Jazz Up Glen Ellyn brings guitarist Fareed Haque home

He's toured with Sting, performed all over the country and abroad, and played with many prominent jazz artists.

Now, guitarist Fareed Haque is coming back to his hometown of Glen Ellyn on Saturday to headline Jazz Up Glen Ellyn along Main Street.

The festival will open at 2:30 p.m. with a performance by the Barb City Stompers and continue until midnight.

“When they asked me to be in the festival, it was like coming home again,” Haque says.

Some things have changed since he has been away.

For one thing, the local jazz community has grown, with Haque citing music programs at schools such as the College of DuPage, Elmhurst College, and North Central College with exposing more people to the genre.

At Jazz Up Glen Ellyn, more people will get a chance to listen to jazz music, where groups such as Chinchano, The Sonic Poets, and Chicago Yestet will be performing. Fans also can attend classes, clinics and evening sessions at Marinella's, North Side Sports Bar & Grill, Main Street Pub, Enza Sicilian Osteria and Deacon & Mercy after the concerts end at 9:30 p.m.

Organizers are encouraging people to bring a picnic dinner or to try some area restaurants. Festival admission is free.

Haque says there were few jazz offerings in DuPage County when he was growing up, so he would borrow his parents' car and drive all the way to Chicago's South Side to attend jam sessions and foster his love of jazz.

Because most suburban kids don't have parents willing to let them go to Chicago at all hours of the night to play jazz, Haque says, he's happy Glen Ellyn is bringing the experience to them with the clinics, classes, and meet-and-greet events featured at Jazz Up Glen Ellyn.

He says his own experiences led him to eventually play with well-known jazz musicians such as Joe Zawinul and Joe Henderson, and even rock musicians such as Sting.

Haque has many fond memories of late nights spent jamming with some of his favorite musicians, calling it a transformative experience.

He can remember practicing a difficult classical concerto piece by Heitor Villa-Lobos, playing it over and over again with Zawinul, who finally told Haque he was sick of hearing him play the same song.

“He said, ‘Let's go out and play it tonight,'” Haque said.

As the duo performed, Zawinul started playing his own accompaniment, which he made up completely on the spot.

“It makes you realize how these geniuses live their lives and make their music,” Haque said.

Still, a musical life doesn't come without some challenges.

Haque plays concerts late at night, only to get up early to teach, drive eight hours, do another concert, meet fans, get up early, and do it all over again the next day.

“It's a hardworking life,” Haque says. “It can be a grueling lifestyle. It's not as glamorous as one might think.”

To deal with the hectic schedule of a musician, one needs a passion for playing.

“That's the key. A lot of folks think, ‘I'm going to be a musician, I'm going to be famous,' but if they don't love the music, it doesn't add up,” Haque said.

Although some will never reach a certain level of fame or success, if they love the music and what they're doing, their heart is going to be full, he tells his students in classes at Northern Illinois University.

The most important piece of advice, Haque says, is that no matter how good a musician is, if they can't make people tap their toes and feel the rhythm of the song, they won't succeed.

As he makes his return to Glen Ellyn, Haque said he is excited to be back in a “fantastic community with a great jazz infrastructure.” He is especially looking forward to the evening sessions and clinics, which, along with the concerts, “gives people the continuum of jazz experience.”

Haque will be performing with the Tony Monaco Trio featuring Greg Fundis from 8:15 to 9:30 p.m. on the Main Stage and 10 p.m. to midnight at Main Street Pub, 466 N. Main St.

Jazz Up Glen Ellyn lineup

Jazz Up Glen Ellyn will feature concerts, meet-and-greets, classes and clinics from 2:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday along Main Street in downtown. Sponsored by the village and the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn, the concerts are free. For details, visit jazzupglenellyn.com.

Main Stage

3-4:15 p.m. The Sonic Poets

4:45-6 p.m. Chinchano

6:30-7:45 p.m. Chicago Yestet

8:15-9:30 p.m. Fareed Haque/Tony Monaco Trio featuring Greg Fundis

Side Stage

2:30-3 p.m. and 4:15-4:45 p.m. Barb City Stompers

6-6:30 p.m. Northern Illinois University's Jazz Combo ensemble

7:45-8:15 p.m. Swing 108