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Music, Music Feature Dec 22, 2016
The ten best jazz records of 2016

The cream of this year’s crop includes a large-ensemble concept album about conspiracy theories, a tug-of-war between loops and live-band grooves, and an amazing hybrid of jazz and hip-hop.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music Feature, jazz, best, top ten, 2016, albums, Mary Halvorson Octet, Away With You, Firehouse 12, JD Allen Trio, Americana, Savant, Tyshawn Sorey, The Inner Spectrum of Variables, Pi, Henry Threadgill Ensemble Double Up, Old Locks and Irregular Verbs, Jeff Parker, The New Breed, International Anthem, Jim Black Trio, The Constant, Intakt, Steve Lehman, Sélébéyone, Anna Högberg Attack, Omlott, Tim Stine Trio, Astral Spirits, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Real Enemies, New Amsterdam, Darcy James Argue, Secret Society, Ensemble Double Up, Henry Threadgill, Meltframe, Susan Alcorn, Gregg August, Rudy Royston, Jason Moran, David Virelles, Curtis MacDonald, Roman Filiu, Jose Davila, Christopher Hoffman, Craig Weinrib, Butch Morris, Zooid, Cory Smythe, Chris Tordini, Fung Chern Hwei, Kyle Armbrust, Rubin Kodheli, Jamire Williams, Paul Bryan, Josh Johnson, Thomas Morgan, Elias Stemeseder, Damion Reid, Carlos Homs, Maciek Lasserre, HPrizm, Gaston Bandimic, Malin Wättring, Elin Larsson, Lisa Ullén, Elsa Bergman, Anna Lund, Anton Hatwich, Frank Rosaly

Blogs, Bleader Apr 1, 2016
Video
A new seven-piece ensemble conducted by Henry Threadgill drops its debut

In his new Ensemble Double Up, reedist Henry Threadgill puts down his horns and conducts.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Jazz, Music, Post No Bills, Henry Threadgill, Zooid, Ensemble Double Up, Old Locks and Irregular Verbs, Jason Moran, David Virelles, Christopher Hoffman, Jose Davila, Roman Filiu, Curtis MacDonald, Craig Weinrib, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Video

Blogs, Bleader Sep 25, 2015
There's an overload of must-see jazz concerts in Chicago this weekend

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is at the center of a dizzying variety of live music this weekend.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Jazz, Music, Post No Bills, Chicago Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Matthew Shipp, Michael Bisio, Ravi Coltrane, Kurt Elling, Jeremy Cunningham, Henry Threadgill, David Virelles, Roscoe Mitchell, the Freedom Principle, Museum of Contemporary Art

Music, Music Feature Sep 2, 2015
Your comprehensive guide to the 37th annual Chicago Jazz Festival

Previews of every act in Millennium Park and beyond, including Fred Hersch in his overdue festival debut and AACM cofounder Muhal Richard Abrams leading a historic reunion of the Experimental Band
- By Peter Margasak, John Corbett, and Bill Meyer
- Tags: Music Feature, Chicago Jazz Festival 2015, Jazz Fest, Jazz Fest 2015, Jazzfest, Jazzfest 2015, Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, AACM, Jeff Parker Trio, Steve & Iqua Colson, Muhal Richard Abrams's Experimental Band, Muhal Richard Abrams, Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis, Wadada Leo Smith, Amina Claudine Myers, Fred Hersch, Henry Butler, Andrew Trim's Hanami Quartet, Ben Waltzer, Lucy Smith, James Davis's Beveled, Dee Alexander, Miguel de la Cerna, "What's This Thing Called Jazz?" From Mainstream to AACM and Beyond, Marquis Hill Blacktet, Henry Butler, Steven Bernstein, The Hot 9, Rajiv Halim Quintet, Jeremy Cunningham Quartet, Neusa Sauer, Craig Taborn Trio, Spin Quartet, Art Hoyle Sextet, Clark Terry Tribute, Bobby Lewis Sextet, Chico Freeman, The Chicago Project featuring George Freeman, Billie Holiday, Fred Hersch Trio, Billy Strayhorn, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Edward Wilkerson, John Hollenbeck, Steven Bernstein, Gordon Goodwin, Jones College Prep Jazz Combo, Chi Arts Jazz Combo, Whitney Young Magnet High School Jazz Ensemble, Rich Central Jazz Ensemble, Columbia College Jazz Ensemble, Dave Douglas, Trio WAZ, Mike Schlick Trio, Brian Gephart Sextet, Ryan Cohan Quartet, Joe Locke, Makaya McCraven Quartet, Juan Pastor, Chinchano, Jason Roebke Octet, Douglas Ewart, The Claudia Quintet, Theo Bleckmann, Mark Turner Quartet, Taft Jazz Combo, Northside College Prep Jazz Combo, Pritzker High School Jazz Ensemble, Thornridge High School Jazz Ensemble, Northern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble, Kenwood Academy Jazz Ensemble, Tomeka Reid, Jordan Baskin Trio, Elaine Dame, Ryan Shultz Quartet, Robert Irving III Generations, Bob Dogan Quintet, Bill McFarland Chicago Horns, Steve Colson, Iqua Colson, 40 Years in the Movement, Jane Bunnett, Maqueque, Cyrille Aimee

Music, Music Feature Jul 7, 2015
Why the AACM and AfriCOBRA still matter

MCA curator Naomi Beckwith discusses a new exhibit called "The Freedom Principle" that connects the legacy of the Black Arts Movement to current cultural and political battles.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music Feature, AACM, Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Museum of Contemporary Art, AfriCOBRA, Naomi Beckwith, "The Freedom Principle", Black Arts Movement, John Litweiler, Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Wadada Leo Smith, Amina Claudine Meyers, George Lewis, John Litweiler, Matana Roberts, OBAC, Organization of Black American Culture, Coalition of Black Revolutionary Artists, Glenn Ligon, Cauleen Smith, Anri Sala, Nick Cave visual artist, Renee Green, Dieter Roelstraete, The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music 1965 to Now, A Power Stronger Than Itself

Blogs, Bleader May 5, 2015
Here's the full lineup for the 2015 Chicago Jazz Festival

The 50th anniversary of Chicago's AACM gets the spotlight
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Jazz, Music, Post No Bills, Chicago Jazz Festival, Muhal Richard Abrams Experimental Band, Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Bobby Hutcherson, Jose James, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, George Lewis, Craig Taborn, Mark Turner, Wadada Leo Smith

Music, Music Feature Oct 21, 2014
Video
An interview with MacArthur 'genius,' jazz pianist, and composer Vijay Iyer

Iyer's mutant style—at the intersection of two rich but usually parallel traditions—should make him one of the most interesting draws at this year's Chicago Humanities Festival.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music Feature, Vijay Iyer, Chicago Humanities Festival, MacArthur genius grant, Jason Moran, Tyshawn Sorey, Nicole Mitchell, Stefan Crump, Marcus Gilmore, Logan Center, Monica Hairston O'Connell, Radhe Radhe, Silk Road Ensemble, Brooklyn Rider, Neil Dufallo, AACM, Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis, Henry Threadgill, Wadada Leo Smith, Brentano String Quartet, Steve Coleman, Harvard University, Video

Blogs, Bleader Jan 17, 2014
A weekend of jazz and international music in New York

Gorging at Winter Jazz Festival and Globalfest
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Jazz, Music, Post No Bills, Winter Jazz Fest, Globalfest, New York, jazz, Ches Smith, Henry Threadgill, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Nate Wooley, Metal Tongues, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Wu-Force, Kuenta i Tambu, Peter Brötzmann, Mark Feldman, Sylvie Courvoisier, Roomful of Teeth, Jason Adasiewicz, Hamid Drake, Bombay Royale

Music, Music Feature Aug 27, 2013
The Reader's guide to the 35th annual Chicago Jazz Festival

The fest moves to Millennium Park with its best lineup in five years—including Jack DeJohnette, Wadada Leo Smith, Atomic, Robert Glasper, Jimmy Heath, Satoko Fujii, and lots of Hamid Drake.
- By Peter Margasak, John Corbett, and Bill Meyer
- Tags: Music Feature, Chicago Jazz Festival 2013, 35th Annual Chicago Jazz Fest, Grant Park, Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center, Pritzker Pavilion, Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz, Hamid Drake, Roosevelt University, Jack DeJohnette, AACM, Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, William Parker, Edward "Kidd" Jordan, Bindu, Charles Lloyd, Bill Frisell, Wadada Leo Smith, Ten Freedom Summers, Jason Moran, Fats Waller Dance Party, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Gamak, Gregory Porter, Donald Harrison, Ganz Hall, Von Freeman Pavilion, Young Jazz Lions Pavilion, Harris Theater

Music, Music Feature Aug 27, 2013
Thursday and Friday: 2013 Chicago Jazz Festival according to Reader writers

Jack DeJohnette, Wadada Leo Smith, Hamid Drake, and others highlight the first two days of Jazz Fest.
- By Peter Margasak, John Corbett, and Bill Meyer
- Tags: Music Feature, 35th annual Chicago Jazz Fest, T.S. Galloway, Dudley Owens, Irvin Pierce, Rajiv Halim Orozco, Mwata Bowden, Corey Wilkes, Larry Bowen, Pharez Whitted, Audrey Morrison, Norman Palm, Willie Woods, Larry Gray, Robert Irving III, Geof Bradfield, 2013 Chicago Jazz Festival, Melba!, Ryan Cohan, Joel Adams, Mike Allemana, Clark Sommers, George Fludas, Wadada Leo Smith's Ten Freedom Summers, Golden Quartet, Pacifica Red Coral, Jesse Gilbert, Anthony Davis, John Lindberg, Pheeroan Aklaff, Randolph Cafe, Alison Bjorkedal, Charles Lloyd, Bill Frisell, Chicago Cultural Center, Corylus, Mankwe Ndosi, AACM, Edward Wilkerson Jr., Darius Savage, JoVia Armstrong, Fat Babies, Beau Sample, Alex Hall, Jake Sanders, Paul Asaro, Dave Bock, John Otto, Andy Schumm, Jon Doyle, Randy Weston, Claudia Cassidy Theater, Larry Gray Trio, John Moulder, Charles Heath, Harrison Bankhead Sextet, Preston Bradley Hall, Hinda Hoffman Trio, Ron Perrillo, Dennis Carroll, Garland Room, What Is This Thing Called "Jazz"?, Paul Wertico, The Rhythm Method, Roosevelt University, Hamid Drake's Chicago Trio, Ernest Dawkins, Jack DeJohnette, Muhal Richard Abrams, Larry Gray, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Von Freeman Pavilion, George Freeman, Christopher McBride Quartet, Marquis Hill, Jeff Swanson, Michael Lough, Xavier Breaker, Ben Paterson Organ Quartet, Hammond B-3, George Fludas, Kyle Asche, Victor Garcia, Miguel de la Cerna Quartet, Hyde Park Jazz Society, Ari Brown, Avreaayl Ra, Mike Smith Quartet, Jordan Baskin, Jeff Hamann, Brian Ritter, Hamid Drake, Michael Zerang, Eigen Aoki, Tsukasa Taiko, Tatsu Aoki, Ken Chaney, Young-Holt Unlimited, Pritzker Pavilion, Chicago Cultural Center, Randolph Cafe, Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Garland Room, Chicago Cultural Center

Blogs, Bleader Apr 2, 2013
City announces 2013 lineups for Downtown Sound, Loops & Variations, and Made in Chicago

What's scheduled for some of this summer's best free concert series.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music, Post No Bills, Downtown Sound, Loops & Variations, Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz, Jack McLarnan, Carlos Tortolero, Lee Ranaldo, Marc Ribot, Sharon Van Etten, Speck Mountain, Glen Hansard, Daniel Lanois, Brokeback, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Angela James, Lee Fields, Theo Huff, Dawes, Cairo Gang, Fatoumata Diawara, Alasdair Roberts, Handsome Family, Azita, Dessa, Psalm One, Falty DL, Bill Kouligas, Matmos, Fonema Consort, ICE, Nosaj Thing, Dan Deacon, Eighth Blackbird, Glenn Kotche, Lesley Flanigan, Olaf Arnalds, Sarah Neufeld, Jeff Parker, Dee Alexander, Nels Cline, Dana Hall, Pat Mallinger, Cameron Pfiffner, Jack DeJohnette, Victor Garcia, Henry Threadgill, Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell

Blogs, Bleader Dec 15, 2010
Counting Down My Favorite Music of 2010

My choices for best albums of 2010, numbers 11-40.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music, Post No Bills, Best albums of 2010, Year-end list, Best Music of 2010, Joanna Newsom, Henry Threadgill, Grinderman, Bonny "Prince" Billy, Jason Adasiewicz, Mike Reed, Black Keys, Roots, Olof Arnalds, Avishai Cohen, ICP Orchestra, Trembling Bells

Blogs, Bleader Jun 22, 2010
Chicago Jazz Fest Lineup Announced

The Jazz Institute of Chicago has announced the lineup for this year's Jazz Festival, which includes Henry Threadgill's Zooid, the Brad Mehldau Trio, Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band, and the Either/Orchestra with Mahmoud Ahmed.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music, Free Shit, Post No Bills, Swag, Chicago Jazz Festival, Jazz Institute of Chicago, Henry Threadgill, Brad Mehldau, Dana Hall, Nicole Mitchell, Either/Orchestra, Mahmoud Ahmed, Brian Blade

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The ten best jazz records of 2016

The cream of this year’s crop includes a large-ensemble concept album about conspiracy theories, a tug-of-war between loops and live-band grooves, and an amazing hybrid of jazz and hip-hop.

Video
A new seven-piece ensemble conducted by Henry Threadgill drops its debut

In his new Ensemble Double Up, reedist Henry Threadgill puts down his horns and conducts.

There's an overload of must-see jazz concerts in Chicago this weekend

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is at the center of a dizzying variety of live music this weekend.

Your comprehensive guide to the 37th annual Chicago Jazz Festival

Previews of every act in Millennium Park and beyond, including Fred Hersch in his overdue festival debut and AACM cofounder Muhal Richard Abrams leading a historic reunion of the Experimental Band

Why the AACM and AfriCOBRA still matter

MCA curator Naomi Beckwith discusses a new exhibit called "The Freedom Principle" that connects the legacy of the Black Arts Movement to current cultural and political battles.

Here's the full lineup for the 2015 Chicago Jazz Festival

The 50th anniversary of Chicago's AACM gets the spotlight

Video
An interview with MacArthur 'genius,' jazz pianist, and composer Vijay Iyer

Iyer's mutant style—at the intersection of two rich but usually parallel traditions—should make him one of the most interesting draws at this year's Chicago Humanities Festival.

A weekend of jazz and international music in New York

Gorging at Winter Jazz Festival and Globalfest

The Reader's guide to the 35th annual Chicago Jazz Festival

The fest moves to Millennium Park with its best lineup in five years—including Jack DeJohnette, Wadada Leo Smith, Atomic, Robert Glasper, Jimmy Heath, Satoko Fujii, and lots of Hamid Drake.

Thursday and Friday: 2013 Chicago Jazz Festival according to Reader writers

Jack DeJohnette, Wadada Leo Smith, Hamid Drake, and others highlight the first two days of Jazz Fest.

City announces 2013 lineups for Downtown Sound, Loops & Variations, and Made in Chicago

What's scheduled for some of this summer's best free concert series.

Counting Down My Favorite Music of 2010

My choices for best albums of 2010, numbers 11-40.

Chicago Jazz Fest Lineup Announced

The Jazz Institute of Chicago has announced the lineup for this year's Jazz Festival, which includes Henry Threadgill's Zooid, the Brad Mehldau Trio, Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band, and the Either/Orchestra with Mahmoud Ahmed.

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The cream of this year’s crop includes a large-ensemble concept album about conspiracy theories, a tug-of-war between loops and live-band grooves, and an amazing hybrid of jazz and hip-hop.

In his new Ensemble Double Up, reedist Henry Threadgill puts down his horns and conducts.

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is at the center of a dizzying variety of live music this weekend.

Previews of every act in Millennium Park and beyond, including Fred Hersch in his overdue festival debut and AACM cofounder Muhal Richard Abrams leading a historic reunion of the Experimental Band

MCA curator Naomi Beckwith discusses a new exhibit called "The Freedom Principle" that connects the legacy of the Black Arts Movement to current cultural and political battles.

The 50th anniversary of Chicago's AACM gets the spotlight

Iyer's mutant style—at the intersection of two rich but usually parallel traditions—should make him one of the most interesting draws at this year's Chicago Humanities Festival.

Gorging at Winter Jazz Festival and Globalfest

The fest moves to Millennium Park with its best lineup in five years—including Jack DeJohnette, Wadada Leo Smith, Atomic, Robert Glasper, Jimmy Heath, Satoko Fujii, and lots of Hamid Drake.

Jack DeJohnette, Wadada Leo Smith, Hamid Drake, and others highlight the first two days of Jazz Fest.

What's scheduled for some of this summer's best free concert series.

My choices for best albums of 2010, numbers 11-40.

The Jazz Institute of Chicago has announced the lineup for this year's Jazz Festival, which includes Henry Threadgill's Zooid, the Brad Mehldau Trio, Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band, and the Either/Orchestra with Mahmoud Ahmed.

Other Searches