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Improvised Music Series: Sugimoto/Wilkerson/Daisy, Double Drum Quintet

Thursday, April 10, 2025
8:30 PM 10:30 PM

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Lily Finnegan, photo by Peter Gannushkin

The trio of Mai Sugimoto and Ed Wilkerson on woodwinds and Tim Daisy on percussion will play together for the first time.

This intergenerational double drum quintet features percussionists Vincent Davis and Lily Finnegan with Anisha Rush on saxophone, Emma Dayhuff on bass, and Will Greene on guitar/saxophone. Also a first time collaboration as a unit, although members frequently play with one another. High energy improvisation!

8:30 pm - Sugimoto/Wilkerson/Daisy
9:30 pm - Double Drum Quintet

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

about the artists

Vincent Davis, born in Chicago, is an internationally acclaimed jazz percussionist, composer and teacher. The seed of music was planted in Davis early, growing up in a home filled with the influences of rock, jazz and gospel. In 1979 Davis left Chicago to attend the Milwaukee Conservatory of Music, where his love of jazz and skill at drumming further bloomed and flourished. It was here that Davis met his mentor Manty Ellis. Davis trained and studied with Ellis, primarily focusing on Jazz trap drumming.

Since 1985, he has belonged to groups of Roscoe Mitchell as his Note Factory and its trio with Harrison Bankhead and Jaribu Shahid , with whom he also toured several times in Europe and Asia and performed at international festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Festival . He is also on Mitchell’s album Songs in the Wind and This Dance is for Steve McCall as well as sound recordings of Jodie Christian and Scott Fields and founded the ensemble Laws of Motion . He also starred with Matthew Shipp, Arthur Blythe, David Murray, Joseph Jarman, Marilyn Crispell, Von Freeman, Hamid Drake, Corey Wilkes, Ed Wilkerson and many other musicians.

Lily Finnegan is a Chicago born and based drummer, composer, improviser, and organizer. She leads her own quartet, Heat On, which is releasing their debut album on Cuneiform Records. Finnegan is a member of Ken Vandermark’s Edition Redux, punk band Cucuy, and the Sarah Clausen Trio. She co-leads an improvising duo project with violinist gabby fluke-mogul. Her wide ranging interests and cross genre influence are embodied in her collaborations with artists including James Brandon Lewis, Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Macie Stewart, Fay Victor, Sylvia Bolognesi, Ed Wilkerson, Shanta Nurullah, Dave Rempis, Jason Stein, Eli Winter, Devon Gates, Lia Kohl, and Katinka Kleijn. Lily co-curates the Option Series, a showcase of contemporary approaches to improvisation and composition, held at Experimental Sound Studio. She was spotlighted as a “Chicagoan of Note” by The Chicago Reader for her musical organizing work in the city. In 2025 she became a member of the independent music cooperative Catalytic Sound.

Emma Dayhuff is a dynamic bassist and composer renowned for her soulful playing and innovative approach. With a performance career spanning over two decades, she has shared the stage with jazz luminaries such as Herbie Hancock, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and Patricia Barber.

Rooted in Chicago’s rich avant-garde tradition, Emma’s musical style is deeply influenced by mentors Vincent Davis, Kahil El’Zabar, and Robert Irving III. Her playing seamlessly blends elements of jazz, experimental improvisation, and contemporary music, creating a unique and captivating sonic experience.

Her journey, from the serene landscapes of Montana to the vibrant heart of the global music scene, is a testament to her unwavering passion and artistic vision.

Born and raised in Colorado Springs, CO, saxophonist, composer, and educator Anisha Rush began playing the saxophone at the age of 10 and went on to study music and psychology, earning a BM in Jazz Studies from the Thompson Jazz Studies Program and a BA in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

As a performer, Anisha’s noteworthy collaborations include performances alongside luminaries such as Makaya McCraven, Ron Miles, Matt Wilson, Dawn Clement, Greg Gisbert, Shane Endsley, Art Lande, and others. Anisha has performed at several festivals including Bonnaroo, DC Jazz Festival, Winter Jazz Fest, Telluride Jazz Festival, and Five Points Jazz Festival.

Anisha actively performs as bandleader of ‘Anisha Rush and the Encounter’, a dynamic ensemble that transcends boundaries and captivates audiences with its unique fusion of genres while still utilizing the improvisational traditions of jazz. The band refuses to be put in a box, and will often play music reminiscent of not only jazz but also soul, R&B, and gospel.

In 2023, Anisha was selected for the Next Jazz Legacy, an apprenticeship program led by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. Additionally, Anisha Rush and the Encounter is a recipient of a 2024 grant from Chamber Music America’s Performance Plus program, funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Foundation.

Will Greene plays guitar and saxophone and currently resides in Chicago, IL. He improvises and writes music based on what he would like to hear. Generally, Will is fascinated by repurposing old, almost-forgotten sounds, finding new, soon-to-be-forgotten sounds, and exploring dynamic and physical limits in their extremes.

Will is a member of avant-thrash outfit TRIGGER, the sci-fi country band DRESSAGE, and italo-prog-pop ensemble TREDICI BACCI.

He is also proud of and grateful for his past and ongoing collaborations that have taken him across the United States and several continents. A woefully abbreviated list of these collaborators: Joe Morris, Raf Vertessen, John Zorn, Elias Stemeseder, Zoe Christiansen, Kenny Wollesen, Max Jaffe, Henry Fraser, Carrie Furniss, Daniel Pencer, and Jesse Heasly.