New York, NY (Top40 Charts) CORKY SIEGEL'S CHAMBER BLUES celebrates their 35th season with first in-person concert since the pandemic shutdown, Friday May13, 2022 at 7:30pm, Elgin Community College, Blizzard Theater, Building H, Elgin Community College
It was March of 2020, Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues ensemble, and jazz saxophone icon, Ernie Watts, were on a high, in a flow of creativity, in the middle of the ocean in the Caribbean, in the middle of a tour. When they landed back in the
Chicago airport to continue north and then west, everything stopped smack dab! Mother Nature spoke; "Go to your rooms!"
That didn't stop the flow of creativity for Siegel who immediately began offering free streaming concerts twice a week, sharing stories, and interviewing fascinating guests like Pixar founder Alvy Ray Smith, renaissance man, composer musician
David Amram, and actor Max Gail. He called the project; "Life's Dream" (say it). And he produced over 150 Life's
Dream presentations in a year and a half.
The Damnpandic didn't stop the ensemble either, nor their brilliant guest artists. Everyone joined together from their individual spaces across the country to create dazzling "closer than in-person" full length video productions of original music with a blues/classical foundation.
The virtual concerts with harmonica ace, Corky Siegel and the Chamber Blues ensemble included platinum selling vocalist Marcella
Detroit in Los Angeles, Two-time Grammy winner Jazz saxophone icon Ernie Watts (Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa) in Big Sur, Grammy nominated country vocal star Tracy
Nelson in Nashville, Poi Dog Pondering's Frank Orrall in Sedona, blues champions Toronzo Cannon and Lynne Jordan, and Ukrainian Cantor Pavel Roytman scattered around the windy city.
The performances were captured with hi-quality recording techniques so a new Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues MORE Different Voices audiophile quality album could be produced for a July 2022 release. All these brainchildren projects were born out of necessity during the pandemic for we all needed big hugs. There is a possibility there will be a pre-release CD ready for audiences attending the concert in May in Elgin but a single from the Album is already available in cyberspace for streaming and downloads.
The upcoming May 13 concert, featuring Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues with Ernie Watts at Elgin Community College, celebrates the group's 35th season, and marks a benchmark anniversary with the venue's now retired Executive Director, Steve Duchrow. Duchrow, along with friend Burt Dikelsky, then Executive
Director of the Paramount Theater in Aurora, were the first two presenters to book Chamber Blues.
The group will be joined by Jazz giant Ernie Watts who is considered to be one of the world's greatest living tenor saxophonists. Prior to the concert, both Siegel and Watts will offering masterclasses on May 5 for the celebrated Elgin Community College Jazz Ensemble students under the direction of the school's music director, Professor Shawn Maxwell.
