For the next few days, the Evanston music scene can be described by the phrase “quality, not quantity.” NU’s Bienen School is still shut down for spring break and the summer outdoor concert season is still months away. I’m glad to report that our friends at SPACE are bringing in some stellar acts to keep music nerds happy during this somewhat slow midweek period.
Jazz lovers will swoon when trumpeter Avishai Cohen takes the stage at SPACE on March 25. One of our local jazz piano stars, Paul Hecht, will bring his quartet to Prairie Moon on Wednesday, March 26. Evanston’s own Tony Vick will bring his wild and crazy band, ¡Ex Maquina!, to Double Clutch Brewing on March 27; and SPACE has booked two rootsy young African American artists on Wednesday and Thursday.
Here are details on the best bets for the next three days.
Tuesday, March 25
- Justin Radke, 7 p.m. at Blue Horse Tavern, 1026 Davis St. Radke started playing guitar in 1998. He cites Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Joe Pass as his guitar idols. Radke started off playing rock, blues and folk guitar, but he also studied classical guitar at Valparaiso University. He writes and performs original music in Turning Birds, an indie rock band. His band released some music on Bandcamp about a year ago — check out a track here. Radke is also one of the instructors at School of Rock’s Evanston branch. Free
- Avishai Cohen Quartet, 7:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Cohen is a trumpet player, band leader and composer born in Tel Aviv and now based in New York City. He creates atmospheric soundscapes, and his uncluttered melodic improvisations evoke the 1969-1970 output of Miles Davis. Cohen began playing trumpet at age 8 and he began performing professionally when he was 10 years old. As a teenager, he toured with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship and settled in New York in the late 1990s. The New York Times’ Nate Chinen called Cohen “an assertive and accomplished trumpeter with a taste for modernism.” This is his first U.S. tour in six years and SPACE is his only Chicago area appearance for this tour. $30/$25
Wednesday, March 26
- Jake Blount, 7:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Blount has one thing he wants everyone to know right away — his last name is pronounced “Blunt.” And to be blunt, this young fellow is terrific! He is the son of a white mother (Jeanne Meserve) and a Black father (Jeffrey Blount). Both of his parents were television news professionals in Washington, D.C. Blount started playing electric guitar at age 12 and played in high school rock bands. He came across the eclectic acoustic music of Megan Jean and the KFB, which shifted his focus. Blount has studied African American folk music and old-time music. He has developed into a skilled multi-instrumentalist (guitar, banjo, fiddle) and vocalist who mines historic Black folk music and smashes it up with modern influences (rock, hip-hop and more). It’s a heady mix. Blount is also a scholar of Black folk music, and has been educating people about this suppressed genre. He is bringing an interesting combo to SPACE — Blount on guitar, fiddle, pedals/loops; Gus Tritsch on electric guitar; and Flannery Brown on cello.$25/$15
- Pyrography Quartet, 9 p.m. at Prairie Moon, 1635 Chicago Ave. The Pyrography Quartet is led by pianist and composer Paul Hecht, His bandmates are: drummer Gustavo Cortiñas, bassist Ben Dillinger, and trumpeter James Davis. Hecht is an interesting musician — he splits time between Eau Claire, Wisconsin and Chicago. He also shifts focus between composing/playing jazz music and writing about literary history. Hecht’s music has a distinctly modern flavor; he isn’t riffing on the I Got Rhythm chord changes. The Pyrography Quartet will be releasing an album in early April, so this show is likely to feature music from that record. $7
Thursday, March 27
- Buffalo Nichols, 7:30 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. Carl “Buffalo” Nichols is a singer/songwriter who was raised in Milwaukee. He has played in punk bands, Americana groups and folk music duos before focusing on blues music. Nichols is a Black musician striving break through the rigidities of the blues while retaining traditional elements like poignant storytelling, emotionally deep delivery and expressive lyrics. Nichols’ instrument of choice is the classic resonator steel acoustic guitar, which he uses to accompany his gruff baritone vocals. He adds contemporary elements and modern production techniques to his music which sets it apart from the output of most blues artists. His release on Fat Possum records, The Fatalist, displays his hybrid approach. $22/$15
- ¡Ex Maquina! 7:30 p.m. at Double Clutch Brewing, 2121 Ashland Ave. ¡Ex Maquina! is a band led by Evanston residents Tony Vick and Susie Lofton. The band’s, music is impossible to categorize — a mashup of rock, funk and punkthat utilizes a very interesting combination of nonstandard instruments (cellos!), harmonies, rhythms and some spoken word vocals. In addition to their originals, ¡Ex Maquina! plays rock songs from the 1970s through the 1990s (Led Zeppelin, The Church, Metric, The Pretenders, Talking Heads, etc.). Vick is also a local DJ who does home audio consulting and event planning. Free
Related Stories
Chris Gillock is a blues harmonica player, vocalist, non-profit board member and retired investment banker. He is also an occasional blogger – you can find his blog at https://g-freethoughts.blogspot.com/....More by Chris Gillock
The RoundTable will try to post comments within a few hours, but there may be a longer delay at times. Comments containing mean-spirited, libelous or ad hominem attacks will not be posted. Your full name and email is required. We do not post anonymous comments. Your e-mail will not be posted.
