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
Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW), directed by multi-instrumentalist and media artist Tatsu Aoki, presents the 30th Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival at Elastic Arts, 3429 W. Diversey Ave., #208, at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 7-10.
“AIRMW is committed to advancing the understanding and profile of Asian American cultures through the traditional and contemporary cultural arts,” says Aoki. “We are proud of our history of producing high quality arts programs reflecting the multicultural, multi-ethnic reality of Chicago and the nation. For three decades, this annual festival, and especially this year’s program, are perfect examples of that mission in action.”
The 30th Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival schedule is as follows. All events take place at Elastic Arts unless otherwise noted.
Friday, Nov. 7
8:30-9:30 p.m., Set 1 - Francis Wong and Chicago Time Code
9:30-10:30, Set 2 - Jeff Chan and Ratchet (Chad Clark, Michael Perkins, Ausbert Acevedo)
Saturday, Nov 8
1:00 p.m., Panel Discussion at AIRMW, 4875 N. Elston Ave.– Panelist roster - Tatsu Aoki, Kioto Aoki, Jeff Chan, Lauren Deutsch, Leon Fontane, Akira Saito, Mai Sugimoto
8:30-9:30 p.m., Set 1 - Ester Hana
9:30-10:30 p.m. Set 2 - Yoko Noge and Jazz Me Blues
Sunday, Nov 9
7:30-8:30 p.m., Set 1 - Takashi Shallow
8:30-9:30 p.m., Set 2 – Chien-an Yuan and All Things Shining (Marcus Elliot, Jon Monteverde, Chace Morris)
9:30-10:30 p.m. Set 3 – Kioto Aoki, Haruhi Kobayashi and Mai Sugimoto
Monday, Nov 10
8:30-9:30 and 9:30-10:30 - Tatsu Aoki and the MIYUMI Project (Mwata Bowden, Edward Wilkerson Jr., Jamie Kempkers, Coco Elysses, Kioto Aoki, and Tsukasa Taiko)
$20 / $10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door
AIRMW presents the 30th Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival Friday, Nov. 7 through Monday, Nov. 10. All concerts take place at Elastic Arts, #208, 3429 W. Diversey Ave. Tickets at the door. A panel discussion is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8 at AIRMW, 4875 N. Elston Ave. For more information, visit airmw.org
Set One:
Ester Hana, musician, pianist/singer and composer, is based in Chicago. She studied piano from age 5 in the Philippines and has traveled around the world as a
solo musician. She finished her piano performance studies at Chicago Musical College and continues to study music, languages, art and science. Happy to collaborate with other artists, Ester Hana premiers her and other composers’ works with Six Degrees Composers, and works with various instrumentalists and singers, as in the current Cities of the World Production at Rhapsody Theatre.
Set Two:
Yoko Noge is an inventive band leader/singer/pianist. Yoko’s band, the Jazz Me Blues melds an incredible mix of Chicago blues, jazz, Japanese music and Yoko’s compositions. From 1978 to 2010, the band performed at venues such as the Chicago Blues Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Asian American Jazz Festival. She tours in Europe and Japan regularly. She has been chosen as “Chicagoan of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune and “100 Japanese the world respect” by the Newsweek Japan. In 2014, Yoko was awarded the Foreign Minister of Japan's commendation for "promotion of understanding between Japan and the U.S.A. Yoko Noge brings the current iteration of the Jazz Me Blues Band together at the Elastic to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival.