Ravinia 2024 Issue 1

CAROUSEL STAGE 7:30 PM FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2024 THE RETURN OF THE FLOCK † featuring JERRY GOODMAN † Ravinia debut PAVILION 7:30 PM SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2024 7:30 PM SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2024 JAMES TAYLOR & HIS ALL-STAR BAND THE RETURN OF THE FLOCK Columbia Records and Mercury Records recording artists The Flock were considered to be well ahead of their time incorporating electric violin into their unique jazz-rock style. Anchored by original members Jerry Good- man and Jerry Smith, The Return of the Flock also now features two-time Grammy Award winner Howard Levy. English blues legend John Mayall once called The Flock, “the best band I heard in America,” after they shared the stage for a performance. The Flock’s prom- ising first album was further into jazz fusion than their local counterparts Chicago or Blood Sweat & Tears, influenced by the Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew album, and was produced by JohnMcClure, better known for his work with classical and jazz artists, with liner notes written from the audience at Whisky a Go Go by John Mayall, on July 9, 1969. The band went back into the studio and recorded a second album entitled Dinosaur Swamps (with Jon Gerber replacing TomWebb), featuring the hit “Big Bird.” The Flock re- united in 1973 and released the album Inside Out in 1975, and in 2004 a CD was released of a 1973 European concert called Live in Europe . The Flock has been considered an extremely innovative band combining jazz, rock, fu- sion, and classical themes into their repertoire. They have shared the stage with such greats as Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, Grateful Dead, and many other notable artists both in the USA and abroad. From the Fillmore East to Fillmore West and most venues in between, including Chicago’s Kinetic Playground, Aragon Ballroom, Au- ditorium Theatre, and Grant Park bandshell, The Flock has enjoyed great success around the world. They are now back, better than ever, performing songs from their albums as well new, inspiring material. This is The Flock’s first appearance at Ravinia. JAMES TAYLOR As a recording and tour- ing artist, James Taylor has touched people with his warm baritone voice and distinc- tive style of guitar-playing for more than 50 years, while setting a precedent to which countless young musicians have aspired. Over the course of his celebrated songwriting and performing career, he has sold more than 100 mil- lion albums, earning gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards since the release of his self-titled debut album in 1968. In 2015, he released Before This World , the first-ever number-one album of his illustrious career. Taylor has won mul- tiple Grammy Awards, has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and the Songwriters Halls of Fame, and, in 2006, the Grammys named him its MUSICARES Person of the Year. He was also awarded the distinguished Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government and the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in 2012. In Novem- ber 2015, Taylor was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and in December 2016 he received the Kennedy Center Honors. In early 2020 he released Break Shot , a deeply personal and authentic audio-only memoir detailing his first 21 years. He also released his newest album, American Standard , his 19th studio album, which earned him the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and gave him the honor of being the first artist to have a Billboard Top 10 album in each of the past six decades. Over the past few years, Taylor has toured extensively in Europe, Canada, and the US, and recent shows have also stopped in Tokyo, Manila, Australia, and New Zealand. James Taylor first appeared at Ravinia in 2008 and most recently in 2014; this is his fourth season at the festival. RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JUNE 7 – JUNE 30, 2024 60