Chicago Jazz Philharmonic

Description

In ensembles ranging from the full 60-piece orchestra to the double quartet, Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP) performs a wide repertoire combining jazz and classical idioms in original arrangements and world premieres, locally and internationally. CJP presents Third Stream as a way to bridge communities, educate the next generation of musicians, encourage cross-cultural dialogue, and expand creative practice. CJP serves under-resourced schools and families in need and provides equity and access to impactful music education programs, in-school and in the community, meeting students where they are and bringing out the best in them.

Chicago Jazz Philharmonic has been recognized with the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, and most recently the esteemed Chicago Cultural Treasures award in 2021.

Work Sample

"1000 Questions, One Answer" composed by Orbert Davis and performed by Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic on the album Collective Creativity. Run time: 7:19. ℗ 2008 Orbark Productions, LLC and released on: 2008-01-01

The Chicago Jazz Philharmonic is American's definitive Third Stream orchestra, combining classical and jazz genres to make a new, fresh sound. This work is an apt representation of CJP's flexibility, effortlessly swinging between the symphony hall and the jazz club.

Ranging from double quartet to a 60-person orchestra, CJP is one of the most versatile and energetic orchestras in the United States, premiering new compositions by Mr. Davis; a living, black composer, each year.

"Havana Blue: Orlando's Walk" Composed by Orbert Davis and performed by the Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble on the album Havana Blue (Live). Running time: 4:52.  ℗ 2016 Orbert Davis & Mark Ingram, released on: 2016-06-16.

In a momentous collaboration, the Artistic Directors of River North Dance Chicago and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Frank Chaves and Orbert Davis, explore their shared Cuban experiences for a vibrant World Premiere of original live music and dance, bringing the culture's rich history to life in a contemporary way. Co-commissioned by the Auditorium Theatre. World Premiere: April 13, 2013, Auditorium Theatre, Chicago. 

"The Chicago River- Movt. I: A Lost Panorama" Composed by Orbert Davis and performed by the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic live at Symphony Center May, 2013. Run time: 10:45

"The piece now stands as the most masterful work Davis has ever written" - The Chicago Tribune. In this five-moment third stream masterpiece the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic made its Symphony Center debut performing a Symphony Center Presents Jazz commissioned work that celebrates the Chicago River and the impact it has had on making Chicago an American metropolis. The work is inspired by previously unpublished photographs from Richard Cahan and Michael Williams’ new book, The Lost Panoramas: When Chicago Changed Its River and the Land Beyond, which document how Chicago sacrificed the natural environment in order to survive and prosper by reversing the flow of the Chicago River.

These three work samples are a representation of the musical versatility of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. CJP's ensemble ranges from an 8-person double quartet to a full 60-member orchestra, and is equally at home in the jazz club and on the stage of the world's greatest orchestra halls. Its musicians play both classical and jazz music (and everything in between) as demonstrated by these work samples. Nearly all the repertoire in the CJP catalogue was composed and premiered by Chicagoan Maestro Orbert Davis, a conductor, composer, and trumpeter. 

History

Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP), founded in 2004, is the only professional orchestra in America dedicated to performing Third Stream music - a term coined in 1957 to describe a new musical genre merging jazz and classical traditions. CJP presents Third Stream as a way to bridge communities, educate the next generation of musicians, encourage cross-cultural dialogue, and expand creative practice. In ensembles ranging from the full 60-piece orchestra to the double quartet, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic performs a wide repertoire combining jazz and classical idioms in original arrangements and world premieres, locally and internationally. CJP has primarily performed in such iconic venues as the Auditorium Theater and Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, reaching audiences of over 5,000 people per concert, and has a newly established partnership with the Kehrein Center for the Arts in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.

CJP's education programs serve 1,000 Chicago students in under-resourced schools, providing equity and access to impactful music education programs, in-school and in the community, meeting students where they are and bringing out the best in them. From Cuba to Bulgaria, and universities around the U.S., CJP partners with professional orchestras and Universities in residency programs that combine immersive performance and cultural exchange through Third Stream repertoire.

Artistic Vision

What began as Orbert Davis’ vision for a symphonic orchestra has become a metaphor and artistic vehicle for its vision of amplifying the importance of uniting diverse perspectives, enlarging the role of jazz in understanding human relations, and informing a unified approach in educating youth, adults, musicians, and audiences.

Due to the implicit and explicit bias that has permeated the arts industry, when CJP founder Orbert Davis, an African American musician, began composing he was often met with surprise and disbelief that he had composed CJP's repertoire. In the ensuing 18 years of leading the orchestra he has observed that the hierarchical Eurocentric music culture operated as the dominant culture of the industry. And although the majority of jazz musicians are classically trained, the opposite is often not true. 

Our work addresses the following areas:

• Cultivating well-rounded musicians: CJP cultivates a new movement and generation of musicians that can perform fluently across various genres, breaking down barriers, and connecting musicians who would not ever otherwise have the opportunity to collaborate together.
• Developing and diversifying constituents: The experience of a CJP student or audience member incorporates diverse listening and learning encounters. CJP constituents are disparate, representing diverse communities, ethnicities, multi-generational ages, and socio-economic status.

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

Chicago Jazz Philharmonic is committed to supporting a diverse, inclusive community of performers, educators, and audience members. Our orchestra’s 60 musicians are drawn from a wealth of Illinois talent and are recruited first for their internal diversity, that is, their ability to play across various genres and musical languages. This, in turn, has created an orchestra that, as a whole, is racially diverse.

The nature of the organization’s Third Stream approach to education and performances lends itself to inclusion and diversity. Jazz music is fundamentally a Black American music that draws from the traditions of European Classical music and all musical traditions found throughout the African Diaspora. Therefore, in teaching the culture and history of the music, our performances and curriculum must also address the history and culture of Black America, which is inextricably tied to American history as a whole.

As the philharmonic orchestra features performers from Chicago’s diverse community of musicians – most notably in our Chicago Immigrant Stories series – it is shaped and informed by each musician’s background, culture, and voice, making it something that is at the same time “of the world” and uniquely “Chicago”.

Traditional Folk/Ethnic Artform Statement

Jazz, the great American musical contribution to the world, is an improvisation-based musical genre and historical movement that was founded upon the values of democracy, mentorship, communication, tolerance, and diversity. It might have even been considered the next natural wave or evolution of classical music had it not been developed by enslaved Africans’ descendants.

Davis has begun to contemplate a radical (r)evolution of Third Stream music; one where the paradigm is flipped, where jazz, with its tradition of collaboration, openness, and improvisation would become the ethos of the orchestra with an equal intent to engender a more productive discourse on human relations, especially around race. 78% of concert attendees to the Chicago Immigrant Stories series reported learning something new about the immigrant community being presented, 44% reflected on what it means to be an American, and 70% gained appreciation for new artforms.