TICKETS are $15 General/$6 Student. End time is around 9:00

Performing in support of their second album on Delmark Records, the Chicago-based Paul Giallorenzo Trio plays original music rooted in swing, nodding to Monk, Duke, and Sun Ra, with a post-free approach and sensibility.

Paul Giallorenzo – piano 

Mikel Patrick Avery – drums 

Jason Roebke – bass

Music video:  https://youtu.be/ARKmSJngajk?si=pb7oAHmXqfFg24Im

Links to music here:  https://music.apple.com/us/album/play/1711082202  https://open.spotify.com/album/6tin0kiOGwmuuoTh4fnb4M  paulgiallorenzo.com paulgiallorenzo.com/trio-play

social media: /paulgiallorenzo

Recent press for the new album:  Dusted Review (Bill Meyer)  Block Club Chicago Review Nowhere Street (Peter Margasak)  JazzWord (Ken Waxman)  Paul Giallorenzo Trio “Play”

From the liner notes by Neil Tesser:

“Giallorenzo plays beyond the theme-and-variations format, happy to skip beyond the well-worn phrases of silky piano trios, ready to take the game in an oblique direction at every turn. Plenty of musicians have explored such areas: the jazz avant-garde evolved thanks to the legendary artists who ‘played outside.’ Most of those musicians were adept at playing ‘inside’ as well; it’s said that Ornette Coleman, for example, could sound exactly like Charlie Parker when he chose.   And today’s post-freedom musicians sometimes surprise ardent avant-garde fans with their mastery of music that they have supposedly jettisoned from their repertoire. But not so many artists can adeptly merge these approaches into one theory of mind, and such ‘inside-outside’ musicians—the category that certainly includes Giallorenzo’s trio—are a separate gang.   They infuse the tradition into their edgier romps, and vice-versa; more to the point, they inhabit both territories at the same time. So while the music in ‘Play’ can grab the ear of musical adventurers, it also won’t frighten those just dipping their toes into this particular stream. These players find a middle ground—not by compromising the new or the old, but by elevating the virtues of each.   It’s not so easy to make music this demanding and yet so deceptively fluid. ... These performances arise from a combination of focus and intensity, dedication and rigor. But they sure don’t sound like ‘work.’ Whether outside or in, the message remains the same: Play.”

Originally from Long Island, NY, Paul Giallorenzo is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, producer, and sound designer using piano, synthesizer, keyboards, and electronics in a diverse range of contexts with a wide array of Chicago and international musicians in improvised, avant-jazz, experimental, and electro/acoustic music, performing regularly locally and throughout North America and Europe. Giallorenzo’s work has been praised for its “inside-out” nature – his ability to push the boundaries of “conventional” jazz toward more freedom but also, on the other side, to bring a measure of structure to more avant-garde material. Writing in the online journal Point Of Departure, John Litweiler said, “His solos and aggressive duets are gems of after-Bop, after-Bley melody,” while AllAboutJazz.org lauded music that “smudges the lines between the tradition and the avant-garde.”His current working projects as a (co)leader include the Paul Giallorenzo Trio, Hearts & Minds (with Jason Stein/Chad Taylor), and RedGreenBlue (with Ryan Packard, Ben LaMar Gay, and Charlie Kirchen). His work can be found on the Chicago-based Delmark Records and Austin-based Astral Spirits labels, as well as various other imprints including Leo Records (UK), Not Two Records (Poland), and 482 Music (NY). Giallorenzo is the Artistic Director of the intermedia arts organization Homeroom and a co-founder and programmer of the music venue/art gallery Elastic Arts, producing hundreds of creative music concerts and art events in Chicago since 2001. paulgiallorenzo.com

Mikel Patrick Avery, active within the Chicago area for 13 years, relocated to New Orleans in 2018 and now resides in Philadelphia. Established as a jazz drummer, he is commonly recognized for his orchestral and melodic style of drumming that often involves the use of unconventional "non-musical" objects. As well as being a performing musician, Mikel is a dedicated composer, photographer, filmmaker, producer, and instrument builder. In recent years, Avery has become an integral voice in varying ensembles, including Joshua Abrams' Natural Information Society, Theaster Gates's Black Monks of Mississippi, Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons, as well as leading several of his own projects, including 1/2 Size Piano Trio, Rats+Star, and Mikel Patrick Avery PLAY. mikelpatrickavery.com

The diversity of Jason Roebke’s musical associations make him one of the most sought after bassists in Chicago and beyond. He composes music for two ensembles, Jason Roebke Combination and the Jason Roebke Octet. Solo performance and a duo with dancer Ayako Kato are also at the forefront of his creative activities. His playing is intensely physical, audacious, and sparse. The Chicago Reader described his work as “a carefully orchestrated rummage through a hardware store.” He is a member of the Jeb Bishop Trio, Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown, Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isidore, Mike Reed’s People, Places, and Things, and Jorrit Dijkstra’s Flatlands Collective & Pillow Circles. Roebke studied privately with saxophonist and composer Roscoe Mitchell as well as legendary double bass pedagogue Stuart Sankey.  In 2009, he was awarded the Fellowship in Music Composition from the Illinois Arts Council. He was the subject of an extensive interview and career overview in Point of Departure. Roebke tours widely in the US and Europe. jasonroebke.info

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from the Wells Fargo Philanthropic Services Private Trust Foundations, which include grants from the Stanley A. and Flora P. Clark Memorial Community Trust Foundation (2020-2021; 2022-2023 seasons), the John, Anna, and Martha Jane Fields Memorial Trust Foundation (2021-2022; 2022-2023 seasons), and the Florence V. Carroll Charitable Trust (2021-2022; 2022-2023 season). Special concert event support provided by the Arts Midwest Grow, Invest, Gather (GIG) Fund grant (2022-2023 season). Activities are made possible in part by the Arts Organization Support (AOS), Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency (2023-2024 season).

Concerts and events made possible, in part, with support from The Esther and George Jaruga Charitable Foundation (2020-2023 seasons). The Student and Home Grown Series concerts made possible, in part, with support from the ArtsEverywhere Grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, and the Arts Project Support Grant and the Arts Recovery Grant through the Indiana Arts Commission.