Ravinia jazz fest spread out

Ravinia's annual jazz offerings, a vital part of the festival for decades, will continue a recent trend of scheduling flexibility, with jazz events spread throughout the summer rather than the "Jazz in June" format created in the early 1990s.

Chicago jazz legend Ramsey Lewis is again in charge of programming the concerts, which will include the Ramsey Lewis Trio with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and Turtle Island Quartet on June 21, and Lewis' "Legends of Jazz," extravaganza, with Kurt Elling and Ernie Watts, on Sept. 12 during the festival's closing weekend.

"We found that we were not getting very many people who wanted to commit to multiple nights of jazz performances in a row," said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman. "I do have to keep my head on the bottom line and the finances.

"But really, I just want to make sure I don't burn out an audience that would like to see three or four performances but doesn't have the stamina or the time to come three or four nights in a row. That's why we've moved things around a little bit."

Kauffman counts his blessings in having Lewis as his right-hand man, although he laughingly describes himself as "Ramsey's right-hand man" when it comes to Ravinia's jazz programming.

"Ramsey and I work very closely together, and what a joy and pleasure it is," Kauffman said. "The man is not only playing better than ever, but he's writing up a storm. He's composing all the time, so we're getting the benefit of all these new works from someone who, believe or not, will soon be 75. He's stronger and more fresh and viable than ever."