INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM

THE most exciting jazz label of recent years is without a doubt the Chicago-based International Anthem. Chicago Reader accurately summed up the essence: “International Anthem brings punk idealism to progressive jazz”. IA looks a lot like the ground-breaking Impulse! label of the 60’s: top productions, cutting edge music and a recognisable classy graphic design. It’s no coincidence that inspiring IA artists like Angel Bat Dawid, Irreversible Entanglements, Jaimie Branch, Makaya McCraven, Anteloper, Alabaster DePlume and Ben LaMar Gay have all already appeared on stage at AB. With the latter, and Jeff Parker, AB now presents an exquisite double bill par excellence!

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm

JEFF PARKER plays ‘Forfolks’

Multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer Jeff Parker is best known as a long-time bandmember of the influential Tortoise. He has already collaborated with impressive folks like The Ex, Toumani Diabaté or Daniel Lanois. His latest releases on International Anthem are gems of the finest sort. ‘The New Breed’ from 2016 was an ode to his father, ‘Suite For Max Brown’ from 2020 an ode to his mother, and on his solo album ‘Forfolks’ (2021) it is minimalism that rules. The Guardian described it as “a meditative gem” and Pitchfork lauded the album under the banner of “Best New Music”.

9:30 pm – 11:00 pm

BEN LAMAR GAY

Cornet-player and former graffiti-tagger Ben LaMar Gay is a busy bee. His 2018 debut ‘Downtown Castles Can Never Black The Sun’ is actually the result of a selection from seven (!) previous albums that were never released. Pitchfork on successor ‘Open Arms to Open Us’: “sounds simultaneously like … Bitches Brew, hip-hop, New York experimental math rockers Battles, Kid A, raga, samba, free jazz, D’Angelo, and the chipmunk-ed vocals employed by rave producers”. LaMar has worked previously with the likes of Jaimie Branch, Slum Village and Bitchin Bajas. He says he’s strongly influenced by the AACM: The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, that was established in 1965 and has the support of jazz icons like Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell (Art Ensemble Of Chicago) and Wadada Leo Smith.

Concert Pictures by our in-house photographer Daria Miasoedova