Village of Hazel Crest Open Lands "Arts in the Woods" Soundscape- Reggie Nicholson Concepts

On August 9, 2025, the Village of Hazel Crest will host a Moonlight Social at the Open Lands Arboretum, featuring a community listening session. This event will showcase the musical talents of Reggie Nicholson on percussion, Ed House on saxophone, and Yosef Ben Israel on bass, who will create a unique soundscape inspired by the natural surroundings of the Arboretum. This is a great opportunity for community members to engage with music and nature in a collaborative and enriching environment.

The sessions will occur during the Moonlight Social in an outdoor classroom specifically designated for community engagement, located at the entrance of the preserve and the beginning of the trail. Please bring your lawn chairs to enjoy live music as the full moon rises from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM. pm.

Reimagining Black Identity, Strength, and Vulnerability Music Performance

"Art is Business"  February 21, 2025   

This art exhibit explores the multifaceted healing nature of Black identity, shedding light on the complex intersections of strength, vulnerability, history, and future within the Black experience. We invite artists of all mediums—visual art, sculpture, photography, performance, and beyond—to submit works that address the evolving narrative of Blackness in contemporary society.

The exhibit will showcase pieces that reframe traditional representations, inviting viewers to engage with themes of resilience, introspection, liberation, and the ever-shifting contours of identity. Artists are encouraged to challenge stereotypes and preconceived notions of Blackness, emphasizing the beauty and power of embracing vulnerability and quiet strength in moments of resistance, defiance, and healing.

We are looking for works that speak to the full range of Black-lived experiences, capturing both the triumphs and the struggles, the joy and the pain, the collective memory and individual expression. The exhibit aims to create space for reflection, dialogue, and healing while embracing the depth and complexity that define Blackness.

This exhibit will offer a new, unapologetically authentic, challenging, and transformative vision by reimagining Black identity healing, strength, and vulnerability. Artists are encouraged to draw upon personal narratives, cultural history, and current social movements to inspire their work, creating an environment where art becomes a tool for collective healing, liberation, and empowerment.

DEAR JAZZ 2024- ART EXHIBITION and JAZZ CONCERT

"Art is Business." Get your tickets at JazzInChicago.org/dear-jazz

I am thrilled to have my artwork in the Dear Jazz 2024. This art exhibition with live music is on November 8 and 9 at Fulton Street Collective at 1821 W. Hubbard. The Jazz Institute of Chicago produced the show curated by Raymond A. Thomas. I'll be one of over 25 important Chicago artists presenting. 

STATEMENT BY RAYMOND A. THOMAS

Dear Jazz is a vibrant and immersive art exhibition and concert that pays tribute to the soulful legacy of jazz music. Through a dynamic collection of visual works by some of Chicago's top artists, this exhibition captures the rhythm, improvisation, and emotional depth that have defined jazz throughout history. These works act as a heartfelt "love letter" to the genre, interpreting the essence of jazz's sound, spirit, and cultural significance. Drawing inspiration from the greats like Miles  Davis, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, and many more, these chosen artists explore jazz's themes of freedom and innovation,  reflecting its role as a musical and cultural force. 

Dear Jazz invites all on a multisensory journey through jazz's history, present, and future. It celebrates how jazz transcends sound to become a universal language of expression, spontaneity, and joy.

If I Could Change Back the Hand of Time, 24" X 26" x 2", Mixed Media, Acrylic Collage, 2024

"Turn Back The Hands Of Time" by Tyrone Davis was on my mind as I named this composition. Remembering the lyrics and what he is singing about in the ℗ 1970's. It's an R&B song recorded by various artists, like Eddie Fisher's Orchestra in 1951 and 1970s, and even R. Kelly, Cher, and David Ruffin have a version. But the lyrics resonate with me, "Turn Back the Hands of Time" is based on relationship problems Moore was having at the time. Daniels co-wrote Davis's 1968 hit "Can I Change My Mind," and the recording session for "Turn Back the Hands of Time" included some of the same musicians from that session.

DEAR JAZZ- I didn't abandon you in the 1970s disco age, didn't abandon you to R&B, didn't abandon you to Reggae, nor did I turn my back on you as I listened to techno. I loved you through it all. My first Jazz Concert was the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1975. Growing up on the West Coast, jazz profoundly influenced my playlist.

"West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a subgenre of cool jazz, which consisted of a calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music relied relatively more on composition and arrangement than on the individually improvised playing of other jazz styles. Although this style dominated, it was not the only form of jazz heard on the American West Coast."

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, and African rhythmic rituals. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a significant expression in traditional and popular music. 

Dear Jazz, the genres highlighted in Bold Black are my favorites:

• Acid jazz combined elements of soul music, funk, and disco, including looping beats and modal harmony the 1980s–1990s
• Afro-Cuban jazz mixes Afro-Cuban clave-based rhythms with jazz harmonies and techniques of improvisation. 1940s.
• Avant-garde jazz is a music and improvisation style combining avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the 1950s and developed through the 1960s. 
• 1950s Bebop or bop is a jazz style characterized by a fast tempo, instrumental virtuosity, and improvisation based on a combination of harmonic structure and occasional references to the melody.
• 1940s—A big band is a type of musical ensemble, in essence, a jazz orchestra, that typically consists of at least ten musicians and four sections.
• 1910s -British dance band is a popular jazz and dance music genre that developed in British dance halls and hotel ballrooms during the 1920s and 1930s. 1920s 
• Cape Jazz (more often written as Cape Jazz) is a jazz genre performed in the southernmost part of Africa, the name being a reference to Cape Town, South Africa. 1990s 
• Chamber jazz Chamber jazz is a genre of jazz involving small, acoustic-based ensembles where group interplay is important. 1960s 
• Continental jazz Early jazz dance bands of Europe in the swing medium, to the exclusion of Great Britain.
• Cool jazz Contrasts with the hard, fast sound of bebop. A more relaxed, subdued style, with more formal arrangements and elements, such as swingswing and classical. 1940s–1960s
• Crossover jazz artists mix different styles of music into jazz. 1970s 
• Dixieland music or New Orleans jazz, sometimes referred to as hot jazz or early jazz, is a style of jazz music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. Stylistically, it is essentially a form of Ragtime typically transposed for brass band, banjo, or clarinet. 1900s 
• Electro Swing is a modern interpretatioSwingSwing that merges with EDM. Performances typically include both a live band and a DJ. 1990s 
• Ethio-jazz is a specific form of jazz that evolved in Ethiopia in the music of Mulatu Astatke, also referred to as the King of Ethio-jazz.1950s 
• Ethno jazz, a form of ethnic music, is sometimes equated to world music or is regarded as its successor, particularly before the 1990s. An independent meaning of "ethno-jazz" emerged around 1990. 1990s
•  European free jazz is a part of the global free jazz scene and has its own development and characteristics from the 1960s 
• Flamenco jazz is a style mixing flamenco and jazz, typified by artists such as Paco de Lucia and Camarón de la Isla. 1960s 
• Free funk: A combination of avant-garde jazz with funk music in the 1970s 
• Free jazz Free improvisation is improvised music without any specific rules. By itself, free improvisation can be any genre; it isn't necessarily jazz. Free jazz musicians use free improvisation to alter, extend, or break down jazz conventions, often by discarding fixed chord changes, tempos, melodies, or phrases. Ornette Coleman was an early and noted advocate of this style. 1950s 
• Gypsy jazz style of jazz music is often said to have been started by guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s. The style was originally called "hot club" or "hot jazz" and served an acoustic European interpretation. The term "gypsy jazz" didn't appear until after the 1970s, when Sinti people adapted their folk music to emulate that of Django. 1930s/1970s->
• Hard bop Incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in saxophone and piano playing. 1950s 
• Indo jazz Fusion of jazz with Indian music (see also Sitar in jazz and Jazz in India). 1950s ->
• Jazz blues Although not a distinct style, jazz blues is typically used to refer to songs that include idiomatic "jazz" embellishments to the standard form, such as extended harmony and chord substitutions. At a minimum, jazz blues usually include a ii–V progression in place of the simple V chord and an I–VI/vi–ii–V turnaround at the end of the form.
• Jazz-funk is a subgenre of jazz music characterized by a strong backbeat (groove), electrified sounds, and an early prevalence of analog synthesizers.1970s 
• Jazz fusion combines elements of jazz and rock. Characterized by electronic instruments, riffs, and extended solos. 1970s 
• Jazz poetry1920s 
• Jazz pop
• Jazz rap is a fusion subgenre of hip-hop and jazz, developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The lyrics are often based on political consciousness, Afrocentrism, and general positivism. 1980s 
• Jazz-rock The term "jazz-rock" (or "jazz/rock") is often used as a synonym for the term "jazz fusion." 1960s 
• Jump blues 1930s 
• Kansas City jazz is a style of jazz that developed in Kansas City, Missouri, and the surrounding Kansas City Metropolitan Area during the 1930s.
• Latin jazz draws heavily on salsa and merengue influences. Heavy use of percussion, including congas, timbales, bongos, guiros, and others. 1930s
• M-Base 1980s 
• Marabi 1920s–1930s
• Mainstream jazz is A genre of jazz music that was first used about the playing styles around the 1950s 1950s ->
• Modal jazz, as pioneered by Miles Davis, among others, is characterized by using modes, such as dorian modes, as the primary organizing element.
• Neo-bop jazz, notably associated with Wynton Marsalis, is a comparatively accessible, "retro" genre that emerged in the 1980s as a stylistic reaction against free jazz and jazz fusion. 1980s 
• Neo-swing: The name was given to the renewed interest in swing music from the 1930s and 40s. Many neo-swing bands practiced contemporary fusionSwingswing, jazz, and jump blues with rock, punk rock, ska, and ska-punk music or had roots in punk, ska, ska punk, and alternative rock music.1990s 
• Jazz noir is a form of slow or erratic contemporary jazz. Jazz noir (also known as "doom jazz" or "dark jazz") is noted for its often somber, mysterious, or even sinister tone. It takes inspiration from film noir soundtracks and dark ambient music. 1990s 
• Nu jazz music blends jazz elements with other musical styles, such as funk, soul, electronic dance music, and free improvisation.1990s 
• Orchestral jazz, Also known as "Symphonic Jazz" in the 1920s 
• Post-bop: A genre of small-combo jazz that assimilates hard bop, modal jazz, avant-garde, and free jazz without necessarily being immediately identifiable as any of those forms in the 1960s 
• Punk jazz is the amalgamation of elements of the jazz tradition (usually free jazz and jazz fusion of the 1960s and 1970s) with the instrumentation or conceptual heritage of punk rock 1970s and 
• Ragtime 1890s 
• Samba-jazz 1950s 
• Ska jazz music was derived by fusing the melodic content of jazz with the rhythmic and harmonic content of early Jamaican Music introduced by the "Fathers of Ska" in the late 1950s. It is sometimes considered a subgenre of Third-Wave Ska. 1960s 
• Skiffle 1950s ->
• Smooth jazz In general, a smooth jazz track is downtempo (the most widely played tracks are in the 90–105 BPM range), layering a lead, melody-playing instrument (saxophones – especially soprano and tenor – are the most popular, with guitars a close second) over a backdrop that typically consists of programmed rhythms and various synth pads or samples. 1960s 
• Soul jazz Draws heavy influences from hard bop, blues, gospel, and rhythm and blues. It is often characterized by organ trios. 1950s 
• Spiritual jazz 1960s 
• Straight-ahead jazz is A form of Jazz created in the 1960s with roots from the previous two decades. It omits elements from rock music and free jazz that began to appear in this period, instead emphasizing acoustic instruments and a more conventional sound. 1960s 
• Stride jazz A style of jazz piano which incorporates left hand techniques from ragtime music, except the left hand spans a greater distance on the keyboard. 1920s 
• Swing Big band arrangements, always swung. Pioneered by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman. 1930s–1950s
• Third stream: The fusion of the jazz stream and classical stream. 1950s
• Trad jazz, Short for "traditional jazz," refers to the Dixieland and ragtime jazz styles of the early 20th century.
• West Coast jazz is a style of jazz that emerged in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. It is often considered a subgenre of cool jazz, characterized by a smoother and calmer sound compared to bebop or hard bop. This style emphasizes composition and arrangement more than individual improvisation, which is more prominent in other jazz genres. While West Coast jazz was a dominant style in the region, it wasn't the only type performed on the American West Coast.

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_jazz

en.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_jazz_genresList of jazz genres - Wikipedia

Sweet Fruit Falling- Chicago Fringe Opera

126 views  Premiered Jun 12, 2021

Music & Lyrics: Renée Baker

Chicago Modern Orchestra Project

Director: Renée Baker

Vocalist: Dee Alexander

Percussion: Coco Elysses

Saxophone: Luc Mosley

A CITY OF WORKS

Site-Specific Micro Operas for Chicago

Phantom Gallery Chicago, Bronzeville

2021

Cinematography: George Cederquist

Music Director/Commissioning/Co-Concept: Catherine O’Shaughnessy

Co-Concept/Video Editing: Brad Caleb Lee

---

A single dream

As I wear the cloth that fits

you say it's fine

you say they're fine

I know I'm alone

Carrying my bowl to gather the fallen fruit

that falls from the lips of others

wondering when all will fit

when I will fit

holding the bowl tightly, waiting for the daily alms offering

hoping

to eat and swallow with dignity every morsel proffered

hoping for sweet fruit fallen from the branch

my hope

one morsel to make me well

one morsel to make me pretty

one morsel to make me acceptable

hope

the morsel that signals the end of the day

to look at the trees alone

to sup under the trees alone

to touch the bare earth

to seek others like me, seeking

sweet swee swe

sweet fruit

falling sweet fruit

sweet sweet swe

sweet fruit

falling sweet fruit

falling

fall asleep dreaming

fight sleep waiting

renounce sleep

so the falling morsel won't miss me

Renee Baker© 2021