About the Artist

The East Hubbard Jazz Orchestra was born in 2004 at the Green Mill Jazz Club in Chicago as a full-blast 16-piece jazz band that can change in a heartbeat from a soft cat’s purr to a roaring house-a-fire, helmed by well-known trombonist Luke Malewicz. The Orchestra will be particularly exciting in the intimate Hey Nonny space. Luke, a native of Nowa Sol, Poland, moved to Chicago at the age of 11. After receiving degrees from the Jacobs School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music he returned to Chicago where he teaches and performs at some of Chicago’s best jazz venues including Andy’s Jazz Club, the Jazz Showcase, and the Green Mill. Luke Bonilla of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra describes Luke as “creative, witty, and absolutely dedicated,” and declaring him him “at the forefront of today’s emerging jazz trombonists.”

The East Hubbard Jazz Orchestra features the music of the Count Basie Orchestra; William “Count” Basie was born in New Jersey, but was musically formed when he was stranded in Kansas City in 1927 where he soaked up the rich blues-driven Kansas City style. During his long career, Basie became known for teaming with the greatest singers of the time, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and the great Joe Williams. But Basie’s most enduring contribution to big band jazz was the indelibly swinging arrangements penned by the likes of Quincy Jones, Thad Jones, and the amazingly prolific Sammy Nestico. Those great arrangements will form the heart of the East Hubbard Jazz Orchestra concert.