The 39th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival will celebrate the 100th birthdays of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Ella Fitzgerald. The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events recently announced the headliners. The three-day festival at Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center will be Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31 to Sept. 2.
One day each will be devoted to the music of Gillespie, Monk and Fitzgerald. Headliners will include Donny McCaslin Group, Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio, Allison Miller Boom Tic Boom, Dr. Michael White Quartet, the Rebirth Brass Band and more.
The festival will include four stages of free live performances by a large pool of Chicago jazz talent and others from around the world. It's programmed by the Jazz Institute of Chicago .
