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Sunday, September 3, 2023
Music Entertainment and Culture

Dianne Reeves cancels Chicago Jazz Festival set; Kurt Elling to fill in

‘Personal reasons’ blamed for Reeves’ withdrawal from Pritzker Pavilion set.

By  Darel Jevens
   
SHARE Dianne Reeves cancels Chicago Jazz Festival set; Kurt Elling to fill in
Singer Dianne Reeves had been scheduled to perform Friday at the Chicago Jazz Festival.

Singer Dianne Reeves had been scheduled to perform Friday at the Chicago Jazz Festival.

Jerris Madison

On the eve of the Chicago Jazz Festival’s launch, one of the weekend’s top draws — singer Dianne Reeves — has canceled her appearance.

Reeves “is no longer able to perform due to personal reasons,” said a statement from the festival’s sponsor, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, which offered no further explanation.

Replacing her at 7:45 p.m. Friday will be Grammy-winning vocalist Kurt Elling, who will be joined by guitarist Charlie Hunter to perform songs from their new collaborative album “SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree.”

GettyImages_1146047741.jpg

Kurt Elling performs in Melbourne, Australia, in 2019.

Graham Denholm/Getty Images

Headliners at the free Chicago Jazz Festival, running Thursday through Sunday, perform at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park.

Also in the lineup are Chico Freeman (6:30 p.m. Thursday), Ron Carter and Foresight (8 p.m. Thursday), Ari Brown Quintet (6:25 p.m. Friday), Nduduzo Makhathini (6:25 p.m. Saturday), Makaya McCraven (7:45 p.m. Saturday), Billy Valentine (6:25 p.m. Sunday) and Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars (7:45 p.m. Sunday).

For the full schedule, go to chicagojazzfestival.us.

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