Gerrit Hatcher

Mai Sugimoto

Tenor saxophonist Gerrit Hatcher returns to Elastic Arts for a set of solo music showcasing a deep-seated affinity for Ellington, Bud Powell, and other classics, interspersed with open improvisations, and alto saxophonist Mai Sugimoto features original music for the double alto frontline in her working quartet.

8:30 PM : GERRIT HATCHER SOLO

Gerrit Hatcher - tenor saxophone

9:30 : MAI SUGIMOTO QUARTET

Mai Sugimoto - alto saxophone
Fred Jackson Jr. - alto saxophone
Anton Hatwich - bass
Bill Harris - drums

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS

Chicago saxophonist Gerrit Hatcher returns to Elastic Arts for a set of solo music. With an eye to many great improvising saxophonists' reverence for Ellingtonia, in solo performance and otherwise, Hatcher presents improvisations interspersed with some of his favorite repertoire from Ellington, as well as Bud Powell and others.

Mai Sugimoto is a saxophonist, composer, and active member of Chicago’s jazz and improvisational music scene. “A compelling performer” with “dry-champagne tone and lyrical lines” (Chicago Tribune), Sugimoto draws inspiration from her upbringing in Japan and her roots in jazz to compose and perform from her unique multicultural experience. Born/Raised, her debut album (Asian Improv Records, 2018), explores this cultural and musical binary, juxtaposing, among others, a jazz rendition of a Japanese children’s song alongside compositions inspired by the American jazz idiom. Sugimoto is also a core member of the quartet Hanami, whose two albums similarly mix Japanese culture into creative music. Mai has performed three times at the Chicago Jazz Festival: in 2015 with Hanami, in 2019 as a leader, and in 2018 with renowned bassist Tatsu Aoki, with whom she frequently plays, including appearances in his Fred Anderson Legacy Band. Her first solo album, monologue (Asian Improv Records) was released in March of 2021.