Celebrating Local Musicians at the Chicago Music Awards

The 28th annual Chicago Music Awards were held Sunday, January 18, on the eve of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and two days before America welcomed a new President. It was a celebration, not only of Chicago's finest musicians, but of a new era in United States history. The atmosphere was nothing short of joyous as a packed house settled in for a night of entertainment, reflection and hope, in honor of President Barack Obama.

Chicago has long been known for its rich tapestry of music talent, so there were many awards to be handed out. Topping the list of nominees was Wilco, nominated in four different categories, and other prominent nominees included Kanye West, Common, The Smashing Pumpkins, Chicago blues icons Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor, and special awards given to the likes of R&B sensation Angela Winbush.

The first award given, appropriately, was for Chicago's most popular blues club, awarded to Kingston Mines. The biggest winner was Reggae entertainer Carl Brown, the only nominee to bring home two awards - Best Reggae Entertainer and Best Reggae Album/CD. Other awards included Jennifer Hudson (Pop Entertainer of the Year), Umphrey's McGee (Best Rock Entertainer), Common (Best Hip Hop/Rap Entertainer), Billy Corgan (Songwriter of the Year) and Wilco (Most Outstanding Band or Group.) A complete list of winners will be available soon on the Chicago Music Award's website.

There were also lifetime achievement awards to be given to Chicago's finest - those who have brought innovation to music for more than 40 years. One such honoree was Kelan Phil Cohran, a true music visionary. The 81-year-old Cohran started his musical journey in his 20's playing alongside legend Charlie Parker, then later with Sun Ra and his own band Artistic Heritage Ensemble, which was the centerpiece of Earth Wind and Fire. He has mastered scores of instruments (even inventing one called the Frankiphone) and his influence has reached across the globe.

Cohran was invited to China in 1994 and gave lectures in Beijing. It was in China where he was bestowed the name "Kelan," which means "the holy scripture," said Cohran. At the end of the month, he will be honored in Paris. Cohran is also a scholar of life, sciences and music and a self-described teacher, organizer, historian, astronomer and mathematician. He attended Lincoln University of Missouri, where he became a chemist. And that, he says, helped him become a "musical scientist."

But it's in Chicago where his presence and his lifetime of work can be felt. He founded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in Chicago which is devoted "to nurturing, performing, and recording serious, original music," according to their charter. Cohran and Oscar Brown Jr. also opened Urban Gateways' music lecture series with Lyrics of Sunshine & Shadows, accepted as the first public school performances series viewed by 250,000 Chicago Public School children at the Museum of Science and Industry. An achievement for which, "Daley got credit, but it was Oscar's idea and my music," said Cohran. He also wrote "African Skies," a musical score for Adler Planetarium that ran for 10 years.

One of the evening's special honorees was Farley "Jackmaster Funk". Born Farley Keith Williams in 1962 on Chicago's South Side, he's the self-described (and widely recognized) "Creator and King of House Music." He was an original member of Hot Mix 5, a DJ team, and hit it big with "Love Can't Turn Around," which became the first House Music top 10 on the Billboard charts and featured the singing of Daryl Pandy. "House came from looking for a new element to play in the clubs," said Funk. "We found disco was the avenue for House music - a reterminology of disco."

Funk is a towering man, both in his persona and stature. However, his nature is anything but intimidating. A born-again Christian, his music these days is described as "Gospel House Music." As far as the current state of the genre he created, he's pleased with the direction. "It's the spice of life," said Funk. "It keeps things new and fresh. It's positive and I want to see it remain positive - to keep people having a good time, take the problem and burdens off, to enjoy themselves without being high or drunk."

Funk and Pandy also provided one of the highlights of the Chicago Music Awards, with a rousing performance of "Love Can't Turn Around." The full-capacity crowd was up and dancing, including Chicago blues legend Koko Taylor.

Finally, we got a glimpse of Chicago's music future with some performances from the Most Talented Kids (Under 12) category. The winner, Joshlyn Lomax, performed and walked off to a standing ovation. This could be one of those "I was there" performances, as she clearly has a gift - one that could help her follow in the footsteps of Angela Winbush and Jennifer Hudson as Chicago's next great Chicago R&B star.