Chicago

I will be there and will report back:

Chicago Cultural Center Presents George Lewis

Tuesday, April 15, 4:15 - 5:45pm
Chicago Cultural Center, Cassidy Theater
78 E. Washington Street., Chicago
Free

George Lewis: Composer, Musician and Author of "A Power Stronger Than Itself: A History of the AACM" talks about the rich history of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, an organization founded in Chicago in 1965. He will be joined by Nicole Mitchell and Douglas Ewart, the current leaders of the AACM for the discussion. The three musicians will also perform together. An event co-produced by the Masters of Arts Administration and Policy Department at the School of the Art Institute and the Chicago Cultural Center.

George Lewis, Edwin H. Case Professor of Music at Columbia University. He has taught at UC San Diego, Mills College, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Simon Fraser University's Contemporary Arts Summer Institute. He has served as music curator for the Kitchen in New York, and has collaborated in the "Interarts Inquiry" and "Integrative Studies Roundtable" at the Center for Black Music Research (Chicago). A member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) since 1971, Lewis studied composition with Muhal Richard Abrams at the AACM School of Music, and trombone with Dean Hey. An active composer, improvisor, performer and computer/installation artist, Lewis has explored electronic and computer music, computer-based multimedia installations, text-sound works, and notated forms.

His artistic work is documented in over 120 recordings and has been awarded by a 2002 MacArthur Fellowship, 1999 Cal Arts/Alpert Award in the Arts, and numerous fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. His oral history is archived in Yale University's collection of "Major Figures in American Music," and his published articles on music, experimental video, visual art, and cultural studies have appeared in numerous scholarly journals and edited volumes.

There's lots of great music to be had in Chicago around the holidays.

Nicole Mitchell is playing the Chicago debut of her Xenogenesis suite that she debuted at the Vision Festival this year at the Chicago Cultural Center this Friday on December 7th at 7 PM.

At the Velvet Lounge we have two rare appearances by Famoudou Don Moye of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, playing with his own group on the 10th and the 17th.

Dee Alexander and Warren Smith are doing an Abby Lincoln/Max Roach Freedom Now Tribute on the 14th and 15th.

Adam Rudolph and Hamid Drake are leading a group including Nicole Mitchell, Josh Abrams, and Jeff Parker on the 21st and 22nd.

Ms. Mitchell will also lead her own groups on the 28th and 29th.

Gerald Cleaver makes a rare Chicago appearance to play the Gallery 37 Downtown Sound series on December 17th.

Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang will play their annual Winter Solstice concerts at Links Hall on December 21st through 23rd, bright and early at 6 AM at Links Hall. If you've never been, it's a fantastic event and a great way to welcome the winter.

Peter Brötzmann continues his run of shows all over the city this week, including many members of his Chicago Tentet.

The Engines will play a record release show at the Hideout in support of their new release on Okka Disk.

Von Freeman will ring in 2008 at the Green Mill, as has become the tradition.

Not a bad run of music to close out the year.

In the meantime:

George E. Lewis is profiled in advance of a trip to Glasgow

Tyshawn Sorey is named a rookie of the year by Francis Davis. Mr. Davis also agrees with my assessment of Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers recording, which you may have read about recently here on the 'slope.

Dave Douglas has offered up a track for remixing. You can be sure I'm going to dub Moonshine into the stone age, and I'll post the results here.

The New York Times writes about what I've always suspected: rocks may have consciousness.

Amina Claudine Myers was profiled in advance of her visit to Vancouver.

More soon!

Tomorrow is the closing day/night and biggest chunk of programming for the 12th Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival.

Starting off at the Hyde Park Art Center at 1 PM, there's going to be a panel discussion moderated by yours truly on the subject of the 20th Anniversary of Asian Improv Records, with Tatsu Aoki, Francis Wong, Bradley Parker-Sparrow and Joannie Palatto. It should be a good time, and in my role as moderator I hope to bring up some issues about the state of recording, the internet, and technology today.

That will be followed at 2 PM by a performance by The Jeff Chan Trio plus One plus Two featuring Hyde Park's own Jimmy Ellis - saxophone, Jeff Chan - winds, Tatsu Aoki – contrabass, Ed Wilkerson - winds and special guests from the West Coast, Lewis Jordan and Francis Wong – winds.

That's the billed group, but I'm told that Tatsu Aoki won't be performing - he recently had an accident that slipped a disc in his back and actually is currently wearing a body cast. Send out some good thoughts to Mr. Aoki if you have a moment, a wonderful musician and person. He's not going to play the afternoon set because he wants to save his energy for the gig later in the day:

Fred Anderson – tenor saxophone and Tatsu Aoki – contrabass, New-York-resident-but-Chicago-native Chad Taylor – drums and San Francisco’s Francis Wong – saxophone.

Live at the Velvet Lounge. This is a reprise of the same group that played two nights at the Velvet last year for the AAJazz Fest, and I was in attendance for the second night. Nothing short of smoldering, incendiary playing from all four members of the band. I'm really looking forward to this hit - last year, Tatsu and Chad locked into these incredible grooves with Fred Anderson and Francis Wong providing tenor fireworks over the top.

If you're in Chicago, come on out. It's going to be a great day of music.

In it's Second Annual incarnation, the Umbrella Music folks (including many fantastic musicians) have put together an impressive lineup for their festival this November. Lots of great names that I recognize, and lots of new stuff to check out. I'm particularly impressed with the international "European Jazz Meets Chicago" (reminiscent of the Baden-Baden concept) that they put together along with consulates from various European nations - quite the organizational feat.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST @ ELASTIC

2830 N. Milwaukee Ave. 2nd Floor
$10 requested donation
www.elasticarts.org
773-772-3616

9 PM : PETER EVANS SOLO

Peter Evans – trumpet

10 PM : COR FUHLER/JIM BAKER DUO

Cor Fuhler – piano/electronics
Jim Baker – piano/electronics

11 PM : FREQUENCY

Nicole Mitchell – flutes
Ed Wilkerson – reeds
Harrison Bankhead – bass
Avreeayl Ra – drums

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND @ THE VELVET LOUNGE

67 E. Cermak Rd.
$15 cover
www.velvetlounge.net
312-791-9050

9 PM : BOEREN/BOWDEN/KESSLER

Eric Boeren – trumpet
Mwata Bowden – reeds
Kent Kessler – bass

10 PM : MAT MANERI/RANDY PETERSON DUO

Mat Maneri – violin/viola
Randy Peterson – drums

11 PM : LOOSE ASSEMBLY

Greg Ward – saxophone
Tomeka Reid – cello
Jason Adasiewicz – vibes
Josh Abrams – bass
Mike Reed – drums

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD @ THE HIDEOUT

1354 W. Wabansia
$15 cover
www.hideoutchicago.com
773-227-4433

9 PM : MAHALL/BISHOP/MCBRIDE/JENNESSEN

Rudi Mahalll – bass clarinet
Jeb Bishop – trombone
Nate McBride – bass
Uli Jennessen – drums

10 PM : MATEEN/CARTER/ZERANG

Sabir Mateen – reeds
Daniel Carter – reeds
Michael Zerang – percussion

11 PM : INGEBRIGT HÅKER-FLATEN QUINTET

Ola Kvernberg-violin
Dave Rempis-saxophones
Dave Miller-guitar
Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten-bass
Frank Rosaly-drums

12 AM : DANCE PARTY W/DJ’S JOSH ABRAMS AND JOHN
HERNDON

SUNDAY AFTERNOON, NOVEMBER 4TH
@ CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER

3 PM  @ Preston-Bradley Hall

78 E. Washington St.
FREE!!
www.chicagoculturalcenter.org
312-744-6630

Ari Brown – reeds
Gianluca Petrella – trombone
Junius Paul – bass
Paolino Dalla Porta – bass
Tim Daisy – drums

W/OPENING REMARKS BY JAZZ WRITER JOHN CORBETT

SUNDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 4TH
@ THE HUNGRY BRAIN

2319 W. Belmont
$10 suggested donation
www.emergingimprovisers.org
773-935-2118

9 PM : BERMAN/BEARZATTI/RODER/ACCARDI

Josh Berman – cornet
Francesco Bearzatti – reeds
Jan Roder - bass
Fabio Accardi - drums

10 PM : DÖRNER/DRUMM/LONBERG-HOLM

Axel Dörner – trumpet
Kevin Drumm – electronics
Fred Lonberg-Holm - cello

11 PM : KLANG

James Falzone – clarinet
Jason Adasiewicz – vibes
Jason Roebke – bass
Tim Daisy – drums

MONDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 5TH
@ THE CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER

“EUROPEAN JAZZ MEETS CHICAGO”

Produced in partnership with:

-The Austrian Consulate General
-The Consulate General of the Czech Republic
-The Goethe Institut Chicago
-The Italian Culture Institute of Chicago
-The Consulate General of The Netherlands
-The Swiss Consulate General
-The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

78 E. Washington St.
www.chicagoculturalcenter.org
(312) 744-6630
ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC!!!

-6:00 PM : WOLFGANG SELIGO TRIO  (AUSTRIA)
Preston-Bradley Hall

Wolfgang Seligo – piano
Anton Hatwich – bass
Andre Beasley - drums

-6:30 PM : ERIC BOEREN QUARTET  (THE NETHERLANDS)
Claudia Cassidy Theater

Eric Boeren-trumpet
Cor Fuhler-piano
Nate McBride-bass
Mike Reed-drums

- 7:15 PM : IVA BITTOVA SOLO  (THE CZECH REPUBLIC)
Preston-Bradley Hall

Iva Bittova – solo violin/vocals

-8:00 PM : GIANLUCA PETRELLA QUARTET  (ITALY)
Claudia Cassidy Theater

Gianluca Petrella-trombone
Francesco Bearzatti-reeds
Paolino Dalla Porta-bass
Fabio Accardi-drums

-8:45 PM : IRENE SCHWEITZER SOLO  (SWIITZERLAND)
Preston-Bradley Hall

Irene Schweitzer – solo piano

-9:45 PM : DIE ENTTÄUSCHUNG  (GERMANY)
Randolph St. Cafe

Axel Dörner-trumpet
Rudi Mahall-bass clarinet
Jan Roder-bass
Uli Jennessen-drums

That's right, Bill Dixon is coming to Chicago this Wednesday. Hard to believe this will be the first time, but that's what I've been told. I'll be in attendance and will be sure to report back.

Details for those in town:

click thumbnail for full size

Chicago City Arts and 5 Percent Sessions present a very special night of jazz music. Playing for the first time in Chicago with an all star Chicago lineup:

Bill Dixon - trumpet, flugelhorn, and piano
Ken Vandermark - saxophone and reeds
Josh Abrams - bass
Nate McBride - bass
Micheal Zerang - percussion

Concert Date: July 11, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.

Concert Venue: Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Ave.

Pre-concert Reception: 4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Reception Venue: Chicago City Arts Gallery, 410 S. Michigan Ave., 6th floor.

This special show will be held in Ganz Hall, which is a small venue on the
7th floor above the Auditorium Theater at 430 South Michigan Avenue.

Join us before the concert at Chicago City Arts Gallery (next door to Ganz
Hall) for a glass of wine and an opportunity to see Bill Dixon's visual art.
Bill is an accomplished visual artist. Experience both sides of his creative
personality.

Tickets are $25.00 and available online.

Tickets at the door will be cash only.

Public parking is available at the Grant Park South Garage one block north of the Auditorium Building off of Michigan Avenue.

As media consolidates, the diseased theories and practices it harbors spread. It's a process of degeneration and homogenization that has real effects on the citizens of our country, in terms of narrowing what they are exposed to in the media, and eliminating any sense of locality and place in programming. Furthermore, the emphasis on the almighty dollar that has Paris Hilton as the lead story in the news has spread in a sinister manner to the way public radio positions itself in serving the population.

Chicago has had an interesting turn events with our local public radio station, WBEZ. First they announced that they were eliminating music programming entirely. After some backlash from the local community, organized town hall meetings (one of which I was directly involved in putting together), and petitions, they backpedaled a bit, but not much. They announced they were launching a new station, a secondary public radio channel that would be dedicated to the local community, including its diverse arts scene. It came across as half baked and showed little promise. They were also extremely secretive about what the format and nature of the station was going to be, apparently in some odd attempt to build 'hype.'

The secondary station was recently launched. It's called Vocalo.

So far the station is only available online and if you live in Northwest Indiana - the station they put it on is so weak signal wise, it doesn't even reach Chicago.

I've listened in a few times and have been unimpressed with the format and the likelihood that it's going to achieve their goals. It feels like the arts community that protested the change in format of WBEZ so fervently are being thrown a bone and told to go gnaw on it in the corner.

And it's not even a particularly tasty bone.

In the Tribune article about the launch, it says "CPR expects to be able to boost the WBEW signal to 50,000 watts, which would extend its reach into Chicago" (emphasis mine). In other words, if everything works out, it should reach Chicago. Otherwise, the only way to listen would be streaming online. Which directly contradicts their stated goal, which was:

"One of the station's primary aims is to garner the non-white audience that Chicago Public Radio's flagship WBEZ-FM 91.5 does not.

According to the 2000 census data, Asians make up 4.30% of our population,  Blacks make up 36.40%, Hispanics or Latinos make up 26.00%, Whites make up 31.30%, and the miscellaneous Others make up 2.00%. The fact that WBEZ calls itself a public radio station and yet serves such a narrow band of the population is absurd. 

The whole idea of a spin off, second station, wreaks of a racist creation of a ghettoized radio station for the 'other' folks who don't listen to WBEZ, hardly a civilized answer to the problem. . Apparently white folks like to listen to people talk and will give money for the privilege.

Another interesting thing to note is that some of the theories behind the changes seen at WBEZ, as well as in public radio formats across the country, have a scapegoat. That's right, there is a man behind this madness, and his name is David Giovannoni.

The NYTimes wrote an article about him back in 2001. He's responsible for the buzz words you hear on public radio, such as "listener-supported." He's essentially a numbers cruncher, or as the article refers to him a "numbers nazi," who figured out how to get the biggest audience of the people most likely to donate money.

This is part of a larger problem that I see as endemic in our society today, a reliance on the quantitative over the qualitative, the concrete over the abstract, and in a more definitive biological sense, a privileging of the left brain over the right brain.

To generalize and stereotype: we're being ruled by MBAs, CPAs and lawyers, individuals who believe that creativity can best be defined (and managed) if it can be endlessly replicated without resorting to creative types.  These individuals believe that paint by numbers and karaoke are examples of creativity,  that playing air guitar is one step away from having actual talent.

What's the problem with numbers in this case? To quote Paul Simon: "When times are mysterious/Serious numbers are easy to please."  To quote a friend of mine who has written on this same subject:

As Tom McCourt, author of Conflicting Communication Interests in America: The Case of National Public Radio (Praeger 1999), observed in a letter to the NYT editor following Freedman’s article, "Audience research is hardly neutral; it is designed to mold audiences as well as reflect them. In its embrace of audience research, public radio, rather than providing a ground for a public culture, isolates its audience into demographically honed segments. The ‘public’ it purports to serve is a public in name only."

So, if public radio is really public, it defines public in an incredibly restricted, narrow manner: the people who are most likely to donate money.

When the backlash from the arts community happened, many large donors to WBEZ and Chicago Public Radio stepped up and said they would no longer be donating to the station. So their market research couldn't have been entirely correct, and it was nice to see some people with some monetary clout sticking it to them for their decision.

The worst part of the whole situation was that when feedback was given to WBEZ, the answer that came back to us was a paternalistic "father knows best," that we should wait and see what good ol' Chicago Public Radio had in store for us. There was no sense of exchange, of engendering community, that our voice had any value. This was particularly entertaining considering the fact that they were pitching the new format station as 'giving voice to the community.'

HA!

1 8 Bold Souls, Sideshow (Arabesque, 1992)
2 William Parker/In Order To Survive, The Peach Orchard (Aum Fidelity, 1998)
3 Greg Osby, Banned in New York (Blue Note, 1998)
4 Myra Melford Extended Ensemble, Even the Sounds Shine (hatHUT, 1995)
5 Douglas Ewart and Inventions Clarinet Choir, Angles of Entrance (Aarawak, 1990/1998)
6 Anderson/Crispell/Drake, Destiny (OkkaDisk, 1994)
7 Jon Jang, Two Flowers on a Stem (Soul Note, 1995)
8 Horace Tapscott, Thoughts of Dar Es Salaam (Arabesque, 1997)
9 Charles Gayle, Touchin’ on Trane (FMP, 1993)
10 Anderson/Kowald/Drake, Live at the Velvet Lounge (OkkaDisk, 1999)

Continuing on through my '90s list, I'm going to talk about the other two albums that hail from Chicago, 8 Bold Souls - Sideshow, and Douglas Ewart and Inventions Clarinet Choir - Angles of Entrance.

The 8 Bold Souls is:

Ed Wilkerson Jr - tenor, alto and bass saxophones,  clarinet and alto clarinet
Mwata Bowden - clarinet, baritone, and tenor
Robert Griffin - trumpet and flugelhorn
Isaiah Jackson - trombone
Aaron Dodd - tuba
Naomi Millender - Cello
Harrison Bankhead - bass
Dushun Mosley - drums and percussion

Let's talk about timbre for a second. Baritone and bass saxophone, trombone, tuba, cello, bass....yep, this is definitely a low-end heavy lineup. Mingus had a penchant for the lower end of the register. When I think of groups that dealt with the deep sounds, the rock band Morphine always comes to mind, with the slide bass, baritone sax, and rumbling vocals. I've heard it described as low rock. This is low jazz.

This is my favorite recording from this group. It opens with the 17 minute Black Herman, named after the most prominent early African American magician in the United States. It starts off quiet and meditative, with a steady pulse and fascinating writing, highlighting Mr. Wilkerson's impeccable taste in orchestration and composition. Like other tracks on the album, in turns into a deep swinging piece with great solos and fantastic backgrounds that really frame the whole affair in a meaningful manner. The songs that Ed Wilkerson writes have topography, taking advantage of the full range of tones, dynamics and sound combinations.

This album also has my favorite cover of Ornette Coleman's Lonely Woman, arranged for the octet, and turning into a 17 minute jam session. It opens with a statement of the main theme on the cello, solo, a beautiful interpretation that is soon joined by the bass, leading to some fantastic arco interplay. The arrangement of the melody for the whole band is absolutely stunning, and spirals upwards both density and dynamics before leading seamlessly into the solos.

As a whole, Sideshow features some absolutely fantastic writing from Mr. Wilkerson and equally as inspired playing from the band. I love the possibilities with the octet and the 8 Bold Souls take advantage of the full range.

The second album hailing from the windy city I'm going to discuss is Douglas Ewart and Inventions Clarinet Choir - Angles of Entrance. I always thought of the title as conceptually akin to Point of Departure. We all have to start somewhere. I must admit, this was one of two albums I suspected might not show up on any other lists, because it was released on Mr. Ewart's own small label Arawak and didn't enjoy wide distribution. I was pleasantly surprised to see Peter Breslin included it on his list.

Lester Bowie had his Brass Fantasy. Anthony Braxton had his tuba orchestra. Douglas Ewart has his clarinet choir. Maybe it's something in the water here in Chicago.

The incredible lineup is:

Douglas Ewart, Mwata Bowden, Anthony Braxton, J.D. Parran, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Ed Wilkerson Jr., and Don Byron (only on the last track) on every clarinet under the sun, joined by Malachi Favors on bass.

When I say every clarinet under the sun, that includes: Bb bass, Bb contra bass, Eb contra alto, Bb soprano, Eb alto, and also the B natural Ewartophone.

The first 4 tracks were recorded live in Atlanta. The final two tracks feature a solo clarinet piece from Mr. Ewart and a track from Merkin Hall in New York.

I wonder if there is a fascination with both the character of instruments and with timbre that leads to creating a band of clarinets. It certainly creates an otherworldly sound. The album features some great compositions and improvisations, the former of which are all attributed to Mr. Ewart, and the latter of which is to be expected with a lineup like this.

Track four, Red Hills, has become somewhat of an AACM anthem, often played when the AACM Great Black Music Ensemble convenes. The title of track three, One Love, is most likely a reference to Mr. Ewart's land of birth, Jamaica, which he still carries with him in both his accent and persona. He also has a nyabinghi drum choir that performs on occasion in Chicago.

I don't have much to say about this album, since there aren't many words that come to mind. It's absolutely singular listening experience and I enjoy it thoroughly every time I put it on. Maybe Mr. Breslin can chime in with his thoughts on the album at some point.

I haven't decided which albums to tackle next. I'm going to try and determine another thread of commonality so I can write about a few at once, but if not, I'll just lump them together.

More later....

My list has been posted over at D:O, but to reiterate:

1 8 Bold Souls, Sideshow (Arabesque, 1992)
2 William Parker/In Order To Survive, The Peach Orchard (Aum Fidelity, 1998)
3 Greg Osby, Banned in New York (Blue Note, 1998)
4 Myra Melford Extended Ensemble, Even the Sounds Shine (hatHUT, 1995)
5 Douglas Ewart and Inventions Clarinet Choir, Angles of Entrance (Aarawak, 1990/1998)
6 Anderson/Crispell/Drake, Destiny (OkkaDisk, 1994)
7 Jon Jang, Two Flowers on a Stem (Soul Note, 1995)
8 Horace Tapscott, Thoughts of Dar Es Salaam (Arabesque, 1997)
9 Charles Gayle, Touchin’ on Trane (FMP, 1993)
10 Anderson/Kowald/Drake, Live at the Velvet Lounge (OkkaDisk, 1999)

FYI, these were not listed in any kind of order relating to quality. It was just how I happened to write them down.

Today I'm planning to write about two of the four of these discs that hail from the great windy city of Chicago. Namely the two Fred Anderson discs,  Anderson/Kowald/Drake, Live at the Velvet Lounge, and Anderson/Crispell/Drake, Destiny.

Yes, I gave 4 out of my top 10 albums to discs made in Chicago. I told you I was biased. However, it really does reflect my listening from the decade, because when I delved into the wealth of music coming out of this great city, I did so in depth, and as such my collection has a decidedly Midwestern slant.

The first record I want to touch on is the Fred Anderson, Marylin Crispell, Hamid Drake disc Destiny. This recording was initiated by Ms. Crispell, as she was scheduled to play a Women In Jazz festival here in Chicago and was asked who she might like to play with. She chose Fred Anderson, and Hamid Drake was the other logical co-conspirator given his long association with Mr. Anderson.

Fred Anderson is one of my favorite artists. To my ears, he is singular in the so-called avant-garde for his lack of extended technique. If you ask him about it, he'll tell you it's because he's actually a bit older than a lot of the other players associated with the genre, and he was really deep into Charlie Parker. So that's where he's coming from: he plays lines, melodies, wrapping them around and around, but never getting into the realm of squonks and squeals.

Fred has a huge sound. Enormous even. He's said that's due to his early practice regimen of playing outside in the parks, and learning to really project. It's a wonder he projects as well as he does, given his hunched over posture that would seem to constrict his diaphragm. Anyone who's felt the physicality of his sound in person can tell you that it doesn't seem to hamper him one bit.

I've listened to Fred mostly in settings without a guitar or piano to frame his improvisations harmonically, allowing for my imagination to fill in the blanks. Fred paints pictures with his lines and I would fill in some of the colors. I remember the first time I heard this recording, it was revelatory to hear a piano framing his improvisations. I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I liked it. Crispell obviously had enormous ears, figuratively of course, and was an empathetic improvisational partner to Fred. I've seen Fred perform with people for the first time before, and when he stops playing and allows Crispell and Drake to do their thing, I can see him standing off to the side of the stage, pensive, reflective, and with a grin on his face listening to her go.

This isn't the only recording of Fred Anderson with a harmonic instrument: Birdhouse features Jim Baker on piano, Chicago Chamber Music features Bradley Parker-Sparrow on a few tracks on piano, several recordings, including the recent From the River to the Ocean feature Jeff Parker on guitar, and with Irene Shweizer on one track on Portrait, as well as this year's trio recording, which I have yet to hear.

This CD has it all for my ears: energetic swirling improvisations, sensitive avant balladry, great solo, duo, and trio interactions, and a vitality that translates from the live performance to the disc.

The second of the two Fred Anderson discs that made their way onto my list is the 1998 Live At The Velvet Lounge, showcasing Fred in my favorite setting for his music: the trio. Here he's joined by Peter Kowald and Hamid Drake; elsewhere, he's had Tatsu Aoki, Harrison Bankhead, and William Parker as the link between him and Drake in the trio setting.

Fred, in a trio, at the Velvet Lounge is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of him. The two nights of music that became his recent Delmark disc Timeless were both incredible, and I count several of his performances in this format, at that venue, as my top listening concert experiences of my life.

This one consists of two long, 30 minute-ish improvisations that bookend a more restrained second track. Fred Anderson always manages to make music that captures my imagination, first and foremost. When I listen, I am transported, and he always brings me back down for a safe landing. His musical relationship with Hamid Drake can't be emphasized enough: they have an incredible level of comfort, while retaining the ability to challenge each other through their interplay.

I think both Destiny and the Live at the Velvet Lounge disc are out of print unfortunately. If you come across a used copy, grab it up.

More on the other two Chicago discs soon....

....reveals the truth.

As I mentioned earlier, Bill Dixon will make two appearances in Chicago this year, the latter of which it is now prudent to mention since it is public information:

He will appear as part of the Chicago Jazz Festival as a guest artist with Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra.

That should be an interesting one, to say the least.

Other artists of interest for the festival: Charlie Haden will be the artist in residence, performing with his Liberation Music Orchestra, with a band of local musicians, and with a band of student musicians. The Mingus Big Band will perform as well. Sadly, Andrew Hill was scheduled to perform. No word as to whether they will try and do a tribute to him or who will fill that cavernous void in the schedule.

There will also be a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie featuring Jon Faddis, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, James Moody, Giovanni Hidalgo and Ignacio Berroa that will most likely produce some smoldering latin jazz.

To follow up on my earlier post about Ornette's Pulitzer, there was some fruitful discussion both in that post and also at Night After Night, including a link to this discussion at the Organissimo forums, and some astute comments from DJA.

More later....

...that Lester Bowie wrote the Cosby Show's theme song for Season 8? I didn't until today. I saw a videotape of Bill Cosby talking about Louis Armstrong and Lester Bowie for a special introduction he recorded for a tribute to Louis Armstrong that Lester Bowie did shortly before his death in 1999, here in Chicago. In fact, I think it was his last show.

I'm going to try and get it digitized to post it, because seeing Bill Cosby talk about Lester Bowie is priceless.

More of substance tomorrow....

This is the first post in what I hope will be a long series that will shine a spotlight on local musicians here on the Chicago scene who are not as well known on the national and international scenes. Another main criteria for the series is that it has to profile musicians who do something active to help foster the local scene. I'm sure you all know musicians that fit this description in your own local scene.

The first musician I'd like to write about is Ari Brown, a local tenor saxophonist and pianist.

He was actually mentioned over at Do the Math, both in relation to a Muhal Richard Abrams album and in a follow up email by Craig Taborn singing his praises, the latter of which is particularly noteworthy for highlighting the fact that Chicago is "teeming" with unsung music masters. I agree wholeheartedly.

Ari Brown is probably best known for his extensive involvement in the AACM, appearing with Muhal Richard Abrams, Lester Bowie, an ongoing chair in Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio, also making a guest appearance with the Art Ensemble of Chicago on occasion. He's soft spoken in person with a monster tone on the tenor and a deft touch on the piano, displaying a mastery of both instruments that makes you wish he'd left a little talent for the rest of us.

He has two Delmark titles in his own name, Ultimate Frontier and Venus, featuring his quartet and his own compositions. Brown has an impeccable sense of history on his saxophone, encapsulating the entire tradition with an ease that is rarely heard while retaining an individuality. To me, he exemplifies the ethic of inside/outside playing, utilizing the vocabulary of bebop and Coltrane era harmonic understandings with post-Coltrane extended techniques and emotional expression. One listen to his tenor and you know he comes from Chicago, following in the great tradition of Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Clifford Jordan, Von Freeman, and John Gilmore, amongst others.

Perhaps more importantly, Ari has and continues to teach private lessons to young budding musicians here in the city on both saxophone and piano, regularly teaches in the public schools through a local program placing musicians in classrooms, and retains an ease of personality and conviviality that makes you wish he was your uncle. Just knowing that he's out there teaching makes me feel good about the future of music.

I wish there was some seminal recording that he's featured on that I could recommend to you - certainly the Muhal recording mentioned earlier deserves a listen (but then again I believe all Muhal Richard Abrams recordings deserve a listen, so I'm biased), and of his two quartet recordings I prefer the latter, Venus. He recently appeared with his Quintet at the Banlieues Blues festival in Paris, continuing a long standing relationship between the AACM and that festival, and last year he appeared in Poland leading his own group. It's a shame he doesn't get to lead in his own name more often, but I understand why it doesn't happen: he's so in demand as a sideman, and it seems to agree so well with his personality.

I have a dream that someday there will be a festival here in Chicago where Ari Brown will be the artist in residence and sit in with every band on the bill. There's no doubt in my mind that he could pull it off with ease - he's at home in any variation of jazz, as long as he has a horn or a piano to play.

Free, as in: of no cost to the listener, not as in: without musical structure.

The place: Millennium Park.

The shows:

Great Black Music Ensemble: Tribute to Fletcher Henderson, with Von Freeman and Franz Jackson, July 26

Blues/Jazz Summit Chicago, with Sharon Lewis, Billy Branch, Ari Brown, Lurie Bell and Chris Foreman, Aug. 2

Nicole Mitchell Black Earth Orchestra: Tribute to Alice Coltrane, Aug. 9

Legends and Lions: Ragtime and Beyond, with Muhal Richard Abrams, Reginald Robinson and Fulcrum Point, Aug. 16

Sirens of Song: Dee Alexander's Tribute to Nina Simone and Dinah Washington, Aug. 23

Chicago Jazz Philharmonic on Tap: Songs from the Chicago Songbook, with Orbert Davis, vocalists and tap dancers, Aug. 27.

I'm really looking forward to the Great Black Music Ensemble tribute to Fletcher Henderson - the show last year was phenomenal and I expect this one will be even better. Nicole Mitchell's tribute to Alice Coltrane will also feature Myra Melford and Hamid Drake, and should be fabulous. Pairing Muhal Richard Abrams with current ragtime revivalist Reginald Robinson is nothing short of brilliant juxtaposition. Dee Alexander is the only singer I'd like to see try and do a tribute to Nina Simone. The blues summit isn't particularly intriguing to me, although Ari Brown is always a pleasure, and any chance for Orbert Davis to convene his Jazz Philharmonic is a special treat indeed.

I'll be doing podcast interviews with the main musicians for each show as a preview to their respective concerts - stay tuned for details.

Once a month, the Jazz Institute of Chicago holds a jam session for elementary through high school aged kids at the Chicago Cultural Center.  The cost to the students to play and the public to hear is nothing - and they hire a killer house band to back the kids up, encourage them, and lead by example.

I caught one of the sessions today. The band consisted of Robert "Baabe" Irving III on piano, the man behind the later years of Miles Davis (not his proudest years, but to be Miles' right hand man you have to be the real deal). Baabe is a killer player and he possesses a very generous and kind spirit.

Kobie Watkins played drums. He's a young guy but his recent appointment as the new drummer in Sonny Rollins' current touring unit speaks for itself.

Lorin Cohen played bass, a first call guy in Chicago who plays with all kinds of guys. MC'ing the session and playing trumpet was the multi-talented

Corey Wilkes, another young guy who's already all over the place with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Will Calhoun, Greg Osby, and others.

They don't get paid a ton of money, but they make as much if not more than a door gig in the city. But the real point is that they're playing because they want to, and they see the value in playing with the young kids and passing along their craft. These kids can't get into clubs, and they know the value of learning on the bandstand as well as the classroom. They offer encouragement, tips, and you can tell that being on the same stage as them means a lot to the kids.

People come just to hear the kids go, cheer them on, and occasionally laugh at the funny faces kids make when they're soloing.

Corey got some of his first playing opportunities from the Jazz Institute, as did Maurice Brown, and I'm sure many other musicians in the future will have come through this program at some point.

One particularly incredible story emerged in the last year. A 12 year old, blind since birth, pianist showed up at one of the sessions with his parents. He'd been playing his whole life but never played with a band before. When the MC asked him what he wanted to play, he called a somewhat obscure Eddie Harris tune, got up, and killed it. Everyone was in awe.

A few sessions later someone took a little video clip of him playing. His name is Ade (pronounced AH-day), and he has a musical sense beyond his years.