Chicago Celebrates Miles Davis in a 4 Month Festival

This year, Miles Davis would have turned 85 years old on May 26th. To mark the life of this legendary jazz musician, Chicago has embarked on a 4-month celebration of Miles Davis. The festival started on January 21st and will run until April 16th at the Auditorium Theatre and various jazz clubs and institutions throughout Chicago.

Among the highlights of the Miles Davis Festival:

Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary Band. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Darryl Jones, DJ Logic and others revisit Davis’ landmark album. 8 p.m. March 31 at Martyrs’, 3855 N. Lincoln Ave.; $25; martyrslive.com.

“Vivid.” Roosevelt University’s Hard Bop Combo plays selections from Davis’ album “Kind of Blue.” 7:30 p.m. April 12 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy.; free; tickets at the Auditorium box office.

“Sketches of Blue: An Orbert Davis Tribute to Miles.” The Orbert Davis Sextet, with Ari Brown and Ernest Dawkins, plays portions of “Kind of Blue”; and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble performs sections of “Sketches of Spain.” 7:30 p.m. April 14 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy.; $30-$69; 800-982-2787, ticketmaster.com or the Auditorium box office.

River North Chicago Dance Company. The company’s artistic director, Frank Chaves, presents the world premiere of a work he has choreographed to recordings by Miles Davis. 8 p.m. April 16 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy; $30-$69; 800-982-2787, ticketmaster.com or the Auditorium box office.

“Davis’ influence on the world of music is immeasurable, consistently inventive and adventurous,” says Brett Batterson, executive director of the Auditorium Theatre. “This jazz genius was a pioneer in the development of bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz and jazz fusion. The Auditorium Theatre is proud to bring together Chicago’s music community and fans to salute Davis, celebrate his dizzyingly robust body of work, commission a new piece inspired by his legacy and create a new generation of Davis devotees. ”