Studio5 Presents Album Release Concerts by Jazz Artists This Spring

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Evanston, Ill. — If you love to hear the newest music being released on the Chicago jazz scene, you won’t want to miss the shows at Studio5 in Evanston this winter and spring.

The performing arts venue will be presenting several concerts where artists will be celebrating music from their newest releases, including vocalist Paul Marinaro performing music from his newest album, Not Quite Yet, on Feb. 18; Polish jazz singer Grazyna Auguscik performing music from her latest album, 2 the Light, on March 8; jazz mandolin great Don Stiernberg performing music from his latest album, The Swingin'est, on March 22; spoken word poetry/jazz group The Last Word performing music from their new CD, Falling To Earth, on April 19; and Studio5 Artistic Director Steve Rashid performing music from his new album, is it beautiful there?, on May 3.

“It’s always exciting to hear the newest music that artists are recording, and I love that so many artists are continuing to put out new albums,” said Rashid, who is also a music producer. “I hope audiences will love the variety of music that we have to offer this season.”

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Jazz fans will be especially excited for Marinaro’s concert on Feb. 18, not only because Marinaro is a beloved vocalist on the Chicago jazz scene, but also because this concert will feature a huge line-up of 14 musicians, including backup singers and a string quartet, to create a rich, lush sound.

In addition to the album release concerts, Studio5 is also excited to welcome back Howard Levy (Feb. 23), a multiple Grammy-winning harmonica and piano virtuoso and a founding member of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, where he will perform with the father-and-son duo of Michael and Lorenzo Riessler, two well-known jazz musicians from Germany.

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Some of the other hotly anticipated concerts in the winter and spring line-up include a performance by vocalist Leslie Beukelman and pianist Jeremy Kahn (April 5), who will be performing the music of Leonard Bernstein and Charles Mingus, as well as a performance by pianist Ben Paterson and guitarist Joel Patterson (April 26), two stunning individual artists who will engage in a volley of solo and duet pieces.

In addition, Studio5 is thrilled to be bringing back jazz saxophonist and Evanston native and Evanston Mayor’s Arts Award recipient Chris Greene (March 1) to perform with his quartet. Greene’s enjoys playful use of unusual time signatures in his arrangements, and the group performs music that is a mixture of funk, hip-hop, rock, pop, blues, and reggae.

Two other artists will be announced for May 10 and May 17 soon.

Tickets for all shows range from $25 to $50, depending on the date. For tickets, please visit https://studio5.dance/calendar.

STUDIO5 WINTER & SPRING EVENTS

Feb. 18 — Paul Marinaro, “Not Quite Yet”

6 p.m.

Extraordinary jazz vocalist Paul Marinaro presents a live concert of music from his recent recording, Not Quite Yet. Featuring brilliant arrangements by guitarist Mike Allemana, Not Quite Yet is Paul’s very personal exploration of life and love, and the search for deeper meaning and connection in a post-pandemic reality. Featuring Allyssa Allgood and Rose Colella on backup vocals; Mike Allemana on guitar; Tom Vaitsas on piano; Ethan Philion on bass; George Fludas on drums; Marques Carroll on trumpet; Raphael Crawford on trombone; Chris Madsen on tenor sax; Rich Moore on alto sax, clarinet, and flute; and the KAIA String Quartet (Victoria Moreira and Naomi Culp on violin; Susan Bengtson on viola; Hope Shepherd DeCelle on cello). This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.

Tickets: $35 for general admission, $50 for cabaret seating

Feb. 23 — Howard Levy with Michael and Lorenzo Riessler

8 p.m.

Howard Levy, a multiple Grammy-winning harmonica and piano virtuoso and a founding member of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, returns to Studio5 with two father-and-son German musicians: Michael Riessler (bass clarinet) and Lorenzo Riessler (drums). Levy created a radically new approach to the harmonica and revolutionized the way a diatonic harmonica is played, transforming it into a fully chromatic instrument. He has worked with Paquito D’Rivera, Donald Fagen and Paul Simon. German-based bass clarintettist Michael Riessler is considered one of the "most virtuosic instrumentalists and creative composers" (Süddeutsche Zeitung). He was a member of the National Jazz Orchestra in Paris and has performed at major jazz festivals around the world. Drummer Lorenzo Riessler, who resides in Berlin, plays with bands and singers in the UK and Europe. He has performed at major jazz venues and festivals internationally. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.