Chicago Tribune Review: Mingus' 'Black Saint' reinvented by Greg Ward and dancers

Chicagoans who admire Charles Mingus' "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" are having a very good year.In May, Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra played what is believed to have been the world premiere concert version of Mingus' landmark recording. The performance at Spertus Institute took a while to gain momentum, but eventually it achieved critical mass, enabling listeners to hear the 1963 work in the best way possible: live.On Thursday night, former Chicago saxophonist Greg Ward reconceived Mingus' magnum opus, collaborating with choreographer Onye Ozuzu for a spectacle in sight and sound at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. This, too, was a significant occasion, notwithstanding the characteristically clumsy live video that flickered on the Pritzker's oversized LED screen.Continue reading the full article here