Ethan Philion Quartet

Saturday, September 23

TIME: 3:30-4:45PM

VENUE: wagner stage. MIDWAY PLAISANCE at South WOODLAWN AVE.

Man (Ethan Philion) wearing glasses and blue button down shirt standing against a cloudy gray background playing an upright bass.

Photo by Alan Frohlichstein

Man (Ethan Philion) wearing glasses and blue button down shirt standing against a cloudy gray background playing an upright bass.

ETHAN PHILION QUARTET

The Ethan Philion Quartet is a Chicago-based ensemble led by bassist Ethan Philion and featuring Greg Ward, Russ Johnson, and Dana Hall. The group primarily performs compositions by Philion that highlight the group's dynamic soloists and the creative interplay inherent to the ensemble. The group has performed throughout the Chicago area and the Midwest, at venues including Constellation, The Museum of Contemporary Art, and the California Clipper. They were selected as a featured ensemble for the Year of Chicago Music initiative in 2021. Their debut album will be released this fall. 

Bandleader Ethan Philion has been the recipient of fellowships from the Jazz Institute of Chicago (New Works Fresh Voices), Chicago's Luminarts Foundation, and Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center. His debut album, Meditations on Mingus, received widespread praise from Downbeat, JAZZIZ, Jazzwise, and others. Downbeat described the album, which also features quartet members Russ Johnson and Dana Hall, as "a labor of conspicuous love and respect for a musical titan," and praised Philion for his "demonstration of chops and taste." The project was featured as a headlining act for the 2022 Chicago Jazz Festival and performed at the 2021 Hyde Park Jazz Festival.  

The musicians:

Russ Johnson - trumpet

Greg Ward - alto saxophone

Ethan Philion - bass

Dana Hall - drums