April 28, 2026 | Garfield Park Conservatory
The 15th Annual International Jazz Day was celebrated with a neighborhood concert at the Garfield Park Conservatory, where the Chicago West Community Music Center brought together original arrangements from three of their members, honoring the city’s deep musical lineage and global jazz influence.
The performance highlighted Chicago’s historic role in shaping jazz, blues, and gospel traditions, with students, faculty, and guest musicians sharing the stage in a program that traced the evolution of the genre from its roots to contemporary interpretations.
Wilbert Crosby
Guitarist, producer, and educator Wilbert Crosby, a longtime instructor at the Chicago West Community Music Center, was a central figure in the event. A Chicago native, Crosby has built a decades-long career performing and recording with artists including Pops Staples, Mavis Staples, Aretha Franklin, Carey Bell, Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater, and Charlélie Couture. He has also performed at the White House during multiple administrations, played alongside Mavis Staples at the Grammy Awards, and appeared on major recordings and film soundtracks, including the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect. More recently, he has performed with the B.B. King Band featuring Tito Jackson.
Right - Tammi McCann
Right - Doris Davenport
He was joined by internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist Tammi McCann, who has worked closely with Chicago West Community Music Center students on vocal training and performance development, helping guide their interpretation of jazz repertoire and ensemble singing.
Also contributing to the program was musician and educator Howard Sandifer, who supported the ensemble’s instrumental work and helped anchor the event’s focus on mentorship and musical continuity.
Despite his extensive, accomplished credentials, Crosby emphasized his ongoing commitment to education and mentorship in Chicago’s community. For more than a decade, he has taught at the Chicago West Community Music Center, where he works with underserved youth on Chicago’s West Side using structured music education approaches.
“It’s amazing to see the kids have such big smiles on their faces of seeing the accomplishments of hard work,” Crosby said during the concert.
The Conservatory performance underscored that mission, featuring student musicians alongside seasoned professionals in a program designed to connect generations through improvisation and shared repertoire. The set moved fluidly between blues, jazz standards, and contemporary arrangements, reflecting Chicago’s enduring musical ecosystem.
For Crosby, the celebration was both a reflection of legacy and a continuation of it — a throughline from the city’s historic South and West Side music communities to the next generation now learning their craft on the same soil.