THE BLUES AIN'T A COLOR Set for Uncommon Ground, 3/20

"The Blues Ain't A Color" is an hour-long collage, sketches of those living the blues in many-colored hues, comprised of original songs and poetry by Denise La Grassa, which chronicles the day-to-day struggles of predominantly African-American characters from yesterday and today, "an entertaining way to learn about the history of the blues and racism" (Chicago Reader). "The Blues Ain't A Color" is set for Chicago's Uncommon Ground on Thursday, March 20, 2014, 8 p.m.

TICKETS: $10, 773-465-9801, www.uncommonground.com

WITH: "The Blues Ain't A Color" is evolving and now includes video commentary on current racial issues by Sister Simone Campbell, lobbyist, poet, attorney and member of the Sisters of Social Service. Her 2012 "Nuns on the Bus" tour of nine states opposed the "Ryan Budget," which was approved by the House of Representatives and would decimate programs for people in need. To promote the tour, Campbell appeared on "The Daily Show," "The "Colbert Report" and "Sixty Minutes."

The Jazz-Theater musical features a three-piece ensemble that underscores and punctuates La Grassa's text. Wall-to-wall paintings by Swiss artist Maria Kern (www.mariakern.com) will be projected behind the performance, and short media inserts by Andrew Stengele will add abstract accents to the piece, including a clip from Oliver Nelson, Jr., son of famous jazz arranger/ composer Oliver Nelson, Sr., one of the first African-American composers for television.

In addition to La Grassa, musicians include composer/guitarist John Kregor, upright bassist Daniel Thatcher and drummer Bob Parlier. The music is by La Grassa, with some songs co-written by Kregor, including Davina's Song, I've Had It with the Blues, Color is the Difference, Spinning Jenny, The Blues Ain't A Color, and Vain Game.

"The Blues Ain't A Color" was staged at the Armory Free Theatre at the University of Illinois under the direction of Associate Theater Professor Lisa Dixon. Dale Calandra directed this new media presentation that features additional music and text. First production preview at www.deniselagrassa.com/fr_video.cfm

Denise La Grassa has performed her original music and poetry in many of the Windy City's finest jazz haunts for the past 25 years, as well as in New York City, Scotland, Germany, and Switzerland. She has also toured with The Second City, won three Emmy Awards for her work as a producer at Chicago's PBS affiliate WTTW, and been nominated for many others there as well as at Urbana's public station WILL. She has recorded three original jazz CD's, including April Dreams, which charted for 13 weeks on the national Roots Music Report jazz chart, peaking at number 5. She's currently a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where she also received a Master of Music degree.

John Kregor received a B.A. in composition at the University of Texas, and is a prized member of Chicago's jazz community. He has played in groups led by Jim Gailloreto, Rob Clearfield, Matt Ulery, and currently plays with Patricia Barber every Monday at the Green Mill when Barber is not touring the U.S. and Europe. Kregor also played on Barber's critically-acclaimed 2013 album "Smash."

Filmmaker Andrew Stengele attended the University of Illinois with a focus in IT. He currently works in the UIUC Education Department, and was manager of the Roger Ebert Annual Film Festival.

Dr. Maria Kern has been exhibiting her work internationally for over 25 years, and "the various paintings created by Maria Kern on the topic of 'temporality' succeed in making us aware of how transient and irreversible time is, and how it cannot be stopped or speeded up" (Zurich Department of Culture). In paintings, texts and songs Kern engages with polarities such as musical harmony and tension, order and chaos, spirit and psyche, and themes of time, temporality and timelessness.

Pat Ulie edited and produced the Campbell footage, and is a seasoned video producer with experience as a director, cameraman, editor, writer, and graphics specialist. In addition to graduating from

Loyola University with a degree in Film/TV Production, he earned a certificate from Oakton Community College for Animation/Multimedia. He has written and acted in many well-received comedy shows, and produced, wrote and directed for the annual AFI/Sony Visions Video Contest which prompted the creation of a new category for comedy shorts. Another comedy film was featured on WTTW's Image Union 25th Anniversary Special. Most recently, Ulie was nominated for Outstanding Achievement for an Entertainment Series by the Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for work he did on the 10th Anniversary Special of the local cable program, "Your Chicago Show."