BlueStem Jazz featuring EX IBEX

EX IBEX

Ex Ibex is a new/creative music ensemble that brings together 5 Chicago performers contributing their unique and personal approaches to group improvisation and spontaneous composition. Their distinctive sound - atmospheric, gritty, spacious and rhythmically driving -.is informed and inspired by influences including the storied Chicago music scene, contemporary classical, rock, funk, world musics and more. Flowing from one sonic space to the next, Ex Ibex approaches its performances without expectation, leaving the listener constantly captivated with what comes next.

Jeff Chan - bass clarinet, tenor saxophone

Chicago multi-instrumentalist and composer Jeff Chan works to create music expressive of the Asian American experience. He has performed across the US and in Europe. Critics have said that Chan is “… a voice to be reckoned with… (Brian Gilmore, JazzTimes)” and that his work is “music of uncommon majesty, spirituality and emotional depth (Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune).”

Greg Diethrich – drumset and percussion

Greg Diethrich (drums) has been a performer and music educator for over 25 years, and holds a Masters and Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology. He frequently performs, records, and teaches a range of musical styles including jazz, world music, rock, funk/soul, and Americana. Greg has lived and studied music in India and the Caribbean, and performs and teaches musics of Latin America, India, West Africa, and more. He has held visiting faculty positions at several colleges and universities.

Maria Elena Hernandez – alto saxophone, electronics

Maria Elena Hernandez is a saxophonist whose formative studies were steeped in the classical alto saxophone repertoire, in which she enjoyed the craft of breathing life and emotion into a piece. Having veered from the strict format of classical, Maria is drawn to musical experiences and art that are on the fringes of traditional styles. She has played alto sax with experimental music ensemble  a Light Sleeper since 2007 and tenor sax with Chicago’s popup-style punk-rock marching band Mucca Pazza from 2011 to 2020, with whom she appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert Series in 2015. 

David Keller – cello, piano

David Keller functions as a cellist, composer, guitarist, bandleader, family man and teacher. Not necessarily in that order. Having performed with many groups large and small he explores multiple genres including classical, rock, jazz, experimental and improvisational music. Dave is bandleader and cellist for Origin of Animal and guitarist for the Devilish Winks. He also currently serves as a private cello, piano and guitar teacher in the Chicago area.

Dheeru Pennepalli - guitar, electronics

Dheeru Pennepalli is a Chicago-based guitarist, composer, and improviser known mostly for his work with the long-running experimental ensemble a Light Sleeper. Pennepalli approaches his instrument with the aim of finding new ways to express emotion through melodic and rhythmic interplay, with an ear for unusual phrasings and non-traditional structures.  

This event is BYOB.

Presented by BlueStem Jazz:

https://bluestemjazz.org/

and Audio for the Arts:

https://audioforthearts.com/