Improvised Music Series: Tri-Centric Experiencer's Unit, Lion's Head

About

Back to All Events Improvised Music Series: Tri-Centric Experiencer's Unit, Lion's Head Thursday, June 25, 2026 8:30 PM 10:30 PM Google Calendar ICS Tri-Centric Experiencer’s Unit (L-R: Mark Nagy, Ben Zucker, Fred Jackson, with overlay of Composition No 436 by Anthony Braxton) Cover image of Lion’s Head debut EP ( listen here) Two trios paying homage to the legacies of 70s avant-garde jazz: The Tri-Centric Experiencer’s Unit plays a landmark Anthony Braxton composition; Lion’s Head, named after mentor Richard Davis, interpolates free improvisation with hard-swinging classic repertoire. 8:30 pm: Composition No. 76 by Anthony Braxton, performed by the Tri-Centric Experiencer’s Unit Fred Jackson Jr. - saxophones, flute Mark Nagy - clarinets, saxophones Ben Zucker - vibraphone, trumpet All musicians on voice & little instruments 9:30: Lion’s Head Maggie Cousin - alto saxophone/bass clarinet Henry Ptacek - drums Aden Stier - bass $15 / $10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door About The Artists The Tri-Centric Experiencers Unit is an evolving collective of Chicago musicians exploring the creative work of the groundbreaking composer-performer Anthony Braxton. First convened by Ben Zucker for an ensemble performance in 2024 featuring a multilayered rendition of Braxton’s modular, ’trans-idiomatic’ works, for this performance the focus is brought to a single piece: Composition 76, a landmark hybrid of notation, graphics, and improvisation featured on the historic 1977 Arista record For Trio. Expect the unexpected as multi-instrumentalists Fred Jackson Jr ., Mark Nagy , and Zucker bring a multitude of instruments big and small to realize the provocative score, in which trace of every dynamic, experimental music from bebop to Cagean silence to sound poetry might be heard. A collaboration between longtime friends Maggie Cousin, Aden Stier, and Henry Ptacek, Lion's Head seeks to make new improvised music rooted in the language of the jazz avant-garde of the late 60s and early 70s. Lion's Head treats the tradition as a living, urgent material, using the wisdom of their predecessors to navigate our shared here and now. Previous Previous June 23 Julie Meckler, Vee, Otto Rollo Next Next June 26 Elastro: Kristina Warren, Ben Zucker, Nu A.M.