Hyde Park Jazz Festival: Local flavor from talents to savor

From its inception, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival has always dedicated portions of its programming to showcasing local talent. But this year, the festival will take that commitment another step forward, as some vital Chicago-based artists will play exclusive shows you can't catch anywhere else. "What really excites me about this year's festival is that these artists are bringing people in from other parts of the country to collaborate on a special project—and Hyde Park is the only place that they're doing that," said Kate Dumbleton, the jazz festival's director. She's also proud that past logistical hurdles have been cleared, giving fans every opportunity to catch more shows without a hitch at 14 venues over two days. "In 2012, there were too many shows that were running into each other, and that made people stressed," Dumbleton said. "So last year we worked hard on programmatic cohesiveness, which allowed people to move easily from one show to another—and that stylistically and practically, would allow people to hang out for the day. That worked really well, so this year we're continuing that." The University of Chicago's Office of Civic Engagement provided support for grassroots efforts to launch the Hyde Park Jazz Festival.