Chicago Jazz Philharmonic’s New Season Connects Jazz Legends With Chicago’s Black History (Chicago, IL) — A celebration of Miles Davis’ centennial, a reflection on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and a musical journey through two centuries of Black Chicago history will anchor Chicago Jazz Philharmonic’s 2026–27 season.
Led by trumpeter, composer and co-founder Orbert Davis, the ensemble will pair performances with documentary screenings, community conversations and youth education. The programming brings together the artists who shaped jazz and the Chicago communities whose experiences continue to inform it.
“This season gives us an opportunity to use music as a bridge between our history, our communities and the next generation,” Davis said in a statement.
One of the season’s featured concerts, Miles Davis @ 100: Kind of Blue & Sketches of Spain: Revisited, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St.
The two-act program will begin with the Orbert Davis Sextet performing Kind of Blue in its entirety. The second half will expand to the 19-piece Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble for Davis’ reinterpretation of Sketches of Spain, the 1960 recording by Miles Davis and Gil Evans.
The program also includes two additional compositions incorporating traditional African and Middle Eastern instruments. Adult tickets are listed at $45 for reserved seating and $50 for premium seating, with discounts for members.
During Black History Month, the ensemble will turn toward a chapter of Chicago history that remains visible in the neighborhoods it affected.
When the West Side Burned, scheduled for Feb. 12–13, 2027, at the Kehrein Center for the Arts, will explore King’s connection to Chicago and the grief and unrest following his assassination in 1968.
The program draws on the WTTW Chicago Stories documentary of the same name, for which Davis composed the original score. The film examines King’s work in Chicago, the segregation and discrimination that preceded the unrest, and the West Side’s continuing recovery.
Friday’s activities will invite school groups and senior citizens into open rehearsals and conversations with Davis and the musicians. Sessions are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., with admission of $1 per person.
Saturday’s program, running from 4 to 9 p.m., will include the documentary screening, a community conversation with West Side leaders and a concert combining original music with footage from the film. Admission is $2 for the full Saturday program. Tickets for the February events go on sale Nov. 9. The Kehrein Center is at 5628 W. Washington Blvd.
In spring 2027, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic plans to revisit DuSable to Obama, Davis’ jazz opera tracing more than 200 years of Black Chicago history. Originally created for a WTTW documentary, the work moves through ragtime, swing, civil-rights-era jazz and orchestral arrangements to tell stories spanning Jean Baptiste Point du Sable’s settlement and Barack Obama’s rise to the presidency.
The documentary’s music earned a 2011 Emmy for musical composition and arrangement, recognizing Davis and co-founder Mark Ingram. Details about the spring concert weekend and gala will be announced later.
The season also includes the Saturday Jazz Academy for musicians ages 8–17. Running from Sept. 19, 2026, through May 8, 2027, the program offers instruction, mentorship and performance opportunities. Its curriculum combines jazz and classical traditions, with an emphasis on improvisation and self-expression. Rolling enrollment remains available through January 2027.
Founded by Davis and Ingram in 2004, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic blends jazz and classical music through an approach known as Third Stream. The new season carries that combination into programs exploring musical innovation, neighborhood history and the development of young performers.
Tickets, season information and academy registration details are available at chijazzphil.org.
Chicago Jazz Philharmonic’s New Season Connects Jazz Legends With Chicago’s Black History
