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Concert Wed Mar 26 2008
Bass minds think alike
above: A boy and his bass are not soon parted
Tomorrow night (Thursday the 27th), head downtown to the Chicago Cultural Center for yet another installment in the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs' "New Music, New Millennium" series. This series of free shows is going on from now through the end of May at the Claudia Cassidy Theater, 77 E. Randolph STreet, and starts at 7 p.m.
Tonight's performance is by bassist Drew Gress and his ensemble 7 Black Butterflies. With a lineup that includes Tim Berne (alto sax) and Tom Rainey (drums), you might be forgiven for thinking that you had stumbled into a performance by longtime Tim Berne trio Paraphrase (who have several great albums on the Screwgun label). However, the pilot's seat tonight belongs to Gress, and he's brought two more along for the ride: pianist Craig Taborn, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. The fluttering, circling alto/trumpet interplay remind me strongly of the classic quartet records of Ornette Coleman, though with a much richer deep end (belying Gress's status as bandleader, the bass is quite prominent on all the tracks). The tunes are sharp and steely, but not terribly dissonant - it's perhaps not surprising that Gress's web site makes charts available for a nominal fee, should you wish to get a garage band together yourself - all you need is 35 chords and the TRUTH.