The life and legacy of Geraldine de Haas, a vocalist, producer, presenter, mentor, and advocate whose decades of work helped shape Chicago's jazz community, will be honored at a Musical Memorial Celebration on November 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the Logan Center, 915 E. 60th Street, in Chicago. The evening will bring together family, friends, musicians, colleagues, and members of the city's arts community for a program of music and personal remembrance.
The celebration matters because de Haas's influence is woven into the institutional fabric of Chicago jazz. In 1974, following the death of Duke Ellington, she helped organize a tribute concert in Grant Park that ultimately developed into the Chicago Jazz Festival, one of the city's signature annual musical traditions. She also founded and led the South Shore Jazz Festival while continuing to produce programs and advocate for opportunities for musicians and audiences throughout Chicago.
Scheduled performers and speakers include Tammy McCann, Orbert Davis, the Miguel de La Cerna Trio, Bethany Pickens, Aisha de Haas, Darius de Haas, Howard Reich, and Heather Ireland Robinson, among others. The evening will use music as its central language of remembrance, reflecting the art form to which she devoted so much of her life.
De Haas first came to Chicago in 1968 with her husband, bassist Edgar "Eddie" de Haas. Before and during her years in Chicago, she established a career as a vocalist, including performing internationally with her siblings Andy Bey and Salome Bey as Andy and the Bey Sisters. She later became deeply involved in Chicago's theater scene, performing in the national companies of "Hair" and "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope," and in its music communities.
Her commitment to the arts extended beyond presenting concerts. In 1981, she founded Jazz Unites, Inc., an organization dedicated to expanding appreciation for jazz and using music as a means of education and cultural connection. Its work included concerts, educational programs, workshops, master classes, festivals, and opportunities for emerging and established artists.
De Haas died on July 28, 2026, at the age of 91. Her death was reported around the world, but especially by Chicago news organizations, which highlighted her decades-long contribution to the city's jazz community and her role in helping establish the Chicago Jazz Festival. The November 4 celebration will bring together those who knew her personally and professionally, as well as members of the wider community whose lives were touched by her work.
The memorial carries implications beyond remembrance. The festivals, organizations, and educational programs de Haas built continue to shape how jazz is presented and experienced in Chicago, and the gathering underscores the enduring value of her efforts to make jazz accessible to broad audiences. Her influence on the city's musical life continues through the artists, festivals, audiences, and institutions she helped nurture.
