Liof Munimula’s toolbox included a 42-piece percussion setup, a shortwave radio rig with a 40-foot antenna, and a subversive sense of humor.
Tag: Kent Kessler
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Ken Vandermark, Kent Kessler, and Hamid Drake are back to help improvised music fans release holiday stress
In January the DKV Trio released The Fire Each Time (Not Two), a six-CD box set documenting a string of gigs that percussionist Hamid Drake, bassist Kent Kessler, and reedist Ken Vandermark played with multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee in four different countries during the last two months of 2017. This set—and previous DKV recordings featuring the […]
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Mars Williams brings his Albert Ayler Xmas across Europe and back home to Chicago
This year’s free-jazz holiday tour includes two shows at the Hungry Brain with his band Witches & Devils and special guests.
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The Jazz Festival’s orbit bustles with too much music for one weekend
Jazz Fest’s ten days of neighborhood concerts, satellite shows, and aftersets include Kidd Jordan, Angel Bat Dawid, Jeff Parker, Marc Ribot, and Ben Sidran.
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Extraordinary Popular Delusions play free jazz two centuries deep
The members of Extraordinary Popular Delusions bring vast and varied experience to this underappreciated ensemble’s regular weekly shows—which follow no rules but their own.
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A renewed focus pays off big for the seasoned jazz musicians of DVK Trio
Drummer Hamid Drake, bassist Kent Kessler, and saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Vandermark have been playing together as DKV Trio since 1994. During their early years, their forceful playing—which was forged and focused by frequent gigging and their ability to improvise cohesive, songlike structures—made them one of the most exciting live acts of any genre to […]
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A linchpin of Chicago’s 1980s avant-garde has died in Florida
Daniel Scanlan played in groups as diverse as Liof Munimula, the Vandermark Quartet, Broken Wire, and Church Key.
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Pedro the Lion at Thalia Hall, and more things to do this weekend
Pedro the Line, James Brandon Lewis, and more recommended concerts and events this weekend
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Chicago institution DKV Trio reconvenes for some holiday concerts with multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee
The holiday season in Chicago often means great things for the city’s musical institutions, as local musicians who spend much of their time on the road coalesce in their hometown. Both reedist Ken Vandermark and percussionist Hamid Drake are road dogs, but in December they’re known to come together with longtime collaborator and bassist Kent […]
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Versatile percussionist Chris Corsano plays a rare solo show Monday
The relentlessly curious, restless improviser has shown his range on a number of recent recordings.
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Remembering Hal Russell: Ken Vandermark, Michael Shannon, and others pay tribute
The idiosyncratic and influential bandleader gets feted in Millennium Park next week.
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Remembering Hall Russell
Some of the greatest experiences with live music came courtesy of the eccentric multiinstrumentalist and bandleader Hal Russell, whose work with his NRG Ensemble brought gonzo wit, fierce improvisation, and boundless energy to performance after performance. During the late 80s and early 90s they were fixtures at great subterranean bar Lower Links, playing madcap sets […]
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Best shows to see: Red Fang, MT Coast, Kanye West, DKV Trio
The best shows to see on Mon 12/16 through Wed 12/18.
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Saturday: 2013 Chicago Jazz Festival according to Reader writers
Jason Moran and Gregory Porter highlight a jam-packed third day of Jazz Fest.
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German reedist Peter Brötzmann, forever looking forward
German reedist Peter Brötzmann returns to Chicago on Saturday, at 72 still refusing to take the easy way.