In honor of The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) 60TH Anniversary, legendary percussionist and Rhythm Testament founder, Carlos Pride, has curated an unforgettable performance. The AACM Percussion Ensemble, featuring world-class talents like Paul Cotton (Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, Don Moye’s Sun Percussion Summit & The Chicago Immigrant Orchestra under the direction of Fareed Haque), & Felix “D-Kat” Pollard (Lionel Richie, Sheila E, & Chaka Khan). These three masters span four continents including Africa, Asia, North America & South America, to create a groundbreaking fusion of rhythms and sounds. Instruments such as The African Talking Drum, Mbira, Djembe, Himalayan Singing Bowls, Cajon, Diddley Bow, Lap Steel Guitar & Roland Handsonic will weave together the vibrant traditions of the past and the innovative spirit of the present, all under the banner of Great Black Music, Ancient to the Future.

Join us to celebrate the Black Friday Record Store Day release of Power to Consume, a double-album tribute to Lou Reed's seminal Metal Machine Music. Headlining the evening is Mark Solotroff, performing in support of his contribution to this landmark release from Sony Music/Legacy Recordings. Solotroff's decades-long journey through underground music explores the depths of sound with analog synthesizers and voice, as the founder of projects like Anatomy of Habit and BLOODYMINDED. His solo work is a sonic landscape of bass-heavy synth compositions that reflect on modern themes of grief and isolation. Supporting Solotroff are three compelling Chicago-based artists. Exhumed Corpse, the solo project of Sam Dour, takes you on a slow-motion descent into subsonic dread with bleak, dark industrial soundscapes built from decaying tape loops and salvaged audio equipment. Black Triangle Badge, the solo work of audio engineer Kenny Rasmussen, crafts unpredictable soundtracks of unease that reflect a world plagued by fascism and hate. Finally, Starvation Cage will deliver a violent, percussive, and unrelenting performance, drawing from the primal brutality of combat sports and the chaos of everyday existence. Prepare for an evening of powerful, uncompromising sound.

Pianist and a Partner (Perhaps) is BACK! At this fourth edition, we have Jim Baker w/ Vincent Davis, Erez Dessel w/ Kim Alpert, Mabel Kwan w/ Ayako Kato, Nolan Chin (solo), and Sharon Udoh hosting + in duo with Chris Corsano to kick of the night. Join us at 8pm!

Re-reunion(s) is an audience lead interpretation of John Cage and Marcel Duchamp's performance reunion. Reunion was a multichannel performance where Cage and Duchamp played/performed chess matches with a chess board that was designed to operate like a sound mixer. Whenever a chess piece was moved on the board, a series of prepared sounds were remixed and rearranged within a multi-speaker system.

We welcome Florian Nastorg from Toulouse, France with a stellar quartet assembled by Hunter Diamond. .VOM opens up the night with an ambient sax /guitar duo.

In conjunction with Experimental Sound Studio and the CLEAT Series we continue our series of artist-led introduction workshops exploring spatial audio.

This week we feature Hugo Flores Garcia. More info TBA

November’s Pleiades Series serves as a record release celebration for Amanda Kraus’ project Soft Five! We’ll also hear from abstract voice/electronics composer Paige Alice Naylor. It will be a very special Monday night!

We invite you to join Seraph Brass for an afternoon of music and community in support of their upcoming projects. Proceeds from this fundraiser will help make possible initiatives such as a residency with BLUME Haiti, a music education program serving young musicians in Haiti, while also advancing their mission to amplify the voices of women and underrepresented communities in music.

The CLEAT Series returns in November with two solo performances of spatial audio w/ V. Vecker and Brady Matteson.

LuFuki’s Meditations Ensemble (Detroit) was put together to encourage audience contemplation through sound using the powerful messages of improvisation. Featuring special guests Chad Khouri and Airon Azure.

Alter Ego is an experimental duo consisting of pianists Mabel Kwan and Sharon Udoh. Tonight, they'll be joined by drummer/percussionist Bill Harris and saxophonist/clarinetist Edward Wilkerson, Jr. to form Alter Ego Plus.

8:30 LuFuki: Meditations

9:30 Alter Ego Plus: Harris/Kwan/Udoh/Wilkerson, Jr.

$15 / $10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door

In conjunction with Experimental Sound Studio and the CLEAT Series we continue our series of artist-led introduction workshops exploring spatial audio.

This week we feature Kate In. More info TBA

AIRMW CELEBRATES THE MULTI-CULTURAL, MULTI-ETHNIC REALITY OF CHICAGO  WITH THE 30th ANNUAL CHICAGO ASIAN AMERICAN JAZZ FESTIVAL AT ELASTIC ARTS NOV. 7-10 

AIRMW CELEBRATES THE MULTI-CULTURAL, MULTI-ETHNIC REALITY OF CHICAGO  WITH THE 30th ANNUAL CHICAGO ASIAN AMERICAN JAZZ FESTIVAL AT ELASTIC ARTS NOV. 7-10 

AIRMW CELEBRATES THE MULTI-CULTURAL, MULTI-ETHNIC REALITY OF CHICAGO  WITH THE 30th ANNUAL CHICAGO ASIAN AMERICAN JAZZ FESTIVAL AT ELASTIC ARTS NOV. 7-10 

AIRMW CELEBRATES THE MULTI-CULTURAL, MULTI-ETHNIC REALITY OF CHICAGO  WITH THE 30th ANNUAL CHICAGO ASIAN AMERICAN JAZZ FESTIVAL AT ELASTIC ARTS NOV. 7-10 

The artists of The Bridge and Trempo, a French training program for professional musicians, meet for an evening centered around improvisation as a space for freedom.

A film by Selina Trepp of footage from Spectralina's 2024 Residency at Elastic Arts, featuring stream footage and videography by Scott Teresi.

In conjunction with Experimental Sound Studio and the CLEAT Series we continue our series of artist-led introduction workshops exploring spatial audio.

This week we feature Sam Clapp, a musician, filmmaker, and arts worker living in Chicago. In this session, he will present his "Bliss Point" series of short films as a means to ponder the creative possibilities of the 16.1 CLEAT sound system for audiovisual projects.

The Bridge returns to Elastic Arts to present a new French-Midwest connection, along with a unique 2+2 quartet organized by Trempo teaching artist Fred Jackson.

Music in the Garden presents a 2-day music festival with Chicago-based improvisers and creative musicians, featuring a light and projection installation by Ruby Que.

Come enjoy a night or two of music, art and community

Music in the Garden presents a 2-day music festival with Chicago-based improvisers and creative musicians, featuring a light and projection installation by Ruby Que.

Come enjoy a night or two of music, art and community

World-building, genre-spanning artists take the stage for tonight’s Improvised Music Series: Austin-based Atlas Maior present a special duo session synthesizing global music traditions, and All The Wizards Were Here amplifies its grooves through the lens of its sci-fi storytelling.

FUGUE STATE RETURNS for Phase 2 of the new art and cinema festival that recently premiered at Chicago's Comfort Station, NYC's Film-Maker's Coop, and Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, returns with another program embracing radical expression in time-based media.

In conjunction with Experimental Sound Studio and the CLEAT Series we continue our series of artist-led introduction workshops exploring spatial audio.

This week we feature Sam Clapp, a musician, filmmaker, and arts worker living in Chicago. In this session, he will present his "Bliss Point" series of short films as a means to ponder the creative possibilities of the 16.1 CLEAT sound system for audiovisual projects.

Najee-Zaid’s debut album ‘Transiting the Celestial’ encompasses their lived experiences and artistry through music within the Experimental, Jazz, and Ambient genres of which they are currently associated. With a focus on steeping in the now, Najee-Zaid aims to express a range of experiences from grief to liberation through a Queer Afro-Diasporic Spiritual lens in the form of a music album. Recorded in part (Oct. 2024) at the inimitable Elastic Arts Foundation in Chicago Najee-Zaid remounts the live version of this project to pay homage to the experimental performance legacy of Chicago.

The Middle is a new concert series that brings together musical groups of different genres to promote creative collaboration and exploration. Each show features two small ensembles who first perform separately, showcasing their unique sound and style, and then together, combining their musicality to create something entirely new, exploring where they meet in "The Middle." Audience engagement activities such as reflection prompts and listening guides invite audience members to participate in the performance by exploring how they can apply themes from the show to their own lives. Our upcoming performance will feature two trios: OLEA Ensemble (Marissa Kerbel, Alayne Honaker, and Kate Kilgus) and Janelle Finton’s joygarden (Janelle Finton, Caroline Jesalva, and Alvin Santner) on October 26th at 7:30pm. The Middle is curated by Priya Fink. We hope you can join us! 

AIRMW Arts Initiatives Presents: Bass Dreams minus B

The group is helmed by Aoki on Asuka Bass (it's the Asuka bass because it's autographed by past WWE champ Asuka), with Adam Shead on drums, and the brain-boggling duo of Rami Atassi and Terry Tanaka on electric guitars.

Shake Shook Shaken is a theater/movement workshop series produced by Julie Meckler. The series is designed for people to gently bring body awareness, allowing participants to open up, explore outside of their comfort zone, bond with each other, create and show. By playing with these concepts using our bodies, voices, words, and each other, we will explore our own awareness and sensitivity as artists and people. 

Shake Shook Shaken is a dream of what a safe space could allow. A vision of a place for everybody to gather, look at each other, play and create in a non judgmental, trauma-informed way. It’s an invitation, a journey within and out, a surprise. Each workshop is unique. This month we’ll have Layna Wang and Julie leading on the topic of ABILITY.

No prior dance or acting experience is necessary, just willingness to move and exhale. This workshop series is for anyone and everyone.

Luca Cimarusti is a Chicago-based musician who has spent over twenty years operating in experimental rock, punk, and heavy metal. His solo percussion practice focuses on repetition, resonance, and decay.

Station 4 is a Chicago ensemble employing texts and vocals, music and dance, to create a multi-sensory experience for its audience. Station 4 wraps its uniquely structured electro-acoustic improvisations around the spoken-word performance art of poet Kao Ra Zen augmented by dancers Tuli Bera, Heather Zimny, Karen Fisher-Doyle, and Mindy Meyers.

8:30 Luca Cimarusti

9:30 Mark Nagy’s Station 4

$15 / $10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door