Steve Eisen, Mike Salter, Thaddeus Tukes, Leandro Lopez Varady, John Moulder, Stewart Miller, Ron Hall, Ernie Adams, and special guest Maggie Brown.
ORBERT DAVIS' 'SOUL MIGRATION' | The Jazz Showcase is excited to welcome Orbert Davis, jazz trumpeter and co-founder of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, for a special Black History Month performance. Orbert’s composition titled “Soul Migration” draws on the stories of many of the 6 million African Americans who took part in what is known as the 'Great Migration', moving from the rural south to the industrial north beginning a century ago. Premiered at the 2016 Chicago Jazz Festival, “Soul Migration” features Maggie Brown and a nonet of musicians from Orbert’s Chicago Jazz Philharmonic.
Emmy-Award winning trumpeter, composer and educator Orbert Davis is co-founder, conductor and artistic director of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP), a 55+ piece symphonic jazz orchestra dedicated to bringing together audiences of diverse backgrounds through multi-genre projects. Over the past 30 years, Mr. Davis’ mission-driven career has evolved successfully as a leader in Chicago’s arts and culture community. He is widely respected in not only all things JAZZ, but also for the distinctive ability to use his musical talents to make positive impacts on society through arts education and advocacy. In addition to the music education work that CJP does, Davis also co-owns and operates Discover Music: Discover Life, Inc. a company that develops curriculum and implements programs that uses music to teach academic and life skills.
Orbert has many composer commissions to his credit, including an original score for the national PBS documentary "DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis" produced by WTTW, where Orbert garnered his Emmy-Award for its soundtrack. “Paradise Blue,” composed for the critically acclaimed theatre play of the same name, garnered him a 2017 JEFF Award for ‘Best Original Music’ in a theatre performance. Orbert’s latest recording, “The Chicago River,” commissioned by Symphony Center Chicago, is a 2-disk (CD/DVD) project based on the photobook by Richard Cahan & Michael Williams entitled “The Lost Panoramas: When Chicago Changed Its River and the Land Beyond.” Brought to life by Davis’ works, the DVD encompasses a cinemograph that will transport viewers back in time during the turn of the 19th Century, when Chicago reversed the direction of its river.
Orbert recently celebrated his 525th show as radio personality and host of "The Real Deal with Orbert Davis", a weekly 3-hour program airing on 90.9fm WDCB (also streaming live online at wdcb.org). It’s no wonder Downbeat Magazine dubbed him "Orbert, Inc." in a four-page feature story, lauding a long career of note-worthy accomplishments.
Mr. Orbert Davis has a Bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from DePaul University, a Master’s degree in Jazz Pedagogy from Northwestern University, and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Governors State University. He is a former associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and artist-in-residence at Columbia College Chicago. He lives in Chicago with his wife Lisa, their two daughters, Zoe and Sydney, and sons, Orbert and Benjamin.
Proof of vaccination is required to attend all shows.
TICKETS
— $20 general admission —
— $35 VIP preferred seating—
