NINETY-FIFTH
SEASON
Friday, March 13, 2026, at 8:00
Jazz Series
SOMI
Somi Vocals
Toru Dodo Keyboards
Ben Williams Bass
Harvel Nakundi Drums
INTERMISSION
NUBYA GARCIA
Nubya Garcia Tenor Saxophone
Lyle Barton Keyboards
Max Luthert Bass
Sam Jones Drums
Kate Dumbleton, executive and artistic director of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, is the guest curator of tonight’s concert.
The program will be announced from the stage.
Funding for educational programs during the 2025–26 Season of SCP Jazz has been generously provided by Dan J. Epstein, Judith Guitelman, and the Dan J. Epstein Family Foundation.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
Chicago Jazz, DownBeat magazine, and WDCB 90.9FM Jazz are Media Partners for this event.
Somi Vocals
Grammy-nominated vocalist and composer Somi Kakoma is known in the international jazz world simply as Somi. She has become one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz and global music. Her 2021 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album made her the first African woman nominated in the jazz category. Her last studio album, Zenzile: The Imagination of Miriam Makeba, inspired the critically acclaimed musical Dreaming Zenzile, which Somi wrote and starred in off-Broadway. A recipient of two NAACP Image awards and a Doris Duke Artist Award, she is also the founder of Salon Africana, a boutique cultural agency and record label. Last season, Somi made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award–winning play Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.
somimusic.com @somimusic
Toru Dodo Keyboards
Grammy-nominated pianist, composer, and arranger Toru Dodo has performed with Kenny Garrett, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, Ruth Brown, and Terumasa Hino. He collaborates with
prominent vocalists, including Somi, Alicia Olatuja, Nicole Henry, and Laurin Talese, performing at major jazz festivals and concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa.
Ben Williams Bass
Ben Williams has performed and recorded with Pat Metheny, George Benson, Stefon Harris, David Sanborn, Lauryn Hill, Wynton Marsalis, Robert Glasper, Maxwell, and Nicholas Payton. In 2013 and 2015, Williams received the DownBeat magazine Critics Poll Rising Star Award for Bass. He was named the 2011 iTunes Breakthrough Artist of the Year in the category of jazz.
Harvel Nakundi Drums
Harvel Nakundi has performed in Russia, Haiti, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, France, Martinique, and Australia. He is a faculty member of the illustrious Frost School of Music and teaches K-12 at schools statewide, assists in instructional college music courses around the world, and has been devoted to raising awareness of the arts in the Caribbean.
PHOTOS BY IVAN MUGEMANYI,
Nubya Garcia
Tenor Saxophone
Garcia’s sophomore album, Odyssey, is a majestic feat, blending orchestral arrangements with R&B, jazz, broken beat, and dub to create a grand, nuanced recording that feels airy and celestial without sacrificing the groove.
Source, her debut album, released via Concord Jazz to massive critical acclaim, was nominated for the Mercury Prize, a prestigious award given to the best albums from the United Kingdom or Ireland.
In 2022 Garcia toured the United States in support of Khruangbin, performing in sold-out venues including Radio City Music Hall in New York, the Ryman in Nashville, and the Met Philadelphia.
Garcia continues to tour worldwide while also collaborating with major brands like Lululemon, Paul Smith, Labrum, Nicholas Daley, and Burberry.
As a composer, Garcia has had original music featured on with Apple TV, OWN Network, FX TV, Epic Games, and on multiple podcasts, including the theme for Anika Noni Rose’s Clio Award–winning podcast Being Seen.
nubyagarcia.com
Lyle Barton Keyboards
Lyle Barton is a composer and jazz pianist based in London, regularly playing and recording with a range of talented artists, including Nubya Garcia, Ria Moran, Emma Jean Thackery, Zara McFarlane, Nala Sinephro, and more. A frequently called upon session musician, musical director, and recording artist, he has also performed internationally with Riz Ahmed, Gary Bartz, and Ricky Martin.
Max Luthert Bass
One of the premier bassists of his generation in the United Kingdom, Max Luthert is known for his distinctive bass sound and approach to improvisation, and has established himself as a composer and bandleader. He has performed globally with artists including Nubya Garcia, Zara McFarlane, Duncan Eagles, Moses Boyd, Ralph Wyld, and Gabriel Zucker.
Sam Jones Drums
Sam Barrell Jones is a South-East London–based drummer, producer, and DJ, best known for his work with Mercury Prize–shortlisted saxophonist Nubya Garcia, Mobo and Jazz FM award winner Binker Golding, and musical director and drummer for Ivor Novello winner Obongjayar. He has performed with Sons of Kemet, Joe Armon-Jones, Mala, Charlotte Dos Santos, Zara McFarlane, Yazmin Lacey, Oscar Jerome, Berwyn, and Pa Salieu, among others. Jones is also the leader of his own project, where he composes and arranges original music. His approach draws from his London upbringing, combining the sounds of grime, UK bass, jazz, reggae, and dub.
Kate Dumbleton Guest Curator
Kate Dumbleton is the executive and artistic director of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work in jazz, improvised music, and performance spans nearly three decades and includes music direction for jazz clubs and festivals; curating artist residencies; directing interdisciplinary projects in music, dance, theater, visual art, and film; managing artists, venues, and record labels; and overseeing administrative operations.
Since she joined the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in 2012, the organization has grown significantly, including the launch of a commissioning program, the development of neighborhood initiatives, multi-organization symposia, and the cultivation of international artist-exchange projects.
Funding for educational programs during the 2025–26
Season of SCP Jazz has been generously provided by Dan J. Epstein, Judith Guitelman, and the Dan J. Epstein Family Foundation.
PHOTOS BY NATHAN SHADRACH, COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
