Jazz lovers visited Hyde Park for 'Smart Sounds featuring Julia Huff' at 16th HyPa event

Julia Huff takes a photo before signing autographs

Gwen sat in the front row furthest from the exit of the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. She kept wiping her eyes. Seasonal allergies lurk all over Chicago, but in Gwen's case, she was crying. Singer Julia Huff was the cause for the happy tears.

"I can't help it," Gwen said, who turned 52 today and was celebrating her birthday by going to her first Hyde Park Alliance for Arts & Culture (HyPa) jazz event. "["I Feel Good"] was such a beautiful song. I hope she has it on that DVD."

All year long, HyPa has been showcasing jazz events in the Hyde Park area. The 16th concert in 2010, leading up to the biggest one, the 2010 Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sat., Sept. 25, brought a packed house. The entire lobby area was crowded with people, and there wasn't one empty chair. Staff and HyPa volunteers had to retrieve stools while the Smart Sounds featuring Julia Huff's performance was going on because people were still coming into the Smart Museum of Art. The performance started a little after 2 p.m. and ended around 4 p.m.

HyPa Passport members who'd collected at least three stamps had the opportunity to get free jazz festival CDs and T-shirts. HyPa volunteers sat by the entrance area greeting guests and taking names.

But when the music started, all eyes were on Julia Huff and the Company Band, which included bass player Harrison Bankhead, drummer Malcom L. Banks, pianist Dennis Luxion and singer Julia Huff.

Huff, a strikingly pretty woman, was not afraid to make exaggerated faces as she sang, danced and got into the music. Every time she vibed with a note, the rest of her body followed suit. The rest of the group bobbed along, too, oftentimes with their eyes closed and random soulful notes slipping out of Bankhead's mouth. Huff and Banks cracked a few jokes, especially about him sneaking a few chips at the end of the intermission and her cell phone going off mid-performance. When the band performed some of the more romantic songs for the afternoon jazz performance, audience members could see the camaraderie between the group, too. Casual but professional, the group catered to different styles of music, from Latin to romantic to soul to honoring jazz greats like Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone.

At the end of the performance, Julia Huff sold her DVDs, signed autographs, took photos and greeted her guests. Even though "I Feel Good" wasn't on Huff's DVD, Gwen was still one of the first in line to get an autographed copy before heading out the door to finish her birthday celebration.

HyPa has two more events that HyPa Passport members can attend to earn their third stamps, another performance at the Smart Museum of Art again with the Corey Wilkes Quartet on Sat., Aug. 15, and the last one at Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center for the Pearl Fest on Sat., Aug. 21.

The 2010 Hyde Park Jazz Festival will have 13 hours of free non-stop jazz at 13 different Hyde Park venues from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.