After the Art Ensemble of Chicago
scrambled my DNA at the Big Ears Festival in March, I knew that catching another date on the band’s fiftieth anniversary tour was the only way to fully recalibrate my mind and body. A Southwest Airlines flash sale allowed me to satisfy my compulsion with a minimum of financial pain on Labor Day weekend. The Art Ensemble of Chicago was among the 30 acts I caught during the three days I spent at the
Chicago Jazz Festival. I’ll write about the curative event in detail at
Plastic Sax. In the meantime, I’m uploading clips and photos to
my Instagram account. Here’s an initial ranking of my favorite sets.
1. Art Ensemble of Chicago
2. Ben Lamar Gay
3. The Juju Exchange
4. Eddie Palmieri Sextet
5. Jeremy Cunningham’s The Weather Up There
6. Russ Johnson Quartet
7. Christian McBride's New Jawn
8. Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet
9. Joel Ross Quartet
10. Rempis/Flaten/Ra + Baker Quartet
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My most recent concert previews for
The Kansas City Star are
here and
here.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
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