Geraldine de Haas, a vivacious vocalist and pioneering jazz impresario who helped shape Chicago's jazz landscape for over four decades, died of natural causes on July 28, 2026, at Englewood Health Hospital. She was 91. Her son, actor/singer Darius de Haas, announced her passing.
De Haas first gained international acclaim as a member of Andy and the Bey Sisters, a family group that blended jazz, gospel, and soul in the 1950s and 1960s. But it was her tireless work as a jazz presenter, producer, and advocate that cemented her legacy in Chicago, where she moved in 1968.
“Geraldine de Haas was one of the most inspired and influential impresarios that Chicago – and jazz itself – has ever had,” said Howard Reich, Emmy Award-winning author and former Chicago Tribune jazz critic. “The Duke Ellington tribute concert she created in Chicago's Grant Park in 1974 made possible the now-famous Chicago Jazz Festival.”
Born Geraldine Wideman on January 16, 1935, in Newark, NJ, she was the seventh of nine children. She formed Andy and the Bey Sisters with her sister Salome and brother Andy. The group recorded three albums for RCA Victor and Prestige, and their sophisticated blend of jazz foreshadowed groups like The Manhattan Transfer. They toured Europe for 16 months, performing at the Paris Blue Note and even appearing in a jam session with Dizzy Gillespie that was filmed by Roger Vadim.
After the group disbanded in 1967, de Haas married Indonesian-born bassist Edgar de Haas, who had performed with Miles Davis and toured with Peter, Paul & Mary. They moved to Chicago, where she raised a family and became involved in the city's cultural scene, performing in stage productions like Hair and Showboat.
In the early 1970s, de Haas began producing jazz events. Following Duke Ellington's death in 1974, she organized an influential tribute at Grant Park that brought the Chicago jazz community together. The success of that event paved the way for the Chicago Jazz Festival. As she told PBS's Chicago Tonight, “they saw where many people from every corner of this city gathered to hear this wonderful music.”
In 1981, de Haas founded Jazz Unites, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing jazz to the public. She also served as Director of Performing Arts and Access Programs for the Illinois Arts Council from 1983 to 1993. Throughout her career, she received numerous awards, including the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Award and a 2010 Jazz Hero Award from the Jazz Journalists Association.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend and mentor, Geraldine de Haas,” said two-time Grammy-winning vocalist Kurt Elling. “In her gracious way, and by the example of her own performances, she showed me how to carry myself on stage, how to work with instrumentalists, how to connect with audiences, and how to sing 'the real thing.'”
De Haas's impact extended beyond her own performances. Chicago vocalist Tammy McCann noted, “She saw something in me and other young artists and elevated the level of our performance in such a thoughtful way. Her outstanding talents soared without an ounce of ego or competition, only collaboration and excellence.”
For de Haas, the mission was always about sharing jazz with the widest possible audience. As she told Dr. Gloria Latimore-Peace on The H30 Art of Life TV show, “The key for me was to bring the best of the world to our community. People need to see what we have given to this world. That's the only reason why I work.”
De Haas moved to Lambertville, NJ, in 2013 to be closer to her children. She was preceded in death by her husband Edgar, her brother Andy Bey, and her sister Salome Bey. She is survived by her son Darius, her daughter Aisha, son-in-law Kyle Rudy, and numerous nieces and nephews. Arrangements for a celebration of her life will be announced later.
