Ballister

This powerful transatlantic trio returns to Chicago for the first time since 2014, celebrating the release earlier this year of their seventh recording, Slag, for Aerophonic Records. The band first came together at a closed session in 2009, and as any fan of improvised music can imagine, the band hit hard from the first note and hasn’t looked back since. The unabashed energy of Rempis and Nilssen-Love, coupled with the electrified cello antics of Lonberg-Holm, make for a powerful listening experience that combines driving grooves with noisy textures and occasional melodic interjections. These sliding and overlapping rhythms often give the music a feeling as if a rug is slowly being pulled out from underneath the listener while the music still maintains a strong forward momentum. Reference points include the Julius Hemphill groups of the 70’s and 80’s featuring Abdul Wadud, Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time, and the early 70’s explorations of Miles Davis’ electric bands. This date kicks off a fourteen concert North American tour for the band.
Ballister

Dave Rempis – saxophones
Fred Lonberg-Holm – cello
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums

9 PM / 2 sets