Music on the Esplanade 2013 Schedule

Tuesday, June 11
6 – 8 p.m.

Swing and jazz are uniquely American musical genres. This band brings them both to life. With a level of professional musicianship that offers both the appreciative listener and the avid dancer a solid swingin’ groove, Bopology prides itself on maintaining the authenticity of this music. Rather than cover a song note-for-note, the improvisation within a song enables individual musicians to showcase their unique talents to capitalize on Bopology’s more than 100 years of combined musical experience.

Tuesday, June 25
6 – 8 p.m.

Hector & Mari Fernandez, along with Tom Kimball, have shared a love of Spanish guitar since the early 1990s. Over the years, they have transformed many styles of music into a vast Spanish guitar repertoire. They have traveled to Spain, Italy, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and California, and New York, where they have studied and performed with world-renowned artists and dancers. Their repertoire includes flamenco, classical, Latin American standards, and jazz standards.

Tuesday, July 9
6 – 8 p.m.

Rio Bamba is a Chicago-based Brazilian jazz fusion band founded in 2005 that possesses a unique style. While all Brazilian music with its catchy dance rhythms is highly accessible to most people, Rio Bamba turns up the electricity, figuratively and literally, by ramping up tempos and bravado without ever disrespecting the source material. Classic Brazilian jazz, samba, and bossa nova performed in the original Portuguese as well as in English may be this band’s forte, but they fearlessly “color outside the lines” and perform American jazz standards as well.

Tuesday, July 23
6 – 8 p.m.

Their name, Montana Skies, is a metaphor for musical freedom, and they continue to follow their creative instincts far beyond traditional boundaries. In concert, these award-winning musicians delve into music from Pink Floyd and Rush to Vivaldi, and House of the Rising Sun, as well as their own originals that have been featured everywhere from NPR to the Travel Channel. Montana Skies’ seemingly nonstop tour schedule has taken them all across the United States as well as to Canada, Asia, and Russia. Their dedication to their musical vision has helped them build an enthusiastic grassroots fan base along the way. Combining elements of classical technique, jazz improv, and the power and energy of rock n' roll. Jonathan's guitar wizardry and Jenn's blazing electric cello combine to create a sound that is truly remarkable. While the music defies simple categorization, it is a fusion in the truest sense of the word. It's been called everything from chamber rock to psychedelic strings.

Tuesday, June 25
6 – 8 p.m.

Hector & Mari Fernandez, along with Tom Kimball, have shared a love of Spanish guitar since the early 1990s. Over the years, they have transformed many styles of music into a vast Spanish guitar repertoire. They have traveled to Spain, Italy, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and California, and New York, where they have studied and performed with world-renowned artists and dancers. Their repertoire includes flamenco, classical, Latin American standards, and jazz standards.

Tuesday, August 20
6 - 8 p.m.

Blues guitarist, bandleader, and producer Dave Specter has earned an international reputation as one of the premier young talents on the Chicago blues scene. Since 1985, Specter has performed regularly at top Chicago blues and jazz clubs in addition to festivals and concert halls throughout the United States. Since 1989, Specter has toured internationally and behind such blues greats as Son Seals, The Legendary Blues Band, Hubert Sumlin, Sam Lay, and Steve Freund. Specter has also performed and recorded with such blues and jazz artists as Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Jimmy Johnson, Jack McDuff, Johnny Adams, Snooky Pryor, and more. Specter has recently performed in France, Argentina, Israel, and Hawaii and appeared on more than 35 CDs and DVDs.