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A favorite Chicago sideman who has played with Chet Baker, Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins, among others, Jodie Christian went on to lead his own groups in the 1990s. |
Pianist Jodie Christian is one of Chicago's greatly admired musicians. A versatile musician, Christian was the perennial favorite sideman for the big name acts that blew through the Windy City including Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Benny Carter and Milt Jackson.
In the late 1950s, Christian was a leader of the Chicago bop scene. In the '60s, he was a co-founder of Chicago's free jazz collective, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. The group, headed by Muhal Richard Abrams, included such other notable Chicago musicians as Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Leroy Jenkins and Chico Freeman.
With the goal of promoting and expanding modern African-American music, the AACM put on festivals and concerts and even set up a school for young musicians. Its influence is felt to this day, through both surviving recordings and musicians like Christian who went on to have long, varied careers.
Christian has appeared on many recordings with the likes of Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Gene Ammons, and Sonny Stitt among others, but it wasn't until the 1990s that he began releasing albums as a leader.
Set List for Jodie Christian on Piano Jazz:"My Heart Stood Still" (Rodgers, Hart)
"End of A Love Affair" (E. Redding)
"Ambiance" (McPartland)
"All the Things You Are" (Hammerstein, Kern)
"Gone With the Wind" (Magidson, Wrubel)
"Chelsea Bridge" (Strayhorn)
"Sonny Moon for Two" (Rollins)
Jodie Christian on Chicago's Center Stage
In the late 1950s, Christian was a leader of the Chicago bop scene. In the '60s, he was a co-founder of Chicago's free jazz collective, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. The group, headed by Muhal Richard Abrams, included such other notable Chicago musicians as Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Leroy Jenkins and Chico Freeman.
With the goal of promoting and expanding modern African-American music, the AACM put on festivals and concerts and even set up a school for young musicians. Its influence is felt to this day, through both surviving recordings and musicians like Christian who went on to have long, varied careers.
Christian has appeared on many recordings with the likes of Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Gene Ammons, and Sonny Stitt among others, but it wasn't until the 1990s that he began releasing albums as a leader.
Set List for Jodie Christian on Piano Jazz:
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