Review: Makaya McCraven’s Avant-Garde Jazz Transports Lincoln Hall
The crowd at Makaya McCraven’s Friday night show at Lincoln Hall was as varied as the hometown artist’s take on jazz. The first of a two-night stint at the venue […]
Review: A Well Spent Evening with the Mountain Goats and Will Sheff
I think no matter how you try to measure it, the Mountains Goats’ success over the past few decades is undeniable. Originally the solo project of John Darnielle, the Mountain […]
Review: Grossman Ensemble Gives a Dull Performance
One of the leading incubators of new music in Chicago is housed at the Chicago Center of Contemporary Composition at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park. The 13-member Grossman […]
Review: The CSO Under the Baton of Karina Canellakis Delivers the Goods
What kind of concert starts with an 11-minute introductory piece that ends up getting two ovations? A Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert that opens with Brio by Chicago-based composer Augusta Read […]
Review: Destroyer and Rosali’s Unique Voices Captivate Thalia Hall
Last Thursday was undoubtedly a treat. The middle of some blisteringly warm days with temps in the 90s, the sun out and shining bright, and of course and amazing lineup […]
Review: The Aznavoorian Duo Perform Gems From Armenia in a Marvelous Concert
The Aznavoorian Duo gave a marvelous performance at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston on Sunday afternoon. The concert was a celebration of their excellent new […]
Review: Augusta Read Thomas’ New Release Captures the Breadth of Her Musical Palette with a Regular Dose of Sunshine
Chicago-based composer Augusta Read Thomas has issued a new release comprised of several recent compositions. Bell Illuminations has a wide variety of ensemble configurations and illustrates the breadth of her […]
Review: Third Coast Percussion Releases Their CD Perspectives With an Excellent Performance
No musical techniques benefit more from visual performance than percussion. The number of ways that percussionists can produce sounds is limited only by the number of objects humans and nature […]
Review/Preview: Pianist Sergei Babayan’s Great Performance on Tuesday Gives an Insight into How He Will Perform Tonight
It is always a good sign to find myself perspiring in the middle of a performance in a venue with a working air conditioner. This is exactly what happened during […]
Review: Music of the Baroque Pays Homage to the Brothers Haydn… and Mozart
Music of the Baroque finished their 2021-22 season at Harris Theater on Monday with The Brothers Haydn, a program centered on Joseph Haydn and his younger brother Michael. The older […]
Review: Cedille Records Continues to Release Excellence, Including a Grammy Award Winner by Jennifer Koh
Chicago’s classical music label Cedille Records has continued to release compelling CDs highlighting our city’s deep musical talent, both performers and composers. Two recent Cedille releases include compositions inspired by […]
Preview: Paved Paradise Label Expo Returns to Middle Brow on May 5
Last year, a nice collection of like-minded labels (Ghostly International, Chicago’s very own Numero Group and indie behemoth Secretly Group, which includes Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian) got together […]