The Limestone Community High School Jazz Band enjoys a rich history of performance in the Central Illinois area. Chuck Cunningham built a strong love for jazz at Limestone in his long, decades-spanning career. Currently, Limestone Jazz provides an extremely vibrant and growing jazz education program that focuses on good literature, fundamentals of style, functional music theory skills, and improvisation. Limestone consistently produces ILMEA District-level and All-State jazz musicians, as well as many music majors who concentrate on jazz at the collegiate level.
The Bradley Jazz Ensemble, under the leadership of Dr. Todd Kelly, is the most visible ensemble in the Bradley Jazz program. In past years, they have performed at the Illinois Collegiate Jazz Festival, the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival and the Western Illinois University Jazz Festival, as well as four European tours and two tours to New Orleans.
Each year, they host the Bradley Jazz Festival, now in its eighteenth year. Guest artists include Mike Lee, The Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, Matt Wilson, Rachael Lee, Allen Vizzutti, Ron Jones, Tom Garling, Byron Stripling, Chris Vadala, the Jeff Hamilton Trio, Wayne Bergeron, Denis DiBlasio, Michael Davis, Wycliffe Gordon, Mark Colby, Bobby Shew, Ray Anderson, Dennis Mackrel, Tamir Hendelman, Dave Pietro, and Marshall Gilkes.
The Jazz Ensemble performed at the 2023 Illinois Music Educators Conference with the great bassist Victor Wooten.
Beverages available for purchase. Food may be brought in but no drinks.
