. lang, Bob Dylan, and Birds of Chicago. Lizz Wright is making her Ravinia debut. BOBBY LEWIS WITH THE J.W. JAMES A.M.E. CHURCH CHOIR Carrying forward a vibrant legacy of music and ministry, Bobby Lewis brings a refresh- ing new flavor of contemporary urban gos- pel. The son of legendary jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, Bobby studied music in high school at the Chicago Academy for the Arts. He then attended the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music before moving to Los Ange- les to work as a professional drummer. While in LA, Lewis jumped head-first into the music industry by working at Death Row Records, and he performed live as the drummer with Immature on the We Got It Tour and with Jon B on the Cool Relax Tour. In 2005, Lew- is contributed vocals to his brother Frayne’s self-titled album, and he has also written and performed on his father’s albums throughout the years. Currently, Lewis is an active mem- ber at the J.W. James A.M.E Church in May- wood, IL, where Rev. Garry S. Mitchell serves as pastor. In a sense, his church life is divinely arranged—the ministry was co-founded by his aunt and Ramsey’s sister, the Rev. Dr. Lu- cille Lewis Jackson. While pursuing a master’s degree in divinity, Bobby launched his minis- try Joy’s Journey, which creates and spreads content focusing on the joys in the journey through life—exactly what his 2019 EP I’m a Worshipper is all about. Sacred music has always had an integral role in the Black worship service, inspiring, con- soling, and informing worshippers of the wealth and peace they have in their faith. The variety of musical forms—gospels, an- thems, and spirituals—as always added to the Uniqueness of the Black worship experience. The Combined Choir evolved from the Sanc- tuary and Youth Choirs to perpetuate within the congregation the rich variety Christian music offers. The combination of youthful and mature voices results in a rich, compel- ling sound that enhances and intensifies the melodies, chords, and rhythms that are to be found in the music they perform. This is the J.W. James A.M.E. Church Choir’s fifth ap- pearance at Ravinia, where it first performed in 1993. RAVINIA JAZZ MENTORS & SCHOLARS Over 75,000 community members are served through Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play® music education and engagement programs each year, ensuring that music remains accessible to all. Our programs provide children and families with inclusive music education pro- grams and live music experiences in their schools and communities and at Ravinia. Founded in 1995 with the help of Ravinia Life Trustee Ramsey Lewis; the late Penny Ty- ler, then Coordinator of Jazz at Ravinia; and former CPS music administrator William Johnson, the Ravinia Jazz Mentor Program inspires, encourages, and trains high school students. The program was the very first Chi- cago Public Schools initiative of Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play programs. The Jazz Mentors, a teaching and perform- ing ensemble consisting of eight of Chica- go’s finest jazz musicians, give performances and master classes in Chicago Public High Schools. The Jazz Mentors share their enthu- siasm with music students and build on con- cepts taught by school band directors. A cen- tral component of the Jazz Mentor Program is the selection (through audition) of the Ra- vinia Jazz Scholars, a group of Chicago’s most talented student musicians. The Jazz Scholars receive intensive, year- round training by the Jazz Mentors, as well as scholarships and opportunities to perform. Many Jazz Scholars alums go on to study mu- sic in college, and several have become pro- fessional musicians, including Calvin Rogers, a drummer who was sought out early in his career by Ramsey Lewis for a recording ses- sion, and Franklin Vanderbilt, a drummer who performs with Lenny Kravitz. Former Jazz Scholars Marquis Hill, Michael Piolet, Kyle Swan, and Alexis Lombre have been participants in the Ravinia Steans Music In- stitute Program for Jazz. In 2014, Hill won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition, the most prestigious of its kind. Ravinia gratefully acknowledges Latham & Watkins LLP and the Ralph S. Hoffman Foundation for their generous support of the Ravinia Jazz Scholars. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JUNE 15 – JULY 3, 2022 32 I ; I I