Mentor program links a new generation of aspiring musicians to jazz legends

Mentor program links a new generation of aspiring musicians to jazz legends
Jazz musician Robert Irving III is a mentor in the Chicago Jazz Links program. Flickr/jbguerillot
Mentor program links a new generation of aspiring musicians to jazz legends
Jazz musician Robert Irving III is a mentor in the Chicago Jazz Links program. Flickr/jbguerillot

Mentor program links a new generation of aspiring musicians to jazz legends

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The Jazz Links Ensemble’s mission is simple: it connects young, aspiring musicians to some master jazz types. The program is sponsored by the Jazz Institute of Chicago. The mentors and their protégés gather once a month at the Chicago Cultural Center to develop their Bebop chops and other forms of jazz. The ensemble has a new album out called, The Drive. WBEZ’s Richard Steele recently sat down with two of its members—mentor Robert Irving III and Zakiya Powell, a former Jazz Links mentee—for some music and conversation.