Last year an Internet radio station called AccuJazz.com caused a bit of confusion with advertisements that seemed to indicate it would be offering live audio from the Chicago Jazz Festival. I wasn’t the only one fooled, but it turned out the site was merely playing music by a bunch of the artists scheduled to perform in Grant Park.
This year AccuJazz, which is programmed by local jazz drummer Lucas Gillan, is being clearer about what it’s doing. Under the auspices of ChicagoJazz.com it’s created ChicagoJazz.com Radio, which includes a special channel for the Chicago Jazz Festival. The channel consists of more than 400 songs, all of them by artists performing at the fest and some by the exact combos that are coming to town. Though I suppose getting a big heap of music, arranged without regard to subgenre or quality, has its merits—you can end up hearing some worthwhile material you wouldn’t have thought to seek out yourself—listening to it can be a tiring experience. It helps that Internet radio stations like AccuJazz, unlike their conventional counterparts, let you skip to the next track when you’ve had enough of something.