Chicago Jazz 101 (IN PERSON)

February is Black History Month, a month-long celebration of Black history and its massive importance to American history and culture. The Great Migration of the early 20th century brought jazz to Chicago, starting out in small local clubs on the South Side. The Chicago style of jazz came out of both the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans “Dixieland” style with pioneering musicians like King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong. OLLI is proud to host a panel discussion and Q&A about the history of jazz and the impact of Chicago jazz on the national scene. Chicago Jazz artists Orbert Davis (trumpeter and co-founder of Chicago Jazz Philharmonic), Bobbi Wilsyn (singer and Professor Emerita of Columbia College) and Margaret Murphy-Webb (co-founder of the Southside Jazz Coalition) will share their personal histories and explain their attraction to this musical style. While the program is not a jazz performance, presenters may use sound excerpts to illustrate their points. We encourage you to join us in person, as Zoom cannot deliver an authentic in-person musical experience.
Sponsored by Chicago and Evanston Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee 

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 from ‘making it in the music industry’ to being a true 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.
 
Bobbi Wilsyn is Professor Emerita at Columbia College Chicago having taught voice- related subjects. Her performance career brought her from hometown, Los Angeles, to Chicago after traveling from coast-to-coast with the Milt Trenier Show. As a singer-actress, Wilsyn has appeared in several musical productions including Beehive, Sophisticated Ladies, and It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues. She gained international recognition as the featured jazz-blues vocalist with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and has performed abroad with the Orbert Davis Quintet, the Thomas Gunther Sextet, and Symphonic Jazz International. 
 
Margaret Murphy-Webb is a musician and community activist. A graduate of Chicago State University with a degree in music performance, this award-winning vocalist has been showcasing her talent nationally and internationally for over thirty years. Her quartet has been featured at countless jazz venues and festivals including the Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, and Mississippi Jazz Festival. In 2015, upon retirement from the Chicago Police Department, Margaret saw the absence of free live music events on the city’s South Side and founded the South Side Jazz Coalition. In 2018, Margaret was named Chicago’s Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists of America for her work as director of the South Side Jazz Coalition.  
 
Sponsored by Chicago and Evanston Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee