Events › International Jazz Day Performance: Meet Captain Walter Dyett

Walter Henri Dyett, known as “Captain Dyett”, was a music educator, and instrumental figure in the development of jazz and black music in Chicago. As the band instructor of Bronzeville’s DuSable High School, Dyett built a powerhouse music program that produced iconic singers such as Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Ella Jenkins, and Johnny Hartman. His program also produced many great instrumentalists including Richard Davis, Dorothy Donegan, Muhal Richard Abrams, Julian Priester, Joseph Jarman, and the Chicago tenor saxophonists Gene Ammons, Von Freeman, Johnny Griffin, Eddie Harris, Clifford Jordan and Ari Brown. Dyett's students took the Chicago jazz sound across the globe. 

This program is a live jazz trio performance celebrating Chicago hosting the 2026 International Jazz Day with the sounds of Dyett’s many internationally renowned students. A brief 15-minute history of Capt. Walter Dyett, followed by a 45-minute jazz trio performance.

Learn more in our archives! Photo courtesy of the collection.

Presented as part of the Renaissance Project, this event invites participants to actively engage with the rich and often untold stories of Black history and heritage at Chicago Public Library.

This program is made possible with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the Chicago Public Library Foundation.

Accessibility

Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.