For nearly 70 years, Bob Koester owned the Jazz Record Mart and Delmark Records—and though his businesses could be “crazy town,” they helped nurture thriving communities.
Tag: Keefe Jackson
Posted inMusic
Chicago squares off against New York City on the fourth volume of Mars Williams’s Ayler Xmas project
Among the myriad injuries inflicted upon Americans by COVID-19 (though admittedly one of the mildest) is the impossibility of attending your favorite holiday concert. For the past dozen years, Chicago-based saxophonist Mars Williams has hosted a unique variation on that seasonal tradition. Each December he convenes Witches & Devils, his combo devoted to the music […]
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The improvising trio of Jim Baker, Keefe Jackson, and Julian Kirshner specializes in surprise
Chicago’s improvisational music community has launched plenty of transformational figures over the decades. But while iconic individuals such as Sun Ra, Roscoe Mitchell, and Henry Threadgill have all changed the way people around the world approach music, a thriving scene also needs players who keep the fires burning every week in local clubs. Keefe Jackson […]
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Instigation Festival connects the musical traditions of Chicago and New Orleans
It’s not hard to tell the difference between New Orleans and Chicago: open a window in the wintertime, or take back-to-back bites of gumbo and a hot dog. Each city has its own proud and particular musical traditions, including distinctive past and present approaches to jazz. Just like a meal of gumbo and a hot […]
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The Slow Bell Trio features some of Chicago’s most adventurous experimentalists
A few years ago, percussionist Mike Weis recorded the sounds of the Rockefeller Chapel’s carillon and then slowed down the tape he’d used to capture them. Entranced with the result, he named a new project after the endeavor. The Slow Bell Trio includes Weis and two fellow Chicago experimentalists, woodwind player Keefe Jackson and drummer […]
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Cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm reunites with his Chicago improvising trio featuring Keefe Jackson and Julian Kirshner
Multigenerational improvising trio J@K@L is one of the more exciting ensembles to emerge in Chicago over the last few years. Fueled by the energy of the young drummer Julian Kirshner, the group benefits from the vast experience and disparate aesthetics of reedist Keefe Jackson and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm. The latter left Chicago last year, and […]
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Two improvised saxophone-drum duos show that age is nothing but a number on the Chicago jazz scene
These two sax-percussion duos represent several generations in Chicago improvised music—saxophonist Gerrit Hatcher is 26, while drummer Steve Hunt is 63—but all the musicians share an exploratory curiosity, and both pairs engage in fascinating modes of communication. Reedist Keefe Jackson and Hunt—a perpetually overlooked titan in the city’s jazz scene who’s played in NRG Ensemble, […]
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Three local improvisers converge for the first time
Chicago hosts one of the world’s most vibrant improvisational scenes, so it’s not automatically remarkable when three of the city’s musicians get together to create in a live setting. But this combination stands out because of the unusual affiliations each member brings to this first-time encounter. In addition to playing low-key rock music with Zelienople […]
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Chicago bass clarinetist Jason Stein isn’t kidding around
Not even arena gigs with his famous sister, comedian Amy Schumer, can tempt Jason Stein from his drive to make better jazz.
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Trumpeter Jaimie Branch finally spreads her wings
More than 12 years after her blazing debut on the Chicago jazz scene, trumpeter Jaimie Branch releases Fly or Die, her first album as a bandleader.
Posted inBlogs
Remembering Jazz Record Mart from inside
The legendary Jazz Record Mart wasn’t a treasure just because of its massive inventory—it was also a hothouse of musical creativity.
Posted inBlogs
A busy weekend for live jazz: Pandelis Karayorgis, Michael Moore, Pat Mallinger, and more
An action-packed weekend for jazz fans
Posted inBlogs
The year in Chicago jazz and improvised music
My favorite albums of 2013, helmed by Chicago musicians.
Posted inBlogs
Ben Paterson, Dave Douglas, Keefe Jackson, and a tribute to Bill Russo mark a busy weekend in jazz
Who says it’s dead in December—a slew of live jazz options for the weekend
Posted inBlogs
Chicago reedist and composer Keefe Jackson steps up his game
The compositional beauty and skillful arrangements on his new album, A Round Goal, match the musician’s talents as an improviser.