Chicago took center stage for International Jazz Day on April 30, hosting a global celebration. The programming showcased and honored the city’s deep-rooted jazz legacy.
Various jazz performances were held in the city leading up to April 30. In one of those performances leading up to International Jazz Day, students from Austin’s Chicago Jesuit Academy performed at BandWith Chicago on April 28 along with the Marques Carroll Quintet, and BandWith Chicago youth. BandWith Chicago is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote wellness for underserved Chicago communities through lasting access to high quality performing arts programs.
Marques Carroll has spent nearly 20 years shaping the music program at Chicago Jesuit Academy, growing it from just eight students into a program that will serve around 150 next year in grades three through eight. Today, the program includes choir and concert band, drum line, piano and music tech, giving students multiple ways to explore and connect with music.
“When I saw Chicago was hosting [International Jazz Day], I wanted to find a way to get involved. I’ve been in Chicago for 30 years and have become a staple on the jazz scene here and internationally, so I wanted to bring that experience to the table,” Carroll said.
The importance of the work happening on Chicago’s West Side, especially through arts nonprofits supporting students, was emphasized by Carroll. With over a decade of involvement with BandWith Chicago as a board member and consultant, there has been close work helping sustain music programming as schools scale back arts education. The focus has been on long-term development of young musicians through consistent access and training. Some of those students have since gone on to pursue professional music careers.
Said Carroll: “I believe Chicago is one of the main centers of the global jazz scene. It was a key stop, really a pivotal place during the Great Migration that helped shape Chicago into what it is today as a jazz city. We have a rich culture here and I wanted to highlight that.”
Carroll emphasized the importance of not only highlighting Chicago’s jazz history but also showcasing young people who are actively engaging in music in meaningful ways beyond sports and video games. He said that many young people are still deeply invested in creativity and continue to seek out artistic outlets for self-expression.
About BandWith Chicago
Annie Palomino is the founding executive director for BandWith Chicago.
“Annie aims to provide music opportunities for young students on the West Side of Chicago who otherwise did not have access. The school understood her vision and gave her the space and opportunity to do so, in the same way Chicago Jesuit Academy did for me. Since then, the program has continued to grow,” Carroll said.
Looking ahead, the goal for BandWith Chicago is to turn its space into a true community hub where local residents can come together to pursue the arts, learn, and create alongside one another.
“We just opened our space a few months ago, and the whole idea was to be able to do things like this, so we’re really happy and excited to be here,” Palomino said.
Carroll explained that they formed a board and began envisioning what it would look like to have their own space to do this kind of work. It took time to secure funding and develop the overall vision needed to build a nonprofit of that scale.
“Students are getting opportunities to perform not only in the city of Chicago, but also nationwide, which has been exciting through travel and performance. It’s done a great job of giving students a creative outlet, as well as potential pathways to college, including ways to help pay for it,” Carroll said. “It also teaches life skills, students are learning important life lessons through the arts,” Carroll said.
When asked how jazz functions as a tool for community building on the West Side today, Carroll responded that jazz should be understood as an extension of blues, noting that both blues and jazz are foundational to American music.
“Without blues and jazz, you don’t have rock and roll, soul, R&B, funk, or hip hop. American culture and Western culture are based on those two musical traditions in my opinion. When we understand what jazz is, it is Black American music. The term jazz was later placed on the music. It comes out of Black culture and the people who created it never called it jazz,” Carroll said.
Jazz was defined as a form of freedom that allows people to express who they are and reflect current times through music and performance. It was also described as a way of telling stories and documenting lived experiences through sound.
“It’s about bringing together people at all levels as musicians and being part of something collective, and sharing that experience in a way that helps bring everyone in the city together,” Carroll said.
Students had the opportunity to perform alongside more established musicians and also listen to performances from them. The experience allowed them to learn directly from professionals while sharing the stage in a collaborative setting.
“We’re going to give them an opportunity to show how we teach this music to the students, and then at the end we’ll jam a bit together. I want the students to walk away thinking, ‘This is what’s possible, this is the level I’m aiming for’ and it hopefully helps them build connections with us as educators and professional musicians,” Carroll said.
Carroll reflected on their experience preparing students at Chicago Jesuit Academy for the performance, noting that they used to be a perfectionist but have been working on that mindset as a teacher.
“We do listening sessions so they can understand what it needs to sound like and what it shouldn’t sound like. The experience has sometimes been overwhelming because we’re often taking two steps forward with middle school students, then a couple steps back, then another leap forward and then a small step back again,” Carroll said.