The 19th Annual Festival will once again be held in architecturally unique venues across the Hyde Park, Kenwood, and Washington Park neighborhoods. The Festival lineup features 33 FREE performances on September 27th-28th, 2025. The program includes visiting national artists alongside some of Chicago’s brightest lights. Venues include: Smart Museum, Rockefeller Chapel, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Hyde Park Bank, Hyde Park Union Church, The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, Augustana Church, and the Midway Plaisance.

Special guest and visiting musician projects include: Trio Imagination featuring Reggie Workman (bass), Andrew Cyrille (drums), and David Virelles (piano); Carl Allen and The Messengers of Jazz: Tribute to Art Blakey featuring Donald Harrison (alto saxophone), Billy Pierce (tenor saxophone), Brian Lynch (trumpet), Geoffrey Keezer (piano), Alexander Claffy (double bass), and Carl Allen (drums); Fay Victor’s Herbie Nichols SUNG featuring Fay Victor (voice, lyrics, conception), Anthony Coleman (piano), Michael Attias (alto/baritone saxophone), Ratzo Harris (double bass), and Tom Rainey (drums); former Chicagoan Maurice “MoBetta” Brown will bring his home town energy; Dana Hall will present a new trio with guest Aaron Goldberg (piano) and long-time collaborator Clark Sommer (bass); Dee Alexander will bring her Evolution Ensemble for a renunion featuring Dee Alexander (vocals), Tomeka Reid (cello), Scott Hesse (guitar), Junius Paul (bass), Yusef Ernie Adams (drums); and emerging drummer and composer Lily Finnegan will present her quartet with Chicago stalwarts Edward Wilkerson Jr. (tenor saxophone), Fred Jackson Jr. (alto saxophone), and Nick Macri (bass). The 2025 Festival will close out with a celebratory set by the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International.

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will celebrate several milestones and special projects in the program. This includes the 60th Anniversary of the Association of the Advancement of Creative Musicians; the 30th Anniversary of the Asian American Jazz Festival; and the 70th Birthday of drummer Hamid Drake. The Festival is also partnering with the Smart Museum to present performances in connection to the Theaster Gates exhibition Unto Thee. Additional details will be shared mid-summer.

The annual Rockefeller Chapel performance will be an hour earlier this year to close Saturday’s activities and will feature a very special solo performance by critically acclaimed pianist Jason Moran. Moran will perform his solo project, Jason Moran Presents Duke Ellington: My Heart Sings. The Rockefeller Chapel will be an exquisite setting for this not-to-be-missed performance.

Hyde Park Jazz Festival Schedule:

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Wagner Stage (Midway Plaisance/S. Woodlawn Ave.)

2:00pm-3:00pm Jo Ann Daugherty Trio w/Bruce Henry

4:00pm-5:00pm Ari Brown Quintet

6:00pm-7:00pm Occidental Brothers Dance Band International

West Stage (Midway Plaisance/S. Ellis Ave.)

3:00pm-4:00pm Chicago Asian American "Origins of Now" Big Band

5:00pm-6:00pm Billy Branch and The Sons of Blues

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is FREE but we ask attendees to consider a $10 per person donation so we can continue to support Jazz on the South Side!