Live Jazz in Chicago

Back to All Events AACM Presents: Dameun Strange Tuesday, June 9, 2026 7:30 PM 9:30 PM Google Calendar ICS Acclaimed composer and multi-instrumentalist Dameun Strange is set to present a series of afrofuturist experiments at Elastic Arts. This performance, supported by Sonic Vanguard, serves as a cornerstone of his AACM composition residency. The evening promises an immersive exploration of sound and sight, featuring a diverse program that pushes the boundaries of traditional performance: Solo Audio-Visual Piece: A dedicated work exploring the intersection of solo instrumentation and synchronized digital media. 4D Visual Score Integrations: Two distinct audio-video pieces utilizing an innovative 4D visual score system. Project | AD: A featured work-in-progress that draws deep inspiration from the life and enduring social legacy of Angela Davis. Through these afrofuturist lenses, Strange continues to investigate the potential for technological integration within the rich tradition of creative improvised music. Project AD | Genesis This work in progress serves as a critical examination of the legacy of Angela Davis, utilizing a 4D visual score to explore themes of liberation and resilience. It represents a continuation of Strange's interest in non-linear storytelling and ritual performance. Helianthus | Sankofa Originally premiered as a Cedar Commission in 2017, Helianthus functions as a ritualistic vehicle for ancestor worship, specifically honoring the matriarchs who raised Strange. The "Sankofa" iteration utilizes the new 4D scoring methodology to create an immersive, interdimensional travel experience for performers and audience alike, moving beyond the linear constraints of traditional staff notation. AquaSonos | Hydrologic Born from Strange's 2019 residency in Senegal, the AquaSonos canon uses graphic notation to explore genetic memory and the African diaspora's relationship with water. This installment, Hydrologic , leverages advanced 4D scoring techniques developed during his residency with the Capitol Region Watershed District in Saint Paul, MN to map complex, recurring rhythmic cycles. Artist Bio Dameun Maurice Strange is a Saint Paul, MN-based sound artist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer renowned for his conceptual chamber and electronic works that delve into stories of the African diaspora through an Afrofuturist lens. His artistic mission is to articulate the beauty and resilience of the Black experience through sound, music, and poetry, drawing on ancestral narratives to bridge the past, present, and future. Strange's innovative sound experiments fuse West African polyrhythms, synthesizers, contemporary jazz harmonies, and found sounds, field recordings, and historic recordings to craft modern Afrofuturist performances that transcend conventional genre boundaries. Previous Previous June 8 Priya Fink's 'The Middle' Next Next June 10 CLEAT Series: BARAS + Jared Kelley 'Irrational Machines'

Back to All Events Relax Attack Jazz Series: Andrew Lawrence Trio Tuesday, June 9, 2026 9:00 PM 10:00 PM Google Calendar ICS Andrew Lawrence is one of the top-call pianists and keyboardists for live performances and recordings in the Chicago-area. Andrew's fluidity with classical and jazz piano, in addition to keyboards and synthesizers, has allowed him to perform with a wide variety of artists across many styles. He has shared the stage with artists such as Greg Ward, Matt Ulery, Isaiah Sharkey, and Makaya McCraven. In addition to his freelance work, Andrew splits his time between the prog rock band District 97, the jazz fusion band Bonzo Squad, the high-octane nine-piece horn band New Nostalgia, the world's premiere Chrono Trigger cover band Kingdom of Zeal, and the Andrew Lawrence Trio. His debut solo album, "Trialogue," was released in January 2019, and rose to #8 on the Roots Music Reports jazz charts. His most recent EP "Live at Chicago Electric Piano Company" was released in February 2025. Andrew Lawrence - piano John Tate - bass Greg Artry- drums Every Tuesday and Wednesday, we present Chicago’s top jazz artists in a lively atmosphere, full of cocktail-shaking and spirited conversation. 6pm doors / 9pm jazz / 2 sets / no cover Tagged: Wednesday Previous Previous June 9 Milwaukee Avenue Messenger Summer Issue Launch Party Next Next June 10 Test Literary Series (June 2026 Edition)

Back to All Events Relax Attack Jazz Series: Chicago Experiment Organ Trio Wednesday, June 10, 2026 9:00 PM 10:00 PM Google Calendar ICS The Chicago Experiment was formed in 2025 out of Connor Bernhard's desire to perform more on guitar and realize the dream he had since he was in high school of having an organ powered band. The trio features himself on guitar, trumpet, arrangements, and compositions along with the inimitable Zack Marks on drums and Andrew "Larry" Lawrence on Hammond B3 organ.​ The three met nearly a decade prior to play in the band New Nostalgia and have been friends and accomplices in musical crime ever since with that group, Bonzo Squad and many others. These three musicians share a passion for the harmony and intellectual prowess of jazz, but are also captivated by the infectious groove and melodies of vernacular musics in the popular music genre. Together they synthesize those two commonly separated worlds into the funky fire that is The Chicago Experiment. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, we present Chicago’s top jazz artists in a lively atmosphere, full of cocktail-shaking and spirited conversation. Tagged: Wednesday Previous Previous June 10 Test Literary Series (June 2026 Edition) Next Next June 11 Blesstonio presents: Fusion (June 2026 Edition)

Back to All Events Improvised Music Series: Sri Perangur's Enargeia, Clark / Rubin + Dessel / Nguyen Thursday, June 11, 2026 8:30 PM 10:30 PM Google Calendar ICS Sri Perangur Photograph: Alice Bortel @alicegrrltakephoto (from upper left, clockwise) Chad M. Clark, Scott Rubin, Maya Nguyen, Erez Dessel Two improvised-music-and-video sets featuring: Chad M. Clark (guitar) and Scott Rubin (video) , plus Erez Dessel (keys) and Maya Nguyen (video) Sri Perangur (he/they) is a violinist, improviser, and composer trained in the Carnatic (South Indian classical) musical tradition. Following in the footsteps of premodern Indian painters, "Enargeia” seeks to imagine rāgas (melodic frameworks) not only as tastes, scents, and textures, but also as characters, ideas, and symbols. 8:30 pm: Sri Perangur’s Enargeia 9:15 pm: Clark / Rubin 10:00 pm: Dessel / Nguyen $15 / $10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door About The Artists Sri Perangur (he/they) is a violinist, improviser, and composer trained in the Carnatic (South Indian classical) musical tradition. Nurtured by violin maestros Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Vittal Ramamurthy, Sri carries forward the elegance and emotional depth of the Lalgudi school of music while blending it with his own explorations of poetry, history, and language. "Enargeia" is a project that celebrates the language of instrumental music. Following in the footsteps of premodern Indian painters, the project seeks to imagine rāgas (melodic frameworks) not only as tastes, scents, and textures, but also as characters, ideas, and symbols. "Enargeia" represents Sri's attempt to test tradition's ability to speak to contemporary senses and sensibilities. Maya Nguyen is a Chicago-based Vietnamese-Russian interdisciplinary artist whose practice explores sound, diasporic making, and lived ambiguity. She maps her own migrations across Hanoi, Moscow, and Chicago by weaving together speech fragments, urban recordings, video, and performance. Erez Dessel is a pianist, composer, and curator living and working in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a BM in jazz piano from the New England Conservatory of Music. Dessel’s work explores the piano as a vehicle for human connection. A primary part of his practice is the history of the instrument as a tool for storytelling and world-building. Scott Rubin is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist, composer, and improvising violist. His work explores the relationships between sound and movement by utilizing analog and digital technology, motion sensors, and live video. Chad M. Clark is a Chicago-based experimental guitarist whose practice expands the instrument into a site of physical inquiry, improvisation, and immersive sound. Attuned to the guitar’s material properties, Clark works with scale as both measure and sensation, moving between finite gestures and seemingly infinite fields of resonance. Tagged: improvised music series Previous Previous June 10 CLEAT Series: BARAS + Jared Kelley 'Irrational Machines' Next Next June 12 CLEAT Series: Duo Riso, SEth Andrew Davis

Back to All Events Relax Attack Jazz Series: Interim Assassin Tuesday, June 16, 2026 9:00 PM 10:00 PM Google Calendar ICS Falling loosely in the cracks between post-rock jazz improvisation and ambient electronic minimalism, Interim Assassin presents communication in pursuit of a good moment. An open exploration of sound playing with the possibilities of sustain, silence, space, texture, environment, and pattern. Embracing the beauty of harmony and dissonance whenever possible. Erik Sowa is a Chicago based drummer/multi-instrumentalist whose musical directions are informed by free improvisation, jazz, ambient/noise, post rock, and afro-beat traditions. In recent years, Erik has collaborated with a wide range of performers of varied musical genres including Peter Maunu, Norman Long, Ben Schmidt-Swartz, Mai Sugimoto, Thomas Comerford, and Snek Trio. In 2022, Erik released a self-titled solo album of instrumental compositions titled "Cedar Lake Recordings Vol. 1" which was reviewed in Dusted Magazine. Daniel Burke : Guitar, Keys, synth, field recordings, & devices has been equally influenced by atonal modern classical, the ambient music of Brian Eno, the nuanced and free improvisation approach of AMM, and the industrial machinations of Throbbing Gristle. Dan has been playing with sound since the early 80’s as Illusion of Safety. He has collaborated with Jim O’Rourke, Darin Gray, Jon Mueller, & Olivia Block, and with ensemble groups CHEER-ACCIDENT, & Tertium Quid (Bill Horist & Dave Abramson). Jeb Bishop: Trombone & electronics, has been heavily involved in Chicago's experimental music scene since the '90s, from jazz to free improv to the avant-garde hybrid genre post-rock. He has been a member or recorded with a wide variety of collaborators, including The Flying Luttenbachers, Stereolab, Vandermark Five, Jim O'Rourke, Gastr del Sol, The Sea and Cake, and The Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, we present Chicago’s top jazz artists in a lively atmosphere, full of cocktail-shaking and spirited conversation. 6pm doors / 9pm jazz / 2 sets / no cover Tagged: Wednesday Previous Previous June 14 Disco Kitchen, Volume 3 Release Party Next Next June 17 Relax Attack Jazz Series: GARM (June 2026 Edition)

Back to All Events Relax Attack Jazz Series: GARM (June 2026 Edition) Wednesday, June 17, 2026 9:00 PM 10:00 PM Google Calendar ICS PHALANX by GARM GARM is an electric organ quartet led by drummer/organist Isaiah Keith with Rufus Parenti on saxophone, Ben MacDonald on guitar, and Charlie O'Neill on drums. Every Tuesday & Wednesday, we present Chicago’s top jazz artists in a lively atmosphere, full of cocktail-shaking and spirited conversation. 6pm doors / 9pm show / 2 sets / no cover Tagged: Wednesday Previous Previous June 16 Relax Attack Jazz Series: Interim Assassin Next Next June 19 Buen Viaje (June 2026 Edition)

Back to All Events Improvised Music Series: TV Pow + Open Seki + J0Y feat. Matthew Davis Thursday, June 18, 2026 8:30 PM 11:00 PM Google Calendar ICS TV Pow Matthew Davis Open Seki The experimental electronic heavyweights TV Pow kick off a tour. Matthew Davis performs with solo project on the heels of his recent release Free, ambient duo Open Seki kicks off the evening. 8:30 pm: Open Seki John Biggers - electronics, various instruments Nathan Tucker - electronics, various instruments 9:15 pm: J0Y feat. Matthew Davis Matthew Davis - trombone, electronics, vocals 10:15 pm: TV Pow Michael Hartman - electronics Todd A. Carter - electronics Brent Gutzeit - electronics Formed in Tokyo in 1995 and based in Chicago since 1996, TV Pow is a trio of composers and free improvisers working across experimental electronic music. Working across experimental electronic music and free improvisation, the trio uses samplers, synthesizers, laptops, percussion, invented instruments, turntables, and tape manipulation to create evolving soundscapes that blend electronics, ambient drift, minimalist structures, and field recordings. J0Y. /joi/ noun A profound, long-lasting state of intense happiness, contentment, and inner peace, often arising from connection, purpose, or gratitude. Matthew Davis (J0Y.) is a Chicago-based composer, improviser, and multi-instrumentalist rooted in the past, working in the present and gazing to the future. His evolving practice incorporates synthesizers, plant-based sound systems, and diverse acoustic instruments to create textured, immersive compositions. His work moves fluidly between structure and spontaneity, creating hypnotic groves, infectious melodies, and cosmic sonic landscapes. A seasoned performer, MD has toured extensively around the world, developing a reputation for captivating, exploratory live sets. His latest album, “ Free ” demonstrates his fierce creativity and instrumental prowess. Open Seki is the duo of John Biggers (Hefty) and Nathan Tucker (SKAM, Wobblyhead, Consumers Research & Development), endeavoring to scratch that undefinable itch through pulse exploration and phased aural stimulation. $15 / $10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door Tagged: improvised music series Previous Previous June 16 'The Harbingers' Live Listening Event Next Next June 20 John O'Neill, GS70, existence decay

Back to All Events Relax Attack Jazz Series: Clif Wallace (DJ set) - June 2026 Edition Wednesday, June 24, 2026 9:00 PM 10:00 PM Google Calendar ICS This week, we’re flipping the script. Instead of a live band, the Relax Attack Jazz Series welcomes drummer, producer, and all-around vibe architect Clif Wallace behind the decks for an all-vinyl DJ set. A true multi-hyphenate — drummer, DJ, radio host (WDCB 90.9FM), composer, bandleader, and tastemaker — Clif brings his boundless love of music to every record he spins. His selections move through jazz and beyond, tracing grooves, moods, and rhythms that keep the night alive. Come ready to listen, sip, and move. This one’s all about deep cuts, warm sound, and good company. @cwjams Every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Relax Attack Jazz Series , we present Chicago’s top jazz artists in a lively atmosphere, full of cocktail-shaking and spirited conversation. 6pm doors / 9pm show / 2 sets / no cover Tagged: Wednesday Previous Previous June 23 Tromblau & ALL THE FRIENDS: Birthday Celebration Next Next June 25 Prosperity Room (June 2026 Edition)