PREFACE: Jazz Without Chicago?
On Chicago Jazz: Hotter Near the Lake (Sept. 5, 1993)
On the AACM: Revolution in Sound (March 1, 2015)

1: JELLY ROLL MORTON
Jelly Roll Blues, Part 1 (Dec. 12, 1999)
The Gospel According to Jelly Roll (Sept. 25, 2005)

2: LOUIS ARMSTRONG
Satchmo in Chicago (April 9, 1995)
What If Armstrong Succumbed to Pandemic? (May 24, 2020)

3: ART HODES
Born to the Purple (March 3, 1991)
The Blues, Brother (Oct. 25, 1992)

4: ANITA O’DAY
A Bright New O’Day (April 22, 1990)
O’Day Is Back in Town (May 6, 1990)

5: DOROTHY DONEGAN
Dorothy in Dreamland (Sept. 19, 1993)
Piano Madness (Sept. 22, 1993)

6: AHMAD JAMAL
Still Inventing (Oct. 8, 2014)
88 Years Young (Oct. 13, 2018)

7: SUN RA
Out of This World (Feb. 24, 1991)
Cosmic Tunes (May 3, 1992)

8: OSCAR BROWN JR.
An Appreciation (June 5, 2005)
Behind the Music (Oct. 14, 2005)

9: JOHNNY HARTMAN
Back into the Spotlight (June 4, 1995)
A Singular Voice (June 12, 2024)

10: JOHNNY GRIFFIN
A Jazzman’s Return (April 18, 1993)
“Little Giant” at 62 (April 29, 1990)

11: VON FREEMAN
Freeman Is Chicago Jazz History (Sept. 20, 1992)
Freeman’s Birth Year Is Wrong (Jan. 11, 2011)

12: FRED ANDERSON
The Velvet Lounge (Aug. 28, 1997)
Straight, No Pretense (June 11, 1995)

13: HERBIE HANCOCK
Herbie’s Blues (March 21, 2004)
Dark Days (Nov. 12, 2014)

14: KELAN PHIL COHRAN
Inspiring Generations (June 30, 2017)
Cohran Honors Sun Ra (Aug. 16, 2008)

15: MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS
A Vital Influence (Nov. 2, 2017)
An Epic Statement (April 13, 1999)

16: WILLIE PICKENS
A Piano Titan (Dec. 14, 2017)
Next for NEA? (May 13, 2015)

17: RAMSEY LEWIS
The Music of His Years (Feb. 25, 1996)
“Proclamation of Hope” (June 7, 2009)

18: DEE ALEXANDER
Spreading Her Wings (Dec. 30, 2007)
A New Freedom (Oct. 15, 2016)

19: REGINALD ROBINSON
Ragtime Blues (May 1, 2005)
Invisible Man? (Jan. 24, 2010)

20: PATRICIA BARBER
Reaching “Higher” (June 2, 2019)
A New Take on Art Songs (Dec. 9, 2015)

21: KURT ELLING
Raw Talent, Naked Ambition (March 23, 1997)
Coming Home to Chicago (Oct. 18, 2020)

22: KEN VANDERMARK
“Genius” Grant (June 23, 1999)
Sounds Never Heard Before (Sept. 8, 2002)

23: ORBERT DAVIS
The Turning Point (Nov. 24, 1995)
The Chicago River Gets Jazzed (May 27, 2013)

24: KAHIL EL’ZABAR
Still Pushing Boundaries (Nov. 2, 2003)
Trafficking in Creativity (Oct. 19, 1997)

25: ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO
Neglected at Home (Dec. 14, 1997)
Return to Mandel Hall (May 3, 2004)

EPILOGUE: Not Enough Time

Acknowledgments
Discography
Index