On the eve of the Chicago Jazz Festival’s launch, one of the weekend’s top draws — singer Dianne Reeves — has canceled her appearance.
Reeves “is no longer able to perform due to personal reasons,” said a statement from the festival’s sponsor, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, which offered no further explanation.
Replacing her at 7:45 p.m. Friday will be Grammy-winning vocalist Kurt Elling, who will be joined by guitarist Charlie Hunter to perform songs from their new collaborative album “SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree.”
Kurt Elling performs in Melbourne, Australia, in 2019.
Graham Denholm/Getty Images
Headliners at the free Chicago Jazz Festival, running Thursday through Sunday, perform at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park.
Also in the lineup are Chico Freeman (6:30 p.m. Thursday), Ron Carter and Foresight (8 p.m. Thursday), Ari Brown Quintet (6:25 p.m. Friday), Nduduzo Makhathini (6:25 p.m. Saturday), Makaya McCraven (7:45 p.m. Saturday), Billy Valentine (6:25 p.m. Sunday) and Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars (7:45 p.m. Sunday).
For the full schedule, go to chicagojazzfestival.us.