From inception in 2004, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic has been an artistic vehicle for amplifying diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. In the ensuing 20 years of composing for and conducting CJP, Davis has observed that the hierarchical and competition-based euro-centric culture operated as the dominant lifestyle of the orchestra. And although the majority of jazz musicians are classically trained, the opposite is rarely true. Davis has contemplated a radical (r)evolution of Third Stream music; one where the paradigm is flipped and where jazz, with its tradition of collaboration, openness, and improvisation would become the ethos of the orchestra with an equal intent to engender a more productive discourse on human relations, especially around race.
The nature of CJP’s Third Stream approach celebrates racial equity and diversity. Jazz is fundamentally a Black American music that draws from different musical traditions found throughout the African Diaspora. In teaching the culture and history of jazz music, our performances and curriculum teach Black American culture which is inextricably tied to American culture as a whole. The orchestra features musicians from Chicago’s diverse community and is shaped and informed by each artist’s background, culture, and voice, making it something that is at the same time “of the world” and uniquely “Chicago.”