Chicago Jazz Musicians Look Back at Year of COVID, and Ahead to What's Next
WDCB’s Gary Zidek checks in with a group of Chicago jazz musicians a year after he spoke with them to see how they were coping in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Twelve months later a lot has changed, but some uncertainty remains.
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“That was the part that’s been a huge change for me, was being home at night. But the live streams that I’ve been doing have kept the performance aspect of that going, so that’s helped a little bit. It’s been tough for everybody, and I think especially artists, it’s been a really challenging year.” - Musician Jeannie Tanner talking about how her daily routine changed once the pandemic started last year.
Musician Jeannie Tanner at home ready to live-steam
Last spring (April 2020), as the pandemic ramped up and it became clear that the shut-downs and shelter-in-place orders were going to continue for an extended period of time, WDCB’s Gary Zidek caught up with a cross-section of Chicago-based jazz musicians to hear how they were coping with the various ramifications of the pandemic.
With things starting to slowly reopen, Gary checked in with Keri Johnsrud, Thaddeus Tukes, Jeannie Tanner and John Dorhauer to hear how the past 12 months gone … and what their thoughts are about the future of performing in front of people.
Vocalist Keri Johnsrud and band performing outside
“The pandemic forced me to lean on some different skills, it was tricky to navigate financially, but luckily opportunities presented themselves. I really engulfed myself, in a lot of ways, into live streaming technology,” - Musician Thaddeus Tukes talking about his pivot to producing virtual performances.
John Dorhauer (second from left) and the members of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Players pre-pandemic
