Chip McNeill to perform with the HAT Trio on Our Front Porch

The Western Illinois Museum, in partnership with the Western Illinois University (WIU) School of Music, is pleased to welcome musician Chip McNeill to perform with the HAT Trio on Friday, October 13th, as part of the Jazz Series being offered at the Museum.  The doors and bar open at 4:30 with music at 5:30 with 6:30 p.m.  To close out the evening, WIU Students will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. There is a $5 suggested donation at the door. 

In its second year, the jazz series, designed by WIU Music Professor Whitney Ashe, brings world-class musicians to connect with WIU music majors as well as perform for the community. The guest musicians will perform with the HAT Trio, a group made up of WIU jazz faculty members Matt Hughes on bass, George Turner on guitar, and Whitney Ashe on piano. Upcoming programs in this year’s series include saxophonist Jon Irabagon on November 10th. In 2024, we will welcome Trombonist Mike Fahn on March 1st and saxophonist Dr. Damani Philips will be our guest musician on April 5th. 

This year, the series will include an after-party hosted by WIU students who will take the lead and provide live music. For the October program, we welcome The Lab featuring Logan Mitchell, Allie Garland, and Branden Carranza. The trio has eclectic interests and you can expect to hear the unexpected from pop and country to boleros and corridos tumbados.  Check social media @WIMuseum and @WIU School of Music for more details about the pop-up after-party.

This program is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, with local funding from the Performing Arts Society.

The Western Illinois Museum is a non-profit organization community hub celebrating and nurturing the history, culture, and traditions of McDonough County, that features exhibits, an open collection, lectures, music, and other programs in a historic building. The Museum is located at 201 S. Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square. 

A full schedule of events can be found at wimuseum.org or follow on social media @wimuseum. For further information, call 309-837-2750, text 309-837-2613, or email info@wimuseum.org.

About the Musicians

Chip McNeill

In addition to his position with the University of Illinois School of Music, Professor McNeill is Musical Director and Jazz Tenor Saxophonist for Grammy award-winning recording artist, Arturo Sandoval. He has toured with and recorded the compact discs (CDs) Americana and Hot House with Arturo Sandoval. In 1998, Hot House won a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Recording. To his credit, Professor McNeill won a Grammy for his performance on Hot House, and two of his charts were nominated for Grammys from the recording. Professor McNeill also has performed and toured with the legendary jazz trumpeter, Maynard Ferguson, with whom he has produced, written, and performed on several CDs, including Live in London, These Cats Can Swing, and Maynard Ferguson’s final CD, The One and Only. He has recorded performances with Nat Adderley, David Liebman, Duffy Jackson, Ira Sullivan, the Woody Herman Orchestra, Ted Shumate, and Larry Willis. Professor McNeill’s most recent CD is “The Whirl” on Armored Records.

He has performed with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, and Wynton Marsalis. Professor McNeill has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Monterey Jazz Festival in California, and the Noto Jazz Festival in Japan. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, and the London Palladium. He also has performed for jazz radio and television productions in Europe, Japan, the United Kingdom, India, and Indonesia. Before joining the University of Illinois School of Music, he was Chair of Jazz Studies at Florida International University in Miami and Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg.

About the HAT Trio

The HAT Trio takes a fresh look at the classic piano, guitar, and bass configuration, drawing on influences from the jazz and classical worlds to explore some of music’s unmarked pathways. Guitarist Dr. George Turner has performed and recorded music, ranging from traditional jazz with some of Illinois’ most established players, contemporary jazz with the Bloomington-based Kevin Hart and the Vibe Tribe, to Brazilian music with the Champaign-based Samba Soul, to the poly-stylistic approach of the Champaign-based Almost “A” Quintet. Bassist Matt Hughes, a veteran of jazz legend Betty Carter’s working band, has performed with Elvin Jones, Jack DeJohnette, Jimmy Heath, Max Weinberg, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The group’s pianist Whitney Ashe has performed with jazz luminaries Vincent Herring, Eric Alexander, and Tommy Igoe. He has composed for The Capitol Saxophone Quartet, Christopher Creviston, and The Rivertown Duo. The trio began performing together in Macomb, Illinois, while teaching at Western Illinois University.