Jazz master Ira Sullivan teaches youngsters how to swing

How does the magnificent Ira Sullivan sound with a big band?

Until Thursday night, that was hard to say, because the former Chicagoan rarely appears with one here (or anywhere else).

o his performance with the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble at the Jazz Showcase, where they're cutting a live recording this week, was historic. All the more because Sullivan performed new arrangements penned for the occasion by DePaul faculty and students, under the guidance of Bob Lark, the school's director of jazz studies.

No one in the large audience could have been surprised by Sullivan's panache as soloist, but the nature of his playing diverged a bit from expectations. For the 79-year-old musician...

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http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-05-21/entertainment/ct-live-0522-sullivan-review-20100521_1_ira-sullivan-depaul-university-jazz-ensemble-jazz-studies