June 14, 2021
Featuring:
 
(1st set)

* Art Turk Burton – percussions
* Micah Collier – bass
* Leon Q Allen – trumpet
* Maggie Brown – vocalist

(2nd set)

* Adam Zanolini – flute & saxophone
* Taalib-Din Ziyad – flute & vocals
* Fred Jackson Jr.- saxophones
* Darius Savage – bass
* Dushun Mosely – drums
* Lewis Achenbach – visual art

Z Festival is three days of celebration honoring the life of Saalik Ziyad.

Saalik Ziyad was not only a dynamic performer on keyboards, voice, and electronics. He was not only an adventurous and inventive composer. He was also a unifying and supportive force in Chicago’s music landscape. Exemplifying the spirit of a past generation when musicians crossed porous boundaries among different genres, traditions and idioms, Saalik made consistent, significant contributions to modern jazz, creative improvised music, and sacred music.

Like too many other talented and accomplished jazz artists before him, Saalik made his transition long before any of his contemporaries, friends, family and fans were ready to say goodbye. At the age of 40, Saalik had already established himself as a consummate professional musician, brilliant composer, band leader, and arts leader in Chicago. But it’s hard not to imagine all the accomplishments we might have enjoyed if his life had not ended so soon.

Saalik and his music touched a great number of musicians and audiences in Chicago. It’s taken some time since his transition to cope with this tremendous loss to our community. But now a number of musicians and artists have come together to celebrate his life, his work, and his enduring legacy by organizing a three-day festival in his honor. Z Festival will include some of his closest collaborators and friends, who will pay tribute through music and visual art. Six sets of music will take place over three days at Elastic Arts, Fulton Street Collective, and at Fred Anderson Park. Because of limited in-person capacity due to covid this year, the sets will also be broadcast via live and delayed video stream online. Initially envisioned by artist Lewis Achenbach, the festival is a collaboration between him, Saalik’s parents Taalib-Din and Daaiyah Ziyad, and partners Elastic Arts, Fulton Street Collective, and the Chicago Park District.

June 12th, 7-9pm - Streamed from Elastic Arts

*Marlene Rosenberg – leader & bass
*Phil Fornett – drums
*Daniel C. Tabion – piano
*Felena Bunn – vocalist 1st set
*Margaret Murphy-Webb – vocalist 2nd set

June 13th, 7pm – Streamed from Elastic Arts:

* Alex Wing – oud, piano, guitar
* Edward Wilkerson – saxophones
* Tomeka Reed – cello

June 14th, 7-9pm Streamed from Fred Anderson Park:

1st set

* Art Turk Burton – percussions
* Micah Collier – bass
* Leon Q Allen – trumpet
* Maggie Brown – vocals

****************

2nd set

* Adam Zanolini – flute & saxophone
* Taalib-Din Ziyad – flute & vocals
* Fred Jackson – saxophones
* Darius Savage – bass
* Dushun Mosely – drums

June 13, 2021
Featuring:

* Alex Wing – oud, piano, guitar
* Edward Wilkerson – saxophones
* Tomeka Reed – cello
* Lewis Achenbach – visual art

Z Festival is three days of celebration honoring the life of Saalik Ziyad.

Saalik Ziyad was not only a dynamic performer on keyboards, voice, and electronics. He was not only an adventurous and inventive composer. He was also a unifying and supportive force in Chicago’s music landscape. Exemplifying the spirit of a past generation when musicians crossed porous boundaries among different genres, traditions and idioms, Saalik made consistent, significant contributions to modern jazz, creative improvised music, and sacred music.

Like too many other talented and accomplished jazz artists before him, Saalik made his transition long before any of his contemporaries, friends, family and fans were ready to say goodbye. At the age of 40, Saalik had already established himself as a consummate professional musician, brilliant composer, band leader, and arts leader in Chicago. But it’s hard not to imagine all the accomplishments we might have enjoyed if his life had not ended so soon.

Saalik and his music touched a great number of musicians and audiences in Chicago. It’s taken some time since his transition to cope with this tremendous loss to our community. But now a number of musicians and artists have come together to celebrate his life, his work, and his enduring legacy by organizing a three-day festival in his honor. Z Festival will include some of his closest collaborators and friends, who will pay tribute through music and visual art. Six sets of music will take place over three days at Elastic Arts, Fulton Street Collective, and at Fred Anderson Park. Because of limited in-person capacity due to covid this year, the sets will also be broadcast via live and delayed video stream online. Initially envisioned by artist Lewis Achenbach, the festival is a collaboration between him, Saalik’s parents Taalib-Din and Daaiyah Ziyad, and partners Elastic Arts, Fulton Street Collective, and the Chicago Park District.

June 12th, 7-9pm - Streamed from Elastic Arts

*Marlene Rosenberg – leader & bass
*Phil Fornett – drums
*Daniel C. Tabion – piano
*Felena Bunn – vocalist 1st set
*Margaret Murphy-Webb – vocalist 2nd set

June 13th, 7pm – Streamed from Elastic Arts:

* Alex Wing – oud, piano, guitar
* Edward Wilkerson – saxophones
* Tomeka Reed – cello

June 14th, 7-9pm Streamed from Fred Anderson Park:

1st set

* Art Turk Burton – percussions
* Micah Collier – bass
* Leon Q Allen – trumpet
* Maggie Brown – vocals

****************

2nd set

* Adam Zanolini – flute & saxophone
* Taalib-Din Ziyad – flute & vocals
* Fred Jackson – saxophones
* Darius Savage – bass
* Dushun Mosely – drums

June 12th 2021

Featuring:

* Marlene Rosenberg – leader & bass
* Ari Brown – saxophone
* Phil Fornett – drums
* Daniel C. Tabion – piano
* Felena Bunn – vocalist 1st set
* Margaret Murphy-Webb – vocalist 2nd set
* Lewis Achenbach – visual art

Z Festival is three days of celebration honoring the life of Saalik Ziyad.

Saalik Ziyad was not only a dynamic performer on keyboards, voice, and electronics. He was not only an adventurous and inventive composer. He was also a unifying and supportive force in Chicago’s music landscape. Exemplifying the spirit of a past generation when musicians crossed porous boundaries among different genres, traditions and idioms, Saalik made consistent, significant contributions to modern jazz, creative improvised music, and sacred music.

Like too many other talented and accomplished jazz artists before him, Saalik made his transition long before any of his contemporaries, friends, family and fans were ready to say goodbye. At the age of 40, Saalik had already established himself as a consummate professional musician, brilliant composer, band leader, and arts leader in Chicago. But it’s hard not to imagine all the accomplishments we might have enjoyed if his life had not ended so soon.

Saalik and his music touched a great number of musicians and audiences in Chicago. It’s taken some time since his transition to cope with this tremendous loss to our community. But now a number of musicians and artists have come together to celebrate his life, his work, and his enduring legacy by organizing a three-day festival in his honor. Z Festival will include some of his closest collaborators and friends, who will pay tribute through music and visual art. Six sets of music will take place over three days at Elastic Arts, Fulton Street Collective, and at Fred Anderson Park. Because of limited in-person capacity due to covid this year, the sets will also be broadcast via live and delayed video stream online. Initially envisioned by artist Lewis Achenbach, the festival is a collaboration between him, Saalik’s parents Taalib-Din and Daaiyah Ziyad, and partners Elastic Arts, Fulton Street Collective, and the Chicago Park District.

June 12th, 7-9pm - Streamed from Elastic Arts

*Marlene Rosenberg – leader & bass
*Phil Fornett – drums
*Daniel C. Tabion – piano
*Felena Bunn – vocalist 1st set
*Margaret Murphy-Webb – vocalist 2nd set

June 13th, 7pm – Streamed from Elastic Arts:

* Alex Wing – oud, piano, guitar
* Edward Wilkerson – saxophones
* Tomeka Reed – cello

June 14th, 7-9pm Streamed from Fred Anderson Park:

1st set

* Art Turk Burton – percussions
* Micah Collier – bass
* Leon Q Allen – trumpet
* Maggie Brown – vocals

****************

2nd set

* Adam Zanolini – flute & saxophone
* Taalib-Din Ziyad – flute & vocals
* Fred Jackson – saxophones
* Darius Savage – bass
* Dushun Mosely – drums