It was a sunny afternoon, and the patio in Sketchbook Brewing Company’s Skokie location was full of families enjoying outdoor games and excellent beer. In the main taproom, though, there was some serious jazz going on.
Steve Knight and his bandmates (Evanston drummer Jeff Stitley and Chicago bassist Justin Peterson) lit up the space with top-notch improvisational music. Knight is an outstanding guitarist and a generous musician – the gig turned into a jam session when Evanston saxophonist Chris Greene showed up and joined in.
There was also a jaw-dropping new talent who joined the veterans on the bandstand – 16-year-old guitarist Senya Rogers-Kaufman, an Evanston Township High School student who studies with Knight and the great jazz guitarist (and Evanston resident) Bobby Broom.
Rogers-Kaufman’s playing was astonishingly sophisticated, full of blazing fretboard technique and a deep reservoir of musical ideas. This young man made this reporter feel much better about the future of jazz!
Sketchbook Brewing in Skokie has great, free music every Sunday at 4 p.m.
Great Story! Thanks Chris!