Événement

Jason Stein, Ben Cruz, Emerson Hunton

On Sunday, September 9, 2018 at 8:00pm, ALL presents a new trio ensemble consisting of Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Ben Cruz (guitar), and Emerson Hunton (drums), premiering brand new compositions. The trio's music presents complex interlocking melodies, delicate textures, occasional rock energy, improvised sections, and tightly composed chamber sections for a sound that is angular, frenetic, and pretty. Advance tickets $12 online until 1 hour before the show. Tickets $15 at the door starting at 7:30pm.

Jason Stein was born in 1976 and is originally from Long Island, New York. Stein is one of the few musicians working today to focus entirely on the bass clarinet as a jazz and improvisational instrument. He studied at Bennington College with Charles Gayle and Milford Graves, and at the University of Michigan with Donald Walden and Ed Sarath. In 2005, Stein relocated to Chicago and has since recorded for such labels as Leo, Delmark, Not Two, Atavistic, 482 Music, and Clean Feed. Stein has performed throughout the US and Europe as both a bandleader and sideman and has amassed a discography of over 30 albums.

Ben Cruz is a guitarist, composer, and educator based in Chicago, IL. His music draws from a variety of traditions, combining forward-thinking composition with an emphasis on improvisation. Ben began playing guitar at the age of twelve, and studied jazz and improvisation from New York City-based guitarist Vic Juris. Ben went on study history and jazz performance at Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he was mentored by Bobby Ferrazza, Dan Wall, Jamey Haddad, Jay Ashby, Paul Samuels, and Brian Alegant.

Emerson Hunton is a drummer and composer based in Chicago, IL. His musical approach prizes space and texture, and focuses on blurring the line between improvisation and composition. Recent projects include a duo with laptop improviser/composer Ted Moore, a quintet featuring trumpeter Russ Johnson and saxophonist Greg Ward, and a trio with guitarist Ben Cruz and bass clarinetist Jason Stein. His creative output has been supported by grants and residencies through STEIM, Conservatory van Amsterdam, the CIGSIE board, and Avaloch Farm Music Institute.

Emerson has performed nationally and internationally with collaborative jazz quartet Junior Ranger, an ensemble that challenges its members to rethink the boundaries of orchestration and instrumentation, compositional structures, and free improvisation. Junior Ranger recorded and released their debut recording Monster Masks in 2015. Emerson is originally from Minneapolis, MN, and studied with drummer Billy Hart at Oberlin Conservatory of Music.