Saturday 10 November 2018, 2pm
Please note that this is a matinee show – doors will open at 2pm and the performance will start shortly after.
“This is wide-open music in every sense, as much touched by Gay’s roots in the Chicago hiphop scene and his subsequent development as a jazz cornettist as his obsessions with visual and cinematic art.” – The WIRE
Very pleased to host a full-band show from Chicagoan cornetist Ben Lamar Gay following the release of his acclaimed new album, Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun, which pushes the boundaries of his long-established reputation for defiantly eclectic genre-hopping further still, from free jazz to Brazilian rhythms; minimalism to pulse-quickening funk.
“His long form storytelling never misses a chance to divert on any number of sonic explorations unveiling new worlds with the deft touch of a painter and the flavor of a master chef. This record is a glorious glimpse inside the mind of a sun-drenched tugboat captain, and we're lucky to be onboard.” – Jaimie Branch
Chicago cornetist Ben Lamar Gay is one of the city's most adventurous and boundary-pushing performers with sound that touches upon avant-garde jazz, hip-hop, indie rock, Brazilian traditions, and experimental electronic composition. A member of the AACM, Gay (who also spent time traveling and living in Brazil) emerged in the 2000s singing and playing a variety of instruments. Most often, he works in the studio, layering his songs with overdubbed parts, as he did on his own Juba Dance album Orange. Over the years, he has proven himself to be an unpredictable artist with a wide-ranging stylistic ear.
Raised on Chicago's South Side, Gay developed his cornet skills as a member of the respected AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). As a solo artist, he released the album Orange under the Juba Dance moniker. From there, he appeared on albums by a diverse range of artists from hip-hop performer Polyphonic the Verbose and jazz drummer Makaya McCraven to alternative R&B artist Coultrain. He has also collaborated with Jaimie Branch, Theo Parrish, Celso Fonseca, and others. In 2018, Gay collected a handful of his own unreleased tracks for his debut album, Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun, on International Anthem. – All Music
