THE CITY WAS YELLOW: THE CHICAGO SUITE

THE ONJ INVITES MIKE REED

CREATION JANUARY 2018

MIKE REED composition, arrangements, drums
OLIVIER BENOIT guitar
JEAN DOUSTEYSSIER clarinets
TIM HALDEMAN tenor saxophone 

GREG WARD alto saxophone
CHRISTOPHE MONNIOT alto and sopranino saxophones
FIDEL FOURNEYRON trombone
FABRICE MARTINEZ trumpet, flugelhorn
SOPHIE AGNEL piano
PAUL BROUSSEAU Fender Rhodes
JASON ROEBKE double bass
ÉRIC ECHAMPARD drums

The ONJ invites one of the most emblematic musicians on the Chicago scene for a creation in homage to the American city.

It was following a trip to Chicago, organized by the ONDA in November 2016, that Olivier Benoit imagined this new urban evocation whose transatlantic resonance with the Europa cycle comes as the culmination of the end of his mandate at the head of the ONJ (December 2018). For this brand new project conceived in partnership with the French-American network The Bridge, the Artistic Director chose to entrust the orchestra and the writing of the programme to drummer, composer and conductor Mike Reed.  As a figure of the new generation of the AACM, and also as the creator of the Pitchfork Music Festival, co-programmer of the Chicago Jazz Festival, and director of both Constellation, one of the city’s most dynamic venues, and the Hungry Brain, this musician and poly-technician has progressively drawn attention as one of the most singular artistic voices of the contemporary jazz landscape, thanks to works that form a skilful blend of Chicagoan traditions and across the board experiments, historical consciousness and liberated research.

To be presented at the end of January 2018 at the Sons d’Hiver Festival, the new creation The City Was Yellow: The Chicago Suite revisits a series of pieces by leading composers and ensembles from the Windy City over the previous 30 years:Ed Wilkerson, Ari Brown, Rob Mazurek, Geof Bradfield, Tortoise, Rich Corpolongo, Jason Adasiewicz… A repertoire specially arranged by Mike Reed for the ONJ, joined by the musicians of his favourite post-bop quartet, People, Places & Things, a name that appears as a return to the sources of all artistic equations and explorations.

CONCERTS

JANUARY 27, 2018
CREATION
SONS D’HIVER FESTIVAL
CACHAN / FRANCE

APRIL 27, 2018
JAZZ OR JAZZFESTIVAL
ORLÉANS / FRANCE

+ THE SYNC



Project produced in partnership with Sons d’Hiver and The Bridge.

      


Photo © Adrienne Thomas