By Jonathan Abarbanel
Summer 2006 has sizzled both in temperature and attitude, and just because we're ( already ) heading into the last full month of the season doesn't mean things are cooling down one bit. The musical focus continues to be mostly outdoors and definitely along the lakeshore.
For example, start south at 71st Street and South Shore Drive, where the South Shore Cultural Center hosts the Jazz Heritage Festival ( Sat.-Sun., Aug. 5-6 ) . These all-day showcases of jazz feature both locally and nationally acclaimed artists who celebrate the diverse roots of jazz in African, Caribbean and Latin rhythms. The Jazz Heritage Festival is presented as part of the City of Chicago's year-long Silk Road Chicago cultural project.
Next, head for the Chicago Cultural Center at Michigan Avenue and Washington Street, where Mozart takes a Silk Road detour with performances of his fantasy opera The Magic Flute ( Mon.-Sun., Aug. 7-13 ) , with staging and costuming borrowed from techniques of Indian Sanskrit theater and Balinese dance theater. Sung in English, The Magic Flute features the New Millennium Orchestra and the Gallery 37 Vocal Arts Ensemble. Performances are free, but tickets are required as space is limited.
Step across Michigan Avenue from the Cultural Center and you'll find yourself at Millennium Park, where the Grant Park Music Festival at Pritzker Pavilion offers free classical music programs on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights through Sat., Aug. 19. Among the upcoming choices are an evening of Fado-style songs from Portugal and Brazil, sung by Cristina Branco with the Grant Park Orchestra ( Aug. 2 ) , an evening of works by Brahms, Bernstein and Bach conducted by Carlos Kalmar with violinist Ilya Kaler ( Fri., Aug. 11 ) and Dvorak's powerful Stabat Mater with the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus and various soloists ( Wed. and Fri., Aug. 16 and 18 ) . The classical music season finishes with Beethoven's Emperor Concerto ( Stephen Hough, piano ) and Prokofiev's fifth symphony ( Sat., Aug. 19 ) .
The Pritzker Pavilion—or the spaceship from Alien as I prefer to call it—also is the site of Music Without Borders ( Sun., Aug. 13 ) , a concert preview of the 2006 World Music Festival. The preview features Anoushka Shankar leading her own ensemble in selections from Rise, her Grammy Award-nominated world music album influenced by her upbringing in South Asian music.
Follow Michigan Avenue a short journey North to the Water Tower and turn right for Tuesdays on the Terrace, the free jazz series that continues at the Museum of Contemporary Art ( MCA ) throughout August, offering the Fred Anderson Trio ( Aug. 1 ) , the Alfonso Ponticelli Trio ( Aug. 8 ) , Crosswind ( Aug. 15 ) , Diane 'Lil Sax' Ellis and the Jazzy Ladies ( Aug. 22 ) and the Corey Wilkes Trio ( Aug. 29 ) . The deal is live jazz on the terrace of the MCA, facing the sculpture garden, 5:30-8 p.m. You can purchase drinks or light food ( catered by Wolfgang Puck ) if you wish, or just chill to the sounds. Also, Tuesday is free admission day at the MCA. The galleries are open late, so you can catch some jazz and see the latest exhibitions, too, such as the show of works by gay photographer Wolfgang Tillmans, whose work includes erotic subjects.
From the MCA, its just 10 miles north along Lake Shore Drive and Sheridan Road to the campus of Northwestern University, where the resident American Music Theater Project ( AMTP ) has two intriguing events in August. The AMTP presents the world premiere of a new musical, The Boys Are Coming Home, at the Ethel Barber Theatre ( Fri.-Sun., July 28-Aug. 13 ) , loosely inspired by Shakespeare's romantic comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, but set in the 1940s at the end of World War II. One of our town's top directors, Gary Griffin, does the staging even as he holds auditions for the Chicago company of his Broadway success, The Color Purple.
True aficionados of the Great American Songbook should flock to the second AMTP event, a celebration of the work and inspiration of Johnny Mercer, the lyricist and songwriter whose hits include 'You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,' 'Come Rain or Come Shine,' 'One For My Baby,' 'Moon River,' 'Hooray for Hollywood,' 'Accentuate the Positive' and many others. Co-presented by the Johnny Mercer Foundation, the five-day event features famed guest artists and master classes for young composers and lyricists, plus several public cabaret events and concerts. Performances include Amanda McBroom ( Mon., Aug. 7 ) , John Bucchino ( Tues., Aug. 8 ) , lyricist David Zippel ( Thurs., Aug. 10 ) , An Evening of New, Emerging Songrwriters ( Fri., Aug. 11 ) and The Johnny Mercer Tribute Concert ( Sat., Aug. 12 ) . All are at the Josephine Louis Theatre. For tickets to any AMTP event call 847-491-7282.
Continue north on Sheridan Road to the Ravinia Festival, where the Chicago Symphony Orchestra completes its summer residency in August with an all-star line-up of soloists, including violinist Gil Shaham ( Fri., Aug. 4 ) , dazzling soprano Renee Fleming ( Sat., Aug. 5 ) , cellist Yo-Yo Ma ( Sun., Aug. 6 ) and the Ravinia debut of brilliant soprano Dame Felicity Lott ( in recital, singing songs by Schumann and Noel Coward among others, on Mon., Aug. 14 ) .
For many, however, the real action at Ravinia are the three concert performances of Gypsy, with Patti LuPone as Mama Rose. The classic musical by Arthur Laurents ( book ) , Jule Styne ( music ) and Stephen Sondheim ( lyrics ) will be staged by Lonny Price and conducted by long-time Sondheim orchestrator Paul Gemignani ( Fri.-Sun., Aug. 11-13 ) .
The next stop is Milwaukee—but they can look out for themselves!
