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2013 Chicago Jazz Fest recap produced by Marcus Mader and Scott McNiece for ChicagoMusic.org

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James Falzone’s music is heavily improvised but hardly accidental: each of his projects is reasoned, built from a defined challenge or concept, rarely music purely for its own sake.

His most jazz-forward project, KLANG, arose somewhat by chance in early 2006, but offered him an opportunity to reinterpret the language of pre-1960 clarinet jazzmen. The group’s first studio release, Tea Music, explored impressions left by Jimmy Giuffre (Falzone says his influence here was the 1950s groups, but to my ear his phrasings fall more in line with Giuffre’s ‘60s innovations on Free Fall), and the follow-up, Other Doors, brought new life to the works and spirit of Benny Goodman.

KLANG’s latest release, 2012’s Brooklyn Lines. . .Chicago Spaces, however, abandons a clear starting point. Its music and title suggest an abstract geometry, Falzone and Jason Adasiewicz’s lines at times parallel but more often bent in an elaborate harmonic dance, not touching but subtly provoking each other to the brisk rhythmic push of Jason Roebke and Tim Daisy. Most of it isn’t swinging in a traditional sense, but propulsive: the ringing, metallic sustain of Adasiewicz’s vibe hits wax a smooth, if somewhat hypnotic runway for Falzone’s prodigiously crisp solos, while Roebke and Daisy lock in a more boppish manner, giving the compositions a more muscular stride. The tight rhythm section reigns in the expansive melodic cloud hovering overhead, leaving a sound that is at once compact and infinite.

As the album and song titles suggest, Brooklyn Lines. . .Chicago Spaces is, in part, an homage to Falzone’s Chicago. References to The Hungry Brain and esteemed local jazz writer Larry Kart stand out, as well as a composition simply called “Ukrainian Village,” Falzone’s neighborhood for several years, and the home of Bar DeVille, which will host KLANG in residence each Tuesday night during the month of January.

The group’s residency isn’t the standard one-group workshop. Instead, they’re drawing new Chicago lines, starting with KLANG and working out into solo performances and smaller groupings with invited Chicago improvisers. For the inaugural night, two KLANG sets bookend a solo set from their drummer, Tim Daisy, while subsequent weeks will feature guest collaborations with cellist Tomeka Reid, trumpeter Russ Johnson, bass clarinetist Jason Stein and saxophonist Dave Rempis. So feel free to drop by just once, or over and over.

- written/published 1/7/12 by Stone Hansard for chicagomusic.org - photo of KLANG by David Sampson.

[skinnyjeansandboyfriendtee-blog1]

Dead Ending!

Tomorrow night, Dead Ending is playing their SECOND ever live show right here in Chicago at The Cobra Lounge. They're also releasing their newest EP, II, tomorrow as well. I wrote about it here and I'm super fucking excited. These guys kick ASS and Vic Bondi is just fucking amazing. 

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If you were wondering about the “special guest” to appear with Sonic Youth‘s Thurston Moore this Sunday at the third annual Neon Marshmallow Festival, here’s the spoiler: it’s Chicago-based free-improviser Frank Rosaly. This comes following an unexpected cancellation by Hush Arbors, the psych-folk project of Keith Wood, who was originally scheduled to perform on Saturday night and collaborate with Moore on Sunday (Memphis-based experimental groupCloudland Canyon has stepped in to fill the Saturday night gap).

Rosaly will make his way to The Burlington after an earlier engagement at The Whistler, backing up Brian Sulpizio in his shape-shifting singer-songwriter vehicle, Health & Beauty. No one could ever accuse Frank of being a one-trick pony.

Thurston, of course, has a long history with improvised music. The outspoken Sonny Sharrock and Sun Ra devotee has played alongside The Thing, Joe McPhee, John Zorn, Ikue Mori, Keiji Haino, Okkyung Lee, Zeena Parkins and many others. Rosaly, like many of the aforementioned players, has a strong experimental bent, his records Milkwork and Centering and Displacement eschewing notions of jazz in favor of pure tonal and textural exploration–a tendency not too far removed (though with very different results) from recent Moore efforts like the brash Suicide Notes for Acoustic Guitar.

They’re scheduled to take the stage at 11 p.m. on Sunday, but I’d recommend arriving early. The Burlington has very limited capacity and Thurston’s star power is sure to draw a crowd, especially for the generous entry fee of $15. Oh yeah, and there’s complementary PBR at 9 p.m., if that’s to your liking.

- written by Stone Hansard for chicagomusic.org

[skinnyjeansandboyfriendtee-blog1]

Meep. Gonna have a byline for the first time in five years(ish). Better to get writing! But first, I'm gonna listen to this new Adicts record. HINT: IT'S GOOD. Read about it Tuesday at www.chicagomusic.org

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The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is delighted to announce the 2012 performance line up and schedule.

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is delighted to announce the 2012 performance line up and schedule.   The 6th Annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Saturday and Sunday, September 29th and 30th will feature a line up of some of Chicago's most critically acclaimed artists as well as nationally and internationally recognized jazz talents.     Presented on 17 stages across Hyde Park, this one-of-a-kind two-day FREE festival showcases 40 live jazz performances in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings across the Hyde Park neighborhood.    Chicago Magazine named the Hyde Park Jazz Festival the 2011 "Best Neighborhood Music Festival." This year's performing artists include: Miguel Zenón, Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Schneider, Willie Pickens, Dee Alexander, Tomeka Reid , Pharez Whitted, Tammy McCann, Bobby Lewis, Dana Hall, Jason Adasiewicz, Mwata Bowden, Greg Ward, Victor Garcia, and many more.     For the complete schedule, go to: http://hydeparkjazzfestival.org/schedule/

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