Jazz big band to celebrate anniversary of rebirth at Durty Nellie's

When night falls the second Sunday of each month, jazz music can be heard in Palatine's Durty Nellie's from a band that got its start decades ago.

Roy Vombrack, 65, of Elgin first recruited a 17-piece band in 1975 as a way to continue playing the music the recent college graduates enjoyed performing at Northern Illinois University, the University of Illinois and Northwestern University.

The Jazz Consortium Big Band played at clubs, concerts and events throughout the Chicago area, such as the 1980 Chicago Jazz Festival, but it was looking for a home base.

"Durty Nellie's at that time ... featured music but didn't have jazz or big band music," Vombrack, the band's director, said. "We asked if they would be interested in having us, and they told us yes."

Back then, the band held shows there every Sunday.

They disbanded in the early 1980s, however, with members pursuing professional or music education careers.

Almost 30 years later, Vombrack's wife, violinist Jennifer Silk, ran into a former member of the band at a party she was playing. That conversation led Vombrack to begin reaching out to a few of the original musicians. They expressed interest in reuniting, and Vombrack "got the band back together."

"I still had the music from back in the day, which I kept in the garage. I never knew what could happen," he said.

Vombrack approached the new owners at Durty Nellie's in 2011 and explained the band's history with the pub. They agreed to bring the band back, and the Jazz Consortium Big Band has been performing the second Sunday of each month ever since, as well as making occasional appearances at other venues, such as FitzGerald's.

The band will celebrate the sixth anniversary of its rebirth at Durty Nellie's on Sunday.

Their musical repertoire consists of material that appeals to the "average man." Pieces range from jazz rock to Latin jazz in an attempt to entertain and educate audiences on different styles of big bands.

Most of the current band members were part of the original group.

With many of them coming from the Northwest suburbs, the group participates in community events, such as sponsoring a food drive every November for the Palatine Township Food Pantry.

The group also supports young musicians by inviting jazz bands from local high schools to open the show.

The Buffalo Grove High School Jazz Band will play in this weekend's performance.

"Experiences like these are great for students because it shows them what it is like to play as a musician past high school," said Henry Kappler, director of bands at BGHS.

"It is also very important for them to hear professionals playing their instruments and to see the parallels between themselves and the pros."

Durty Nellie's events coordinator Jamie Barr said there are three factors that contribute to the band's success with audiences:

"It's affiliation with the local high schools in the area; which they have open for the shows while school is in progress; the strong fan base; and there is no show similar to their performance in the area," Barr said.

Given the positive response from members and audiences, Vombrack said he can't see the band disbanding anytime soon.

"There are not many opportunities to hear big band music, so the fact that we're able to do this, and people keep coming back, it's a sign it's the right thing to do," he said.