Chris Greene Quartet @SPACE, Or, Beating The Beyoncé Traffic Before Dropping Some Bars

“So when are you gonna get to the jazz?” Greene sarcastically asked himself on the mic. “People ask ‘when are you gonna play standards,’” he continued, as the audience laughed, “for god’s sake y’all act like you don’t know what I’m doing!”

August 3, 2023 0

Beyond Standards Trio @Cooper’s Corner, Or, Learning To Love “Happy Birthday” While The Bar Yells At The TV

Perhaps it wasn’t exactly the way the great Sonny Rollins would envision it - a typical Winfield crowd celebrating someone’s 60th birthday (give or take) does contrast with the folk songs of the 1930s Virgin Islands - but it did make everyone happy, much like that song does.

August 1, 2023 0

Quentin Coaxum Satellite @The Whistler, Or, Sampling Your Fears While Orbiting the Circle of Fifths

“Satellite,” the song itself, is everything you wish for a Quentin Coaxum song to be: invigorating, ascending, and irresistibly hopeful.

July 27, 2023 0

Prince, PlaySPACE, and Probably Not Gigging With THAT Name | Chris Greene Interview

Evanston-based saxophonist Chris Greene joins host Dominic Guanzon to talk his influences, his long-standing quartet, working as the Emperor of Evanston, and more!

July 20, 2023 0

Marques Carroll Quintet @ Andy’s, Or, Taking Me Back To The Totally Peaceful Days of Late 2016

It’s the kind of set you’d want to bring a first-time jazz-listener, Andy’s-goer, or Chicago-visitor to every time.

May 15, 2023 0

Edith Judith’s “Bones and Structure” has a lot of indie-whimsy in their voice and horn. [Album Exploration]

“Bones & Structure” may appeal most to the bohemian, the forlorn, the bookstore junkie, the post-grad wanderer, or the messy room chic-ster, (the duo are offering the album on vinyl AND cassette, after all) but really, their music is perfect for any soft, warm night alone, or an evening at home with someone you're really in tune with. Perhaps, alone together.

May 10, 2023 0

Jazz-Pop, Going Full-Time, and Rap Groups w/ Your Twin Brother in the CSO | Neil Carson Interview

Chicago sax player, composer, and arranger Neil Carson discusses New Nostalgia, taking the plunge as a full-time musician, his love affair with nonets, and more!

May 6, 2023 0

Take Yokoyama Mahjong Crib @Hungry Brain, Or, Declaring Yourself The Japanese Al Pacino

It almost seemed like Yokoyama was more fascinated with the overall sound of the night itself than his own playing - not playing for entire in-heads and solos and taking only a couple solos himself. Take takes no prisoners when he gets going.

May 4, 2023 0

Alejandro Salazar Trio @Dorian’s, Or, You Just Quoted The Kid LAROI In Your Solo And Now The Whole Damn Bar Wants To Hear The Song

Salazar declared the next tune was officially called “Make It Up As We Go, Hope You Enjoy”. This ain’t Andy’s or the Showcase, and it’s not my scene, but I would very much like it to be.

May 2, 2023 0

New Nostalgia @Andy’s, Or, What It Might Look Like If The Jazz Students Got Mortgages But Were Still Geeks

Bandleader Neil Carson described the group to the Andy’s audience as a “jazz-pop-rock” group that “can’t decide” which one they want to be. As he put it, they just “wanna rock out” while “embracing Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong as well as The Police and Metallica.”

April 24, 2023 2

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Author: Dominic Guanzon