I’m writing this on Election Day, and everyone is thinking about winning or losing. I’m thinking about a loss that occurred a few days ago — the death of the great Quincy Jones. I wore out his Walking in Space album when I was a high school trombonist. Quincy once said, “The last things to leave this planet will be water and music. People cannot live without music.” I believe this.
We should be safe this week — there is lots of local music to keep our world spinning.
This is a week of hard choices. On Friday there are two magnificent female vocalists performing at the same time in Evanston — Jazzmeia Horn at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall and Sarah Marie Young at Studio 5. On Saturday, there are two choral groups presenting unusual programs that will happen simultaneously — Northwestern University Chorus at Galvin Recital Hall and the North Shore Choral Society at First Presbyterian Church of Evanston. On Sunday, you get to choose between Irish music and dance in Skokie or real-deal blues in a dive bar in Rogers Park. On Tuesday, choose between our local guitar ace Donovan Mixon or South African jazz pianist Nduduzo Makhathini. Unlike our presidential election, it’s not easy to make a choice among these excellent musical candidates…