Clockwise from the top: Mikel Patrick Avery, Jason Roebke, and Paul Giallorenzo. (Mikel and Paul photos by Michael Jackson)
Performing in support of their second album on Delmark Records, the Chicago-based Paul Giallorenzo Trio plays original music rooted in swing, nodding to Monk, Duke, and Sun Ra, with a post-free approach and sensibility.
They infuse the tradition into their edgier romps, and vice-versa; more to the point, they inhabit both territories at the same time. So while the music in "Play" can grab the ear of musical adventurers, it also won’t frighten those just dipping their toes into this particular stream. These players find a middle ground—not by compromising the new or the old, but by elevating the virtues of each. It’s not so easy to make music this demanding and yet so deceptively fluid. ... These performances arise from a combination of focus and intensity, dedication and rigor. But they sure don’t sound like “work.” Whether outside or in, the message remains the same: Play
From liner notes by Neil Tesser
$15 / $10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Originally from Long Island, NY, Paul Giallorenzo is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, producer, and sound designer using piano, synthesizer, keyboards, and electronics in a diverse range of contexts with a wide array of Chicago and international musicians in improvised, avant-jazz, experimental, and electro/acoustic music, performing regularly locally and throughout North America and Europe. Giallorenzo’s work has been praised for its “inside-out” nature – his ability to push the boundaries of “conventional” jazz toward more freedom but also, on the other side, to bring a measure of structure to more avant-garde material. Writing in the online journal Point Of Departure, John Litweiler said, “His solos and aggressive duets are gems of after-Bop, after-Bley melody,” while AllAboutJazz.org lauded music that “smudges the lines between the tradition and the avant-garde.” His current working projects as a (co)leader include the Paul Giallorenzo Trio, Hearts & Minds (with Jason Stein/Chad Taylor), and RedGreenBlue (with Ryan Packard, Ben LaMar Gay, and Charlie Kirchen). His work can be found on the Chicago-based Delmark Records and Austin-based Astral Spirits labels, as well as various other imprints including Leo Records (UK), Not Two Records (Poland), and 482 Music (NY). Giallorenzo is the Artistic Director of the intermedia arts organization Homeroom and a co-founder and programmer of the music venue/art gallery Elastic Arts, producing hundreds of creative music concerts and art events in Chicago since 2001.
Mikel Patrick Avery, active within the Chicago area for 13 years, relocated to New Orleans in 2018 and now resides in Philadelphia. Established as a jazz drummer, he is commonly recognized for his orchestral and melodic style of drumming that often involves the use of unconventional "non-musical" objects. As well as being a performing musician, Mikel is a dedicated composer, photographer, filmmaker, producer, and instrument builder. In recent years, Avery has become an integral voice in varying ensembles, including Joshua Abrams' Natural Information Society, Theaster Gates's Black Monks of Mississippi, Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons, as well as leading several of his own projects, including 1/2 Size Piano Trio, Rats+Star, and Mikel Patrick Avery PLAY.
The diversity of Jason Roebke’s musical associations make him one of the most sought after bassists in Chicago and beyond. He composes music for two ensembles, Jason Roebke Combination and the Jason Roebke Octet. Solo performance and a duo with dancer Ayako Kato are also at the forefront of his creative activities. His playing is intensely physical, audacious, and sparse. The Chicago Reader described his work as “a carefully orchestrated rummage through a hardware store.” He is a member of the Jeb Bishop Trio, Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown, Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isidore, Mike Reed’s People, Places, and Things, and Jorrit Dijkstra’s Flatlands Collective & Pillow Circles. Roebke studied privately with saxophonist and composer Roscoe Mitchell as well as legendary double bass pedagogue Stuart Sankey. In 2009, he was awarded the Fellowship in Music Composition from the Illinois Arts Council. He was the subject of an extensive interview and career overview in Point of Departure. Roebke tours widely in the US and Europe.