Tag Archive
Velvet Bounce
Corey Wilkes and the Velvet Lounge All-Stars are standing in front of three tall mirrors in the South Loop Hotel’s L26 Restaurant and Lounge, getting ready to kick off the first show of the Velvet Birdhouse Concert Series. “We’re gonna fly on with some new music,” Wilkes says into the microphone. »
Best of the South Side 2010
In the past twenty years, the South Loop has gone from historical to happening. Poor Irish, German, and African-American immigrants first built up the neighborhood in the mid-19th century, but after the neighborhood avoided the brunt of the Great Fire it became a popular district with the Chicago elite. However, their massive mansions gave... »
Worried Sick: The International Contemporary Ensemble plays a new song cycle about hypochondria
A hypochondriac’s obsession with disease seems more like material for a psychological drama than a song cycle commissioned by an acclaimed contemporary classical music group. Yet the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) has recently done just that—allowing composer Corey Dargel to use the ailment as subject matter for his piece “Thirteen Near-Death Experiences.” But Dargel... »
Jazz Journey: Longtime local singer Dee Alexander celebrates her first official release
Thinking of Chicago, jazz and blues probably come to mind almost as readily as improv comedy and the Bears. Between famous venues and even more famous performers, the city’s connection with jazz runs deep. One of these famous establishments is the historic Jazz Showcase, which since 1947 has played host to many of the... »
Umbrella Music: Europe comes to Chicago for an experimental jazz festival
The lights are dim in Berlin’s B-Flat club. A single room painted in shades of gray extends indefinitely past the bar. Fifteen-page drink menus lean against cloudy glass candleholders on constellations of small round tables. Tonight, the chic middle-aged couples, students, and bohemian types are packed six to the square meter. Eight-euro cocktails traverse... »
Rieman Sounds: Eric Glick Rieman brings his specially-crafted piano to the Chicago Calling Festival
The electric Rhodes piano essentially consists of a series of hammered tuning forks instead of piano strings. The traditional electric Rhodes piano has one output. Eric Glick Rieman’s modified version has eight: three traditional electric outputs as well as five contact microphones, which enable magnification of mechanical percussions. “Everything has a resonance inside of... »
The New Chicago Sound: Karl Siegfried and the New Quartet synthesize a unique mix of jazz and rock influences
“Don’t you listen to a single word against rock ‘n roll. The new religion, the electric church, the only way to go,” sang Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead in the 1986 song “Built For Speed.” A Motörhead fan wearing long hair, a Led Zeppelin T-shirt, and frayed jeans, the young Karl E. H. Seigfried must... »
State of the Art: Why art matters, from the people who live it
We asked some leading lights of the South Side art scene: Why does art matter? What is the social relevance of art? Why do we need it on the South Side? What follows are their responses. »
