Award-Winning Jazz Musician Denise La Grassa To Perform At The Jazz Showcase, Today

Denise La Grassa has been performing her original jazz music and poetry in the Chicago region for over 25 years. La Grassa has toured and performed around the world in locations including New York, Scotland, Germany and Switzerland. La Grassa's original works explore relationships and social issues in 21st-century culture.

La Grassa and her trio will perform several brand new compositions from her forthcoming album "Sunshine in the Toxic Ballroom" at the Jazz Showcase on Tuesday, September 25, 2018. She will perform with a trio featuring guitarist John Kregor, bassist Jon Small and drummer James Sims.

New compositions include "Sunshine in the Toxic Ballroom," "The Good Will Come," "Back Channel Russian Roulette," a "Perfect Rainbow," "Twinkle Eyes." Other originals include "Don't Fall off the Earth Again," "Vain Game" and "Evening Goodnight Kiss." Several works are co-written by guitarist John Kregor.

Performances at the Jazz Showcase take place at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thursday, September 25. The Jazz Showcase is located at 806 S. Plymouth Court. Tickets are $10 regular admission and $5 for students, musicians and JIC members. Visit jazzshowcase.com for more information.

La Grassa has won three television Emmy Awards and has been nominated for several other Emmy Awards for her work at Chicago's WTTW/PBS and Urbana's WILL/PBS and Chicago's WFLD (Jazz Jym TV).

Guitarist and co-composer John Kregor has played in groups led by Jim Gailloreto, Rob Clearfield and Matt Ulery. When not on tour, Kregor plays with Patricia Barber every Monday at the Green Mill. Kregor appeared on Barber's critically acclaimed 2013 Blue Note Records album "Smash."

La Grassa has been an educator for over 25 years, teaching jazz music composition to at-risk youth. She has worked with the Department of Children and Family Services in Chicago, teaching self-empowerment through songwriting and performance. As Lincoln College's Lead Faculty of Contemporary Jazz Studies, La Grassa has redesigned the jazz studies track (now Contemporary Jazz Studies) to include performance, recording technology, standard jazz repertoire and theater.

In addition to her most recent release, "The Blues Ain't a Color," La Grassa has recorded three albums, including "April Dreams," which was number 5 on the national Roots Music Report jazz chart for 13 weeks. She has performed in New York City at The Jazz Gallery, H.E.R.E., the Former Knitting Factory and FEZ. She has performed at music festivals in Switzerland, Germany and Scotland. Her forthcoming album "Sunshine in the Toxic Ballroom" slated to be released in early 2019. Visit deniselagrassa.com for more information.

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