Chicago West Community Orchestra Honors City’s Jazz Legacy During International Jazz Day Celebration

As jazz musicians moved through nearly a century of Chicago music history inside the Garfield Park Conservatory last month, the performance doubled as both a concert and a tribute to the city that helped shape the sound of modern jazz. 

“Chicago to the World: A Jazz Celebration,” presented on April 28 by the Chicago West Community Music Center (CWCMC) Community Orchestra, was part of Chicago’s month-long observance of the 15th Annual International Jazz Day. This year marked the first time Chicago served as the event’s global host city, culminating in an All-Star Global Concert at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on April 30. 

For Howard Sandifer, who cofounded Chicago West with his wife, Darlene, participating in the international celebration felt like a natural fit for a city with Chicago’s musical lineage.

“We felt that it was a very important event to take place in Chicago given the history of the musicians who have come through here and are still here,” Sandifer said in a recent interview.

Sandifer said he first learned in 2025 that Chicago would host International Jazz Day and reached out to the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) last fall to express interest in participating. 

The concert traced the evolution of jazz in Chicago through a chronological setlist spanning traditional jazz, big-band arrangements, progressive styles, and contemporary interpretations rooted in the jazz tradition.

“The story in terms of jazz in Chicago started in 1922 when Louis Armstrong got off the Illinois Central coming from New Orleans,” Sandifer said. “He changed the face of popular music, not just jazz.”

The program also highlighted contemporary artists carrying that legacy forward, including modern Chicago musicians such as pianist Jamal “Jamire” Stampley, whose work blends experimentation with classic jazz forms.

Renowned jazz vocalist Tammy McCann joined the orchestra as a featured guest performer. The event also drew prominent public officials, including Mayor Brandon Johnson and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. 

Chicago West is now preparing for its next major performance, an annual spring concert on May 16 at the Garfield Park Conservatory. The event will include a morning recital by the organization’s West Side Instructional String and Harps Program, followed by an afternoon orchestral performance that revisits selections from “Chicago to the World” as “a gift from Chicago,” Sandifer said.

For more information on CWCMC, visit cwcmc.org.