Geof Bradfield & Colossal Abundance
saturday, september 28
TIME: 2:00pm-3:00pm
VENUE: hyde park union church. 5600 south woodlawn Ave.
Geof Bradfield standing outside against a blurred background wearing glasses and a navy suit. Bradfield is smiling while holding his saxophone. Followed by a black and white photo of all the band members of Colossal Abundance. Individual photo by Scott Hesse. Group photo by Michael Jackson.
geof bradfield
Geof Bradfield’s work as a composer and performer on saxophones and clarinets embraces intersections of modern jazz and other streams of African Diaspora music, drawing inspiration from Charlie Parker, Melba Liston, Lead Belly, Shona mbira music, and Gullah spirituals.
His latest body of work, Colossal Abundance, explores manifestations of symmetry—rhythmic, formal, and symbolic—in those traditions as well as in the music of Messiaen, Bartok, and other European composers. Colossal Abundance is simultaneously a meditation on the juxtaposition of wealth—material, intellectual, and spiritual—with poverty that plagues modern society. This world premier expands upon Bradfield's critically acclaimed 2017 release, Yes, and… music for nine improvisers, which Nate Chinen described as “an album of chamber-esque color and oft-surprising texture.” Colossal Abundance is made possible in part through an Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship and an Esteemed Artist Award from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Born in Houston, Bradfield has performed throughout North America, Europe, Russia, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, sharing the stage with artists including Randy Weston, Dana Hall, Clark Sommers, Brian Blade, Anna Webber, Orrin Evans, Jeff Parker, Matt Ulery, and Ryan Cohan. His work is featured on more than fifty albums, including, as a leader, eight that have garnered critical accolades from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and NPR. The Downbeat Critics Poll has named him a Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist and Arranger multiple times, and he has received grants and awards from Chamber Music America, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, DCASE, Illinois Arts Council, and the Mellon Foundation. He is a Professor of Jazz Studies at Northern Illinois University.
The musicians:
Geof Bradfield — tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, mbira
Greg Ward — alto saxophone
Anna Webber — flute, bass flute, tenor saxophone
Ben Goldberg — clarinet, contra alto clarinet
Derrick Gardner — trumpet
Russ Johnson — trumpet
Momo Hasselbring Seko — french horn
Norman Palm — trombone
Scott Hesse — guitar
Clark Sommers — bass
Greg Beyer — marimba, berimbau, mbira
Dana Hall — drums and cymbals