By: Howard Greenblatt, Imagine PicturesA legend was in the house when Guitar Shorty came to Buddy Guys Legends.Shorty played two sets of tunes filled with blistering guitar riffs from his lengthy catalog.He also played a number of requests from the audience and dedicated Its a Hard Life to Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer,...

Photo via rendi.v InstagramBy the way I count, the last time Jeff Chimenti performed in Chicago, he was standing in front of 70,000 strong at Soldier Field during the final Fare Thee Well on July 6, 2015.So the cozy confines of Martyrs' probably had a bit of different feel for him.Maybe not so much for...

By: Heidi PetersPleasantly muggy air hung over Pritzger Pavillion to welcome Mandolin Orange and Elephant Revival as part of the City of Chicago's Summer Music Series. Mandolin Orange started off with their own blend of folk, mountain, bluegrass and county. The core duo of Emily Frantz and Andrew Marlin moved between...

Dead & Company returned to Alpine Valley for the second of two shows on Sunday.  Although attendance was down from the Saturday show, the band continued their trend of trotting out huge Grateful Dead favorites.The traditional Sunday "Samson" opened the show, and the second set was a huge "Sugar Magnolia" --> "Sunshine...

Photos: Adam Miszewski (Adjomi Creative)[Update 7/12] Added full show stream and download below.People may say many things about Alpine Valley, but one thing that that can't be denied is that it is an extremely photogenic place, especially on a beautiful night like Saturday, the first of two nights of Dead & Company.The...

By: Philamonjaro StudioPortland, Oregon's The Decemberists contrasted the hip-hop and alt-rock of the first two nights of The Taste, with a pleasing take on indie-folk for the Grant Park crowd.Front man Colin Meloy, guitarist Chris Funk, and keyboardist Jenny Conlee combined for soaring and dramatic melodies, wrapped up in folksy narratives.  ...

By: Philamonjaro StudioDespite a threatening sky, music fans stuck it out in a mild rain to see the double bill of The Kongos and opener Elle King on the second day of the annual Taste Of Chicago.Both acts shared an unbridled energy on stage, with hooks and ...

This edition of Notes From The Jazz Underground was culled from the June 17th  & June 24th broadcasts.Ever since we launched Tomorrow's Verse, we've been playing catch-up with these NFTJU posts, so let's combine two of them into a huge Jazz Underground DOUBLE SHOT for your listening pleasure and get us up...

Words: Robin Zimmerman | Photos: Howard Greenblatt (imaginepictures.net)Over 500,000 people recently flocked to Grant Park for the 33rd Chicago Blues Festival. Behind the beautiful backdrop of the citys high-profile skyline, fans enjoyed blues from a variety of traditional and contemporary artists.  This years festival ran from June 10th through June 13th....

Photos: Howard Greenblatt I'm running out of superlatives when it comes to describing the music of Tedeschi Trucks Band.I've already dubbed them the Best Band In America after their recent Chicago Theater stop, and the team has done nothing to refute that title in their return to the area this...