Jazz Consortium teams with Mundelein High Oct. 9

The Jazz Consortium Big Band begins its 11th year of having local high school jazz ensembles as guest artists with a performance by the Mundelein High School Jazz Ensemble Sunday, Oct. 9, at Nellie's Gastropub, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine.

Mundelein will play at 6 p.m., immediately followed by the Jazz Consortium, which plays until 9 p.m. All ages are welcome.

Cover starts at 6:30 p.m.: $10 cash; $5 for students 17 and younger. Food service is available, and reservations are suggested by calling (847) 358-9150, ext. 2, or visiting nelliespalatine.com.

"We're looking forward to another year of giving local school jazz bands the opportunity to perform in a club setting," said Jazz Consortium bandleader Roy Vombrack.

"Our audience gets to hear the next generation of upcoming jazz musicians, and the students get to hear a professional big band up close and personal."

Well into its 12th year of residency at Nellie's, the Jazz Consortium Big Band's brassy mix of four trumpets, four trombones, five saxes and a rhythm section first came together in the mid-1970s, 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 the Chicago area, including an appearance at the Chicago Jazz Festival.

The Jazz Consortium disbanded in the early 1980s, with most of the members going on to full-time music careers. The band reunited in 2010, and has since been performing second Sundays monthly at Nellie's in Palatine, as well as playing at various concerts and clubs in the Chicago area.