Free Big Band Concert at Elgin's Art & Soul Festival Aug. 3

For a third year in a row, the 17-piece Jazz Consortium Big Band will be featured Sunday, August 3, noon-1 p.m., during the "Art & Soul on the Fox" weekend festival in downtown Elgin. The outdoor concert is at DuPage Court, 43 DuPage Ct., Elgin, and is free to the public. Phone 847.531.7056, website www.cityofelgin.org/events.

Led by saxophonist and Elgin resident Roy Vombrack, the band will be featuring classic Swing favorites from such bands as Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman and modern Jazz-Rock selections from bands such as Buddy Rich and Maynard Ferguson, as well as bandmembers' original compositions.

The 6th annual "Art & Soul on the Fox" is August 2 and 3 and features over 70 juried artists and artisan, plus local actors, musicians, poets and dancers. Sponsored by Art for All with support from the City of Elgin and the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission, the festival is one of the largest, diverse, interactive arts festivals in the Fox Valley.

The Jazz Consortium Big Band (www.jcbigband.com) first came together in the mid-1970's, consisting of former and current University of Illinois, Northern Illinois University and Northwestern University musicians with a love of Big Band music. The group went on to perform at jazz clubs, nightspots and concerts throughout Chicagoland, including an appearance at the Chicago Jazz Festival.

The Jazz Consortium disbanded in the early 1980's, with most of the members going on to full-time music careers. The band reunited four years ago, and it has since been performing second Sundays monthly at Durty Nellie's Pub in Palatine, as well as playing numerous concerts and clubs throughout the area, most recently at Chicago's famous Jazz Showcase nightclub.