Stephanie Aaron was born and raised in the old vaudeville city of Peoria, IL and at an early age began singing and acting, ultimately receiving a Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts from Bradley University. After working for several years as an on-air radio talent, she moved to Chicago, where she immediately won long-running and thrilling steady gigs at Jilly's on Rush Street and at the world famous Drake Hotel.

Stephanie has since become a fixture in Chicago jazz, appearing steadily all over the city at well-known nightclubs and hotels such as the Peninsula Hotel, Stetson's Chophouse, and Andy's Jazz Club; she's also well known and respected on the southside of Chicago, where she spent countless nights honing her craft at jam sessions with the likes of Von Freeman and June Yvonne.

Thanks to concert sponsors Dr. Steven Hamon and the Antioch Group!

For our annual Student Appreciation Night, CIJS presents ICC Vocal Jazz with very special guest Morton High School Jazz Band: two highly respected student groups out of Central Illinois.

7:15PM: MORTON HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BAND

Jeff Arbisi, ​Director of Bands and District Fine Arts Coordinator

6PM: ICC VOCAL JAZZ

Dr. Julie A. Clemens, Director, Professor of Music and program chair at Illinois Central College

Inspired by the iconic Modern Jazz Quartet and fueled by an interest in the broad stylistic history of jazz, the Nikki Malley Quartet moves between the worlds of “traditional” and contemporary jazz literature with particular focus on hard bop, ECM, and popular musics as vehicles for creative improvisation. From the jazz canon to unexpected arrangements drawing on genres outside the jazz tradition, Malley’s training as both performer and musicologist informs her expansive vision of the modern vibraphone quartet. The Nikki Malley Quartet features Malley on vibraphone, Derel Monteith on piano, Andy Crawford on bass, and Jason Brannon on drums.

Sponsored by Mike Bohn, Dale Spooner and Judithe Rexford. Thank you!

Straight Answer Jazz Trio is a band of local musicians dedicated to keeping traditional jazz music within the cultural environment of the Central Illinois community. This was the foremost goal of pianist Mike Gardner when he founded the group in 2017.

Gardner set out to find key musical ingredients to accomplish this, adding into the mix experienced drummer Dr. David Collier, and Bloomington’s own hometown guitar phenom Gary Muhammad. Currently and since its founding, Straight Answer strives to keep music alive and exciting.

While the group employs traditional jazz sounds and songs in their repertoire, revamped and refashioned songs from multiple genres can also be found in their performances. Simply put, Straight Answer is the band for the lover of melody and the enthusiast of musicianship.

IRIS is a jazz quintet comprised of Arman Sangalang, Kirby Fellis, Austyn Menk, Morgan Turner, and Paul Barrilles. The group was born out of five peers’ mutual desire to fuse jazz music’s historic subgenres, such as hard bop and post bop, with a modern aesthetic. Their compositions are a reflection of their musical upbringing, having been influenced by musicians like Mulgrew Miller, Roy Hargrove, Wayne Shorter and Walter Smith III.

IRIS has toured throughout the Midwest performing at venues including Cliff Bells (MI), Merriman’s Playhouse (IN), Jazz Central Studios (MN), Andy’s Jazz Club, The Whistler and Fulton Street Street Collective (IL). In summer 2022, IRIS was one of four groups in the United States selected to participate in the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Academy.

Founded in 1998, the Central Illinois Jazz Orchestra (CIJO) from Peoria is a seventeen-piece big band committed to keeping the big band jazz sound alive. Originally called the New Millennium Big Band, the CIJO is made up of professional and semi-professional musicians from the heart of Illinois that include music educators, business professionals, and full-time performers.

The group plays classic jazz charts from Count Basie to Stan Kenton and from Duke Ellington to Maynard Ferguson. Fronted by Dr. Todd Kelly from Bradley University, who also plays trumpet with the band, CIJO has quickly established themselves as one of the hardest swinging bands in the Midwest.

Derel Monteith is a pianist, keyboardist, and composer based in Illinois. His primary current outlets are the Derel Monteith Trio, which focuses on his original compositions, and fully improvised solo piano. Derel's music fuses influences from a wide range of genres, including jazz, blues, Americana, rock, R&B, classical, and gospel music.

If you were to blend the music of Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Wayne Shorter and throw in a strong background in classical and rock music, you’d get the idea. Learn more and follow Derel at derel.net, on Facebook and Instagram.

Born of down-home country folk, blended with Heartland Jazz and soaked in Delta Blues, Nathan Taylor Band explodes with rich sound and purely blended talent. This talent is bathed in a wide range of vintage American blues & roots music, born of the soul of the heartland and the most fortunate front porches of Canton, Illinois.

From classic roots songs and blues of the delta to early New Orleans jazz and Nathan Taylor originals, their audiences dance to soulful spins on the old styles mixed with new music as they are transported to simpler times, past and present. 

Joining Nathan Taylor on guitar are Central Illinois jazz icons Mike Nellas on bass, Tom Stoner on trumpet, Larry Harms on sax and clarinet, and Jason Brannon on drums.

CIJS is ecstatic to welcome to the stage University of Illinois School of Music Professor and Chair of Jazz Performance Chip McNeill. McNeill, who is also Musical Director and Jazz Tenor Saxophonist for Grammy award-winning recording artist Arturo Sandoval, has performed with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, and Wynton Marsalis.

Professor McNeill has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Monterey Jazz Festival in California, and Noto Jazz Festival in Japan. He has also performed at Carnegie Hall, Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, and the London Palladium.

McNeill has appeared on jazz radio and television productions in Europe, Japan, the United Kingdom, India, and Indonesia. Before joining the University of Illinois School of Music, he was Chair of Jazz Studies at Florida International University in Miami and Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg.

David Hoffman returns to the CIJS stage on trumpet and flugelhorn with an all-star cast: Dan Burke on saxophone, Andy Crawford on bass, Mike Nellas on guitar and Jason Brannon on drums. This stellar group of musicians will perform a wide variety of jazz tunes and originals.

David has blessed the Peoria jazz scene and CIJS for decades, and has been an arranger, composer, instructor and mentor to many now professional musicians. He is widely respected for his talents as a writer and performer. David also performed with the Ray Charles Orchestra throughout the world for more than 13 years.

Greg Ward is a saxophonist and composer who was born in Peoria and came of age on the CIJS stage. After stints at some of the finest jazz venues in NYC and around the world, Greg is now based in Chicago and serves the Jacob School of Music at Indiana University as Assistant Professor of Jazz Saxophone.

Joining Greg (on alto sax) for this performance are Matt Gold on guitar, Quin Kirchner on drums and Dennis Carroll on bass. This will be an unforgettable hometown performance for this internationally renowned jazz phenom!

Wayne Shorter was at the forefront of musical exploration and innovation for more than 60 years, as both a composer and improviser. Upon his passing in 2023, he left behind a massive treasure trove of recordings and compositions, including multiple prolific eras as a leader (on albums such as Speak No Evil, Native Dancer, and Emanon) and as an influential collaborator in multiple genre-defining bands (Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Weather Report).

The Central Illinois Jazz Society invites you to celebrate and experience the music of Wayne Shorter at a concert devoted entirely to his compositions. Derel Monteith (keyboards) will lead two bands, which will include Dan Burke and Joel Linscheid (saxophones), Matt Buczko (trumpet), Scott Anderson (guitar), Andy Crawford (bass), and Jason Brannon (drums). Don't miss it!

Thanks to Nancy Ubick and Doug Lady for sponsoring this performance.

For our annual Student Appreciation Night, CIJS presents Knox Jazz Ensemble with very special guest Galesburg High School Jazz Band: two highly respected student groups out of the active jazz community of Galesburg, Illinois, where both perform regularly at venues such as Galesburg Community Arts Center and the renowned Rootabaga Jazz Festival.

Thanks to Mary & Dick Barthel for sponsoring our annual Student Appreciation Night.

Local legend John Miller leads the Romaniacs on guitar. Joining John are Andy Crawford on bass, Joe Park on guitar, and Larry Harms on clarinet and soprano sax. The Romaniacs’ repertoire includes classic Django tunes, modern Gypsy jazz and romantic French musettes. The fare includes some light humorous vocals, a la Freddie Taylor.

The band swings hard and creates lots of fun for the listeners as well as the performers. Gypsy Jazz is happy romantic music with universal appeal. The Romaniacs’ performance guarantees good times and good feelings. Photo by Jeffery Noble / Mouve Film

Thanks to Sharon and John Amdall for sponsoring the House Band.

The Water Street Stompers bring the spirit of Mardi Gras to Peoria with an enjoyable set of traditional New Orleans Jazz. The Stompers, directed by Bradley Music Department Chair Todd Kelly (Trumpet), is dedicated to performing traditional New Orleans Jazz from the 1920s.

The band also features Harlan Geiser on trombone, Doug Stewart on sax and clarinet, Carl Bopp on piano, Jason Shea on bass and Jeremy Clark on drums. Photo by Natalie Jackson

Thanks to Ken and Carol Ferino for sponsoring this performance.

Kevin Hart and the Vibe Tribe (and their piano-based trio) had an exciting year of public performances in 2023, including Connie J. Link Amphitheater, Peoria Riverfront Museum, Boone's in Springfield, Baxter's American Grille in Bloomington and Champaign, Bloomington Farmers Market, and more. 

For their upcoming CIJS performance, Kevin on vibes will be joined by Jonny Beckett on saxophones and flute, George Turner on guitar, Brandon Mooberry on bass and Tom Marko on drums. Expect an evening of classic, contemporary, Latin, and original jazz along with instrumental pop tunes, familiar TV & movie themes and more. 

Kevin, Tom, George, and Jonny have music available on streaming platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, iTunes, Google Play, CD Baby, Pandora, and many others. Please visit kevinhartjazz.com and Kevin Hart Jazz on Facebook here for videos, links, schedule, photos, and more. Photo by Sarah Mooberry

Thanks to Eric Hutchison for sponsoring this performance.

Founded in 1998, the Central Illinois Jazz Orchestra (CIJO) from Peoria is a seventeen-piece big band committed to keeping the big band jazz sound alive. Originally called the New Millennium Big Band, the CIJO is made up of professional and semi-professional musicians from the heart of Illinois that include music educators, business professionals, and full-time performers.

The group plays classic jazz charts from Count Basie to Stan Kenton and from Duke Ellington to Maynard Ferguson. Fronted by Dr. Todd Kelly from Bradley University, who also plays trumpet with the band, CIJO has quickly established themselves as one of the hardest swinging bands in the Midwest.

Thanks to Bill and Joan Flowers for sponsoring this performance.