{"id":2288,"date":"2017-08-28T12:09:52","date_gmt":"2017-08-28T16:09:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/?p=2288"},"modified":"2017-08-28T12:12:24","modified_gmt":"2017-08-28T16:12:24","slug":"jazzimprov-chicago-wide-ranging-talents-free-fests-pokempner-pix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2017\/08\/jazzimprov-chicago-wide-ranging-talents-free-fests-pokempner-pix.html","title":{"rendered":"Jazz\/Improv Chicago: Wide-ranging talents, free fests, PoKempner pix"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chicago’s jazz\/improvised music scene contains multitudes, last week ranging from the wild yet earnest Liberation Music Collective<\/a> to veteran piano sophisticate Michael Weiss in trio, as two of \"\"<\/a>Marc PoKempner<\/a>‘s photos document (and more of his vision, focused on links between local music and politics — Obama included — is on exhibit titled “Harold’s Got the Blues” for the next month at the restaurant Wishbone).<\/p>\n

The Liberation Music Collective, a young ensemble led by bassist-vocalist-lyricist Hannah Fidler and trumpeter-conductor Matt Riggen, celebrated the release of its new album Rebel Portraiture<\/em><\/a> in performance at the Jazz Record Art Collective<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0which runs a terrific series at a loft called the Fulton Street Collective. The music, like PoKempner’s photomontage, had outsized elements — songs and raps about \"\"<\/a>martyred freedom fighters, set and offset by strong solos and big band climaxes in the manner of Gil Evans<\/a> or maybe David Baker<\/a> (several LMC members have studied at University of Indiana in Bloomington, where Baker launched one of the first college jazz programs).<\/p>\n

Weiss, perhaps best known from his years accompanying Chicago-born tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin but with scads of other credits and works under his own name<\/a>, is deeply in the tradition defined by revered elders such as Barry Harris, derived from breakthroughs of Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. Leading a trio with bassist Jake Vinsel and drummer George Fludas at Andy’s Jazz Club and Restaurant<\/a>, Weiss played several original songs as well as “Green Dolphin Street,” but the repertoire was less memorable than his fleet right hand runs, intricate voicings and harmonic explorations in which complex incidents followed fast upon each<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

other. Not to be simplistic, but Weiss, age 59, is all about his instrument, and what he can do with those hands.<\/p>\n

That’s not all I heard in the past several days — Danish alto saxophonist Laura Toxvaerd<\/a>, visiting the city briefly, threw out horn conventions to improvise sonically with a trio at Elastic Arts<\/a>. Saxophonist Gary Bartz<\/a> was at the Jazz Showcase,<\/a> playing it relatively straight, with local great pianist Willie Pickens in a combustable quartet; bluesy, sardonic yet hopeful vocalist\/songwriter\/pianist Ben Sidran<\/a> led his four-piece group at the Green Mill<\/a>, and of course a lot went on that I missed entirely.<\/p>\n

What matters more is what’s coming up: the Chicago Jazz Festival<\/a> starts with a Club Tour<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0during which trolleys convey ticket-holders to venues all over town on Wednesday \"\"<\/a>night, and then four days of free performances by artists ranging from Roscoe Mitchell to Sheila Jordan to Jason Moran to Dr. Lonnie Smith to Mary Halvorson in Millennium Park. Then there’s the Englewood Jazz Festival <\/a>all day Sept. 16 — I’m honored to have been chosen to receive a Spirit of Jazz Award there! — and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 (I’ll present flutist Nicole Mitchell with a Jazz Journalists Association Award <\/a>at her Bamako-Chicago Sound System performance Sept. 23). Wonderful lineups at all these free (did I mention free?) events. Not to be missed, so I’ll be there — probably with my buddy Marc PoKempner, working together as we have for years.<\/p>\n

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Chicago’s jazz\/improvised music scene contains multitudes, last week ranging from the wild yet earnest Liberation Music Collective to veteran piano sophisticate Michael Weiss in trio, as two of Marc PoKempner‘s photos document (and more of his vision, focused on links between local music and politics — Obama included — is on exhibit titled “Harold’s Got […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1574,203,48,1572,1355,986,345,1573,1571,433],"class_list":{"0":"post-2288","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-andys","9":"tag-chicago-jazz","10":"tag-chicago-jazz-festival","11":"tag-englewood-jazz-festival","12":"tag-howard-mandel","13":"tag-hyde-park-jazz-festival","14":"tag-jazz-institute-of-chicago","15":"tag-jazz-showcase","16":"tag-liberation-music-collective","17":"tag-michael-weiss","18":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/MPK5213-\u00c2\u00a9.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1i3CL-AU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1401,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2013\/09\/chicago-jazz-festival-13-in-marc-pokempners-photos.html","url_meta":{"origin":2288,"position":0},"title":"Chicago Jazz Festival ’13, in Marc PoKempner’s photos","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"September 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Photo-journalist Marc PoKempner, a long-time collaborator and one of my bffs, has a clear eye as well as a sharp ear for music. He captured some of the diversity and vigor of the 35th annual Chicago Jazz Festival, August 28 - Sept 1 \u00c2\u00a02013. Click on these photos for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/rudresh-collage-chicago-jazz-fest-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/rudresh-collage-chicago-jazz-fest-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/rudresh-collage-chicago-jazz-fest-2013.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/rudresh-collage-chicago-jazz-fest-2013.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2459,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2018\/08\/labor-day-jazz-fests-starting-with-chicagos.html","url_meta":{"origin":2288,"position":1},"title":"Labor Day jazz fests, starting with Chicago’s","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"August 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00c2\u00a040th annual Chicago Jazz Festival, four days free to all of unfettered, usually joyous music held in beautiful downtown Millennium Park,\u00c2\u00a0 started last night with stars of of the local scene celebrating\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\"Legends and Lions\".\u00c2\u00a0Add \"Ancient to the Future\"\u00c2\u00a0to set the tone for a weekend of exciting, civically-supported music here --\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/chi-listens-300x216.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2950,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2021\/10\/jazz-autumn-returns-galas-and-even-awards.html","url_meta":{"origin":2288,"position":2},"title":"Jazz Autumn: Returns, galas and even awards","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"October 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"If all \"jazz\" shares a single trait, it's that nothing will stifle it. Adjusting to covid-19 Ari Brown greets fan at Hyde Park Jazz Festival; photo by Michael Jackson for Chicago Reader strictures, Chicago (just for instance) in the past two months has been site of: A stellar Hyde Park\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Ari-Brown-greets-a-fan-Hyde-Park-Jazz-Festival-2021-MJ.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Ari-Brown-greets-a-fan-Hyde-Park-Jazz-Festival-2021-MJ.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Ari-Brown-greets-a-fan-Hyde-Park-Jazz-Festival-2021-MJ.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1733,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2014\/09\/another-free-chicago-jazz-festival-hyde-park-and-local-stars.html","url_meta":{"origin":2288,"position":3},"title":"Another free Chicago jazz festival: Hyde Park and local stars","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"September 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The 8th annual Hyde Park Jazz Festival Sept 27 and 28th was as mellowly festive a scene as has ever graced the Midway Plaisance,\u00c2\u00a0the grassy fields between\u00c2\u00a0University of Chicago's faux Gothic buildings, originally created for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. 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