Hector Guzman

By Dennis Polkow

With the August announcement of Mei-Ann Chen to become music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta, the ensemble is performing most of its twenty-fourth season with Chen listed as music director designate, yet not conducting the ensemble until the final concerts of the season in May, and not officially taking over as music director until the fall of 2011.

With the suspense over as to who would actually succeed Paul Freeman, the Sinfonietta’s founding music director who is retiring at the end of the 2010-11 season after twenty-four years in that position, the ensemble still has a few surprises up its sleeve for this Freeman-farewell season nonetheless.

As with its longstanding annual Martin Luther King Day concerts each January, the Sinfonietta is experimenting with another annual concert tied to a holiday, in this case the Mexican “Día de los Muertos,” or “Day of the Dead.”

“In December, holiday concerts are certainly not hard to come by,” Freeman, who has already moved back to his home base in the Virgin Islands and now commutes for his concerts here, is quoted in a press release. “But something around the Day of the Dead and Halloween is much less common in classical music, so we decided to seize the opportunity. We hope this concert can become a new annual tradition for the Sinfonietta.”

Mexican conductor Hector Guzman, who will be the guest conductor to inaugurate this new tradition, is excited not only for the opportunity to work with the Sinfonietta again—which he first conducted two seasons ago and considers an “excellent orchestra, very attentive and professional”—but to be able to showcase important Mexican music while helping to celebrate a holiday that meant so much to him growing up in Mexico.

“The Day of the Dead is not a sad occasion,” says Guzman, “but a celebration of life. There is no sadness. We remember the ones who have passed, yes, but in a joyous celebration with food and family reunions and a looking forward to one day joining them.” Read the rest of this entry »

By John Alex Colón

Last week, Steve Lawler jumped on a bus, embarking on another North American tour in support of his VIVa MUSiC label. In 2009, he and Jimmy Hill brought the VIVa banner from city to city by jet, much like the 2008 tour that included Audiofly and Tiefschwarz. Lawler will steer the bus to Spy Bar on Halloween night, joined by Leon and David Pher, Italian house sensation and busy, techno-minded Berliner, respectively. Both artists have releases on Lawler’s imprint, which is known for its recognition and support of new talent.

Lawler recently released his own EP, titled “Gimme Some More,” which features prolific house music vocalist Roland Clark, and remixes by an impressive roster of artists. Upon listening to Clark’s earlier work, Lawler saw fit to capture his a capella skills on a track of his own. “He’s kind of a legend when it comes to house vocals like that,” Lawler says. “He has an amazing voice and is an amazing, amazing lyricist.”

Lawler’s own career can certainly be regarded as prolific, even legendary. A longtime fan of acid house, he promoted events beneath a UK highway, cut his teeth as a resident DJ at Cream, and released singles and remixes on several established labels, including Harthouse, Cocoon, Souvenir and R&S. His residencies at Space in Ibiza and The End in London are known for marathon sets of six hours or longer, fueled by Lawler’s approach to house music: erotic grooves, deep basslines and layers of percussion influenced by African and Latin drum sounds. Read the rest of this entry »

Liz Tooley

By Genesis Galva

When Permanent Records opened in 2006, it seemed like a risky move—the music industry was in the midst of the digital revolution, and suffering for it. But rather than flailing, Permanent Records expanded. Located in a quiet neighborhood, near Chicago and Wood, it’s a physically small store, but one that’s added its own spice to Chicago’s music scene. Friendly smiles greet you at the door, vinyls and CDs give off an aroma that fills the entire room and a cat walks around greeting customers. Visitors get a sensory high from the surroundings: posters, paintings on the walls, little figurines, a Sonic Youth skateboard and, of course, the music itself.

Permanent Records cultivates an atmosphere as unique as its music collection. Zaireeka, a friendly “store kitty,” is its mascot. “She loves customers,” says Liz Tooley, one of the store’s co-owners. Zaireeka slinks all over the CD collection to greet people and craves attention—it can be difficult to distract customers from the treasure trove of vinyl and CDs. But in the end, it all comes down to the music. “We’re a little bit selective with what we take in on both CD and vinyl because we want to keep within the genres that we want to sell. When you make yourself more of a niche market then you get more of a niche customer,” says Liz. Read the rest of this entry »

Philip Glass

By Dennis Polkow

“It’s a problem,” composer Philip Glass told me in 1989. “The first problem any composer has is finding a voice, and the second problem is getting rid of it. You often hear from people, ‘Oh Glass, he always sounds the same.’ It doesn’t really, but you have to make a big effort for it not to sound the same. It’s very hard to do that because it’s like trying to look at yourself in the mirror and ponder, ‘Okay, what do I really look like? What is my style of dressing?’ You can’t possibly be objective about it, and yet you can’t just trust what the papers say or what your friends tell you.”

A decade into the twenty-first century, it is now clear that Glass is the most prolific, successful and emulated American composer of the last quarter of the twentieth century, if not beyond. Although he has always disliked the term, Glass is considered one of the founding fathers of Minimalism, a style of music characterized by static—though slightly shifting—repetitious traditional rhythmic and harmonic patterns. Glass is so recognized as the high priest of the movement in the public imagination that he inspired a character on the “South Park” animated television series called Glass, who likes to write pieces based on a single note. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

In a seventeen-year career as a performer on the folk circuit, Dar Williams has come to epitomize the idealized version of the coffeehouse singer-songwriter: thoughtful, intimate, a weaver of stories that deliver with such quiet emotion you might find yourself crying without even knowing why. She’s just released her version of a greatest-hits album, the double-length “Many Great Companions,” which not only offers up twenty of her best-loved songs, but also features twelve new acoustic recordings, many in collaboration with the likes of Mary Chapin Carpenter and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, who also produced the album. We may live in a time where you can’t flip a coin without hitting a singer-songwriter, but it’s a rare and precious coin indeed if it turns up the likes of Williams. Her cover of The Kinks’ “Better Days” not only soars with its melancholy optimism, but it invokes a new appreciation for the songwriting of the Davies brothers. And her own compositions, like “Spring Street” and “The Babysitter’s Here,” connect with a beautiful sense of the everyday stories that compel our lives forward. I’m new to the Dar Williams songbook, but I’ve become mesmerized by its mix of intelligence, musicality and vulnerability. (Brian Hieggelke)

October 26 at Evanston Space, 1245 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, (847)492-8860. 8pm. $30.

RECOMMENDED

Scott Lucas & the Married Men will play a free show at the Empty Bottle for the release of their second recording, “The Absolute Beginners EP,” (released October 19 on G&P Records). Local H singer/songwriter Scott Lucas formed Scott Lucas & The Married Men as an attempt to do something different than his ongoing work with band-mate, Brian St. Clair. His current project includes seven musicians, and features a violin, an accordion and an organ. The EP’s title is named for the David Bowie track that they cover, and the four-song recording also features reworkings of two songs that appeared on the collective’s debut, and a cover of Local H’s hit “Hey, Rita.” Local H will also release an EP of cover songs, “Local H’s Awesome Mix Tape #1,” on the same date. (Carol Hilker)

October 26, Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600. Fans can attend Scott Lucas & The Married Men at the Empty Bottle for Free by emailing rsvp@emptybottle.com, subject line “Lucas.” Otherwise, tickets are $8 at the door.10pm.

RECOMMENDED

Tonight marks the Chicago club debut of Berlin-based producer Lucy (Luca Mortellaro), whose Stroboscopic Artefacts imprint has been gaining steam since its inception in 2009. Lucy has championed his self-applied techno tag of “compressed dub,” reflecting the influences of listening to the likes of Lee “Scratch” Perry and other reggae and dub sounds while in his youth in Italy. The result is that his techno productions and mixes are a dark, deep and unpredictable journey, from twinkling noises to a driving cacophony of sound—and everything in between. Joining Lucy behind the decks is Detroit’s Codine, whose releases on Blank Artists showcase a deft handle on Motor City techno both subtle and percussive. Rounding out the bill are DJs and event co-promoters Aron Ryan (Collusion) and Mathias Matthew. Matthew’s Migrashun crew also helped to bring in Christian Burkhardt to Vision last weekend, capping a rare two-week stretch of quality techno in the usually musically vacuous expanses of club fluff housed inside Vision—tonight, just make sure you head downstairs! (Duke Shin)

October 22 at Vision (The Lair), 632 North Dearborn, (312)266-1944, 10pm-4am. $10-$12, rsvp@migrashun.com.

RECOMMENDED

Jazz musician, singer and activist Hugh Masekela has had a storied career which stretches for almost half a century. Driven from his homeland due to the brutal apartheid regime in the early sixties, the trumpeter spent some time in the United States, where he studied at the Manhattan School of Music. He had several hits on his own, and also guested in several other artists’ recordings, including The Byrds and Paul Simon, with whom he shared the stage during the legendary “Graceland” tour, which also included Miriam Makeba and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

He is best known internationally for his single “Bring Him Back Home,” which became an anthem during the struggle to release Nelson Mandela from jail. In 2004, he released his autobiography “Still Grazing: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela,” in which he gave a detailed history of his two-decade struggle with alcoholism. He continues to tour and record regularly with his mix of jazz, African beats and pop sensibilities. This will be his debut performance at Symphony Center, which makes this a very special evening. (Ernest Barteldes)

October 22 at Symphony Center, 220 South Michigan, (312)294-3000. 8pm. $ 21-$72.

RECOMMENDED

Band reunions in Chicago happen almost monthly these days. The guys from Sig Transit Gloria resurface again aiming to up the ante. Their reunion will be the band’s second in two years: March 2009 marked their first time back on stage since 2001. Fans can hope to wonder if this will form into a pattern, becoming an annual event. Whatever the case, Sig Transit’s keyboard-infused pop will definitely provide an energetic set.

At their last reunion, fans and friends filling the crowd sung along, making the atmosphere reminiscent of their punk shows past at the Fireside or Hanger 9. Over the years, the band members have remained good friends, which can be seen in their on-stage chemistry.

Making this show a multi-reunion bill, Division, hailing from the western suburbs, reunites after taking a five-year break from the stage. Division’s performance celebrates the recent marriage of their guitarist Joe Chavez. In 2005, Division released a split record with Open Heart Surgery, which was coincidentally fronted by Sig Transit guitarist Nate Hanyzewski.

The lineup of friends at this show offers an occasion that will not be likely replicated again. (John Wawrzaszek)

October 16, Reggie’s Rock Club, 2105 South State, 7pm, 17+.

Muti released from hospital; suffered from ‘exhaustion’ and is returning to CSO in February

Here is the statement, released today, from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association:

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is pleased to report that our music director, Riccardo Muti, has been released from a Milan hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery from the illness that struck him earlier this month and forced him to withdraw from the remaining two weeks of his October programs with the CSO. He will be rejoining us as planned in February 2011 for his regularly scheduled performances from February 3 to 19.

Following a full battery of medical tests at San Raffaele Hospital, it was determined that Maestro Muti is suffering from extreme exhaustion as a result of prolonged physical stress. In this case, as often happens, the exhaustion manifested itself in abdominal pain and other physical symptoms. His physicians believe that he was able to work through his symptoms in his first two weeks, given all of the heightened excitement, but, that as time wore on, it became increasingly more difficult to do so. Read the rest of this entry »