In 2020, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival adapted to uncertain times by staging a series of outdoor shows. The event took a similar approach in 2021, with only two indoor performances, and lots of sets on the Midway Plaisance, parking lots and courtyards throughout the neighborhood.
The 15th Hyde Park Jazz Festival, which took place last Saturday and Sunday, may have been the best ever. That’s a tall statement, given how many great ones there have been—but it’s less about ranking favorites and more about how good it felt to see such a beloved event getting back to its old self.
2020 Hyde Park Jazz FEstival
JAZZ KITCHEN
BACK ALLEY JAZZ
Jazz Postcards
The Hyde Park Jazz Fest experienced its pandemic trial by fire last year, when the festival grooved on in the form of pop-up sidewalk performances and streamed indoor sets. 2021′s festival welcomed back the festival mainstages of sunnier years while retaining some 2020 adaptations, like hosting smaller outdoor performances around the neighborhood and streaming its two large-scale indoor sets (drummer Makaya McCraven’s band and Ensemble Dal Niente with saxophonist Ken Vandermark, premiering a new work by Roscoe Mitchell).