Geof Bradfield & Colossal Abundance@ Constellation, Chicago

• Glow in the Dark Flowers, Midwife, Desert Liminal04/29/2023 8:30 PMat Constellation

Event Details

Event Location

Directions

Constellation

3111 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL, 60618

8:30pm.

You can watch the livestream here: https://youtube.com/live/JYDN0XNacpM?feature=share
If you watch the livestream, please support the artists by purchasing a livestream ticket.

Geof Bradfield’s work as a composer and saxophonist embraces intersections of jazz and other streams of African Diaspora, drawing inspiration from Charlie Parker, Lead Belly, Shona mbira music, and Gullah spirituals. His latest body of work,Colossal Abundance,explores manifestations of symmetry—rhythmic, formal and symbolic—in those traditions as well as in the music of Messiaen, Bartok and other European composers. Colossal Abundance is simultaneously a meditation on the juxtaposition of wealth—material, intellectual and spiritual—with poverty that plagues modern society. This world premier expands upon Bradfield’s critically acclaimed 2017 release Yes, and… for nine improvisers.

Geof Bradfield- tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, mbira
Greg Ward- alto saxophone
Anna Webber- flute, bass flute, tenor saxophone
Ben Goldberg- clarinet, contra alto clarinet
Victor Garcia-trumpet
Russ Johnson- trumpet
Momo Hasselbring Seko- french horn
Norman Palm- trombone
Scott Hesse- guitar
Clark Sommers-bass
Greg Beyer- marimba, berimbau, mbira
Dana Hall- drums and cymbals

Colossal Abundance is made possible in part through the generous support of the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Geof Bradfield’s work as a composer and performer on saxophones and clarinets embraces intersections of modern jazz and other streams of African Diaspora music, drawing inspiration from Charlie Parker, Melba Liston, Lead Belly, Shona mbira music, and Gullah spirituals.

Born in Houston, TX, Bradfield has performed throughout North America, Europe, Russia, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, sharing the stage with artists such as Randy Weston, Dana Hall, Clark Sommers, Brian Blade, Anna Webber, Orrin Evans, Jeff Parker, Matt Ulery, and Ryan Cohan. His work is featured on 50+ CDs including eight albums as a leader that have garnered critical accolades from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and NPR.

Nate Chinen describes his Yes, and… Music for Nine Improvisers (Delmark Records) as “an album of chamber-esque color and oft-surprising texture, because Bradfield is the sort of composer who creates room for departure.” He has received grants and awards from Chamber Music America, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, DCASE, IAC, and the Mellon Foundation. The Downbeat Critics Poll has named him a Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist and Arranger multiple years. Bradfield is Professor of Jazz Studies at Northern Illinois University and a frequent teaching artist at national and international venues.

“Geof Bradfield has drawn plenty of praise for his work as a reed soloist, and it’s all deserved… But in the last few years, Bradfield has made just as much impact with his precise and colorful writing, in compositions that evoke a vivid sense of place through the same mixture of detail and sweep.” Neil Tesser

https://delmark.com/product/5035/