Chicago is known for the city's history of jazz, similar to New Orleans but to a lesser extent. It's also very famous for classical music, as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is quite possibly the most famous orchestra in the world. However, we won't be visiting Chicago to learn about classical music.
The Chicago jazz style was derived from the New Orleans "Dixieland" style, by musicians such as Louis Armstrong. Towards the 1920s, the style of music in Chicago became more distinct from the New Orleans style by featuring heavier bass, generally quicker tempos, and more emphasis on improvisation. However, after World War 2, the popularity of jazz declined in Chicago, and many musicians went to New York City, which remains the epicenter of jazz today.
There's an annual jazz festival in Chicago, appropriately named "The Chicago Jazz Festival" which we will be visiting for sure. The planned dates are from September 1st to September 4th. Aside from that, we can also go outside of Chicago to East St. Louis and visit the boyhood home of Miles Davis.
Miles Davis, one of the greatest African-American jazz trumpeters, born in Illinois.
Herbie Hancock, an extremely famous jazz pianist born in Chicago. He has played with people such as Miles Davis.
Chicago is a big city, so there's a lot to do. We are planning on visiting the Lincoln Park Zoo (has more than 200 species of animals), going on a river cruise, and also visiting the Museum of Science and Industry. Of course, we will also visit many jazz clubs - there's many to choose from. We will see the options available for restaurants and whatnot once we are there.
The hotel we will be staying at for the few days we are there is called "The Peninsula Chicago."