BlueStem Jazz

19/05/2025

ok pedal geeks “git yo freak on”

btw hedvig just released a shredder - BEES IN THE BONNET

12/05/2025

presented by BlueStem Jazz this Sunday at WORTstock 2025

12/05/2025

this saturday!!

This powerful duo encapsulates the hard-working Chicago improvised music scene in a nutshell. Tyler Damon’s extensive vocabulary behind the kit has positioned him as an important figure in the American underground. Whether he’s working with improvised stalwarts like Mars Williams and Joshua Abrams, or indie acts like Eli Winter and Circuit Des Yeux, he remains deeply invested in spontaneous playing. Rempis’ ubiquity matches his prowess — in addition to longstanding bands like Rempis Percussion Quartet, Ballister, and Rempis/Abrams/Ra, he’s also performed and recorded with the likes of Joe McPhee, Peter Brötzmann, Tomeka Reid, Joshua Abrams, jaimie branch, Chris Corsano and Nate Wooley. The pair comprise two thirds of the trio Kuzu alongside guitarist Tashi Dorji, and have released albums on Astral Spirits and Rempis’ own Aerophonic imprint. Their relationship deepened even further over the course of the pandemic, when these Chicago neighbors hosted a weekly duo concert in a park near both of their homes on Friday afternoons through the warmer months. This regular and rare performance opportunity in that time, usually featuring a different guest each week, furthered their already simpatico musical relationship in a profound way.

12/05/2025

this friday@audioforthearts 🔥🔥🔥

03/05/2025

21/04/2025

4/25

Jimmy Farace is a Chicago-based jazz baritone saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His debut album, entitled Hours Fly, Flowers Die (Shifting Paradigm Records), will be released April 11th, 2025. The album is a heartfelt narrative bound together by the poignant themes of nostalgia and the passage of time. Drawing inspiration from Henry Van Dyke’s timeless poem, “For Katrina’s Sundial,” the collection of works in this project become a contemplative journey, capturing the essence of fleeting moments, the bittersweet nature of nostalgia, and the universal struggle to hold onto the ephemeral present.

23/03/2025

Join us in Madison next month!

18/03/2025

Since forming in 2012, Chicago’s Twin Talk has steadily drifted from the conventions of the saxophone trio. Saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi, bassist-singer Katie Ernst, and drummer Andrew Green have spent their time on the band stage together making their music elastic, spontaneous, and open, embracing new inspirations without stifling the improvisational heart of their work. While all three musicians are active members in the city’s bustling jazz community, each playing in numerous working bands, they’ve found a true collective voice as Twin Talk. They use live performances as opportunities to stretch—expanding on composed material and ditching set lists in favor of calling tunes on the fly.

On their latest album Twin Talk Live, the trio blur the boundaries between near-telepathic collective improvisation and highly composed songs, resulting in a studio album with all the viscerality of their live shows. Twin Talk Live is out now on Shifting Paradigm Records.

Chicago saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Dustin Laurenzi has developed a personal approach to improvisation and composition that has garnered the attention of the city’s creative music community. Laurenzi has toured extensively with songwriter Bill Callahan and is featured on Callahan’s 2024 release Resuscitate! He has performed with Bon Iver, Jeff Parker & The New Breed, Marquis Hill, Makaya McCraven, Matt Ulery, Japanese Breakfast, and This Is The Kit.

13/02/2025

Ashes & Diamonds gets an Picks! Rob is going to make that baldwin sing!

Line-Up:
Greg Ward-alto saxophone
Rob Clearfield-piano
Sam Weber-bass
Quin Kirchner-drums

19/01/2025

for years marvin at BRAG [back row avant garde] has single handedly documented the avant garde music scene in milwaukee+ and has shared his videos on youtube: https://youtube.com/?si=kiB6x6524qhF0EhN

WHAT AN ARCHIVAL ASSET! look him up and subscribe

BLUESTEM THANKS YOU MARVIN!

13/01/2025

GONNA BE THE JAM!! ALLSTARS ALL AROUND!

link in bio for tix!