A 2016 Chicago Jazz Festival Preview: Chris Greene Quartet

This Is Jazz Today: A 2016 Chicago Jazz Festival preview, in sound & vision.

Chris Greene Quartet

Saxophonist Chris Greene is one of those starting pitchers that nibbles around the corners of the plate with change-ups and off-speed pitches, never wasting any and never straying too far from the strike zone.  How that translates to his music is that when he’s working a post-bop sound or a contemporary fusion or adds some rock or pop or hip hop, the music is always keeping close to the heart of jazz.  As a cerebral concept, it’s fun to think about the shortest distance experimentalism needs to actually travel, but it’s far more interesting to focus on the ultimate quality of this approach is very tuneful, seriously enjoyable music.  It’s also helpful to consider that, for the most part, this has been a working quartet for the past decade, and that kind of time invested in the creative visions of one another is going to lead to a seemingly endless supply of interesting conversations between the artists.  That quartet, along with Greene and his saxophones, are Damian Espinosa on piano, Marc Piane on bass and Steve Corley on drums.

Also worth noting that the local jazz scene doesn’t end at the Chicago borders.  The CGQ calls the town of Evanston home turf, so don’t think you have to turn south at Howard Street to go looking for some good music.

The Chris Greene Quartet are performing Saturday Sept. 3rd at 2:20pm at the Von Freeman Pavilion.

Here’s an album track from the Chris Greene Quartet’s 2014 Music Appreciation.  It’s a very cool rendition of Wayne Shorter’s “Deluge.”  It honors the original while carving out some territory of the quartet’s own…

Read more about the artist and the upcoming performance on the Chicago Jazz Festival site.

And go listen to more of the Chris Green Quartet’s music on their Bandcamp page.

Also, be sure to check out the right side of your screen.  We’re featuring a free download of a Chris Greene Quartet performance at Chicago’s very own Mayne Stage.

Here’s a nifty video of the Chris Greene Quartet performing the song “Future Emperor of Evanston” live, in studio, on WLUW 88.7…

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The 38th annual Chicago Jazz Festival is taking place in (and around) Chicago’s Millennium Park, Wednesday August 31st – Sunday September 4th.

Read more about why you should be a part of the audience by visiting the official Chicago Jazz Festival site

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