Smokeless Heat: The Art of Dying

Chicago/NYC bassist and composer Jason Ajemian and his group Smokeless Heat will be celebrating their brand new release on Delmark, The Art of Dying (DE 581) This new release is a wonderful example of a recording that will appeal to both avant-garde and straight ahead jazz lovers. This will be a special welcome back to Chicago gig for drummer Nori Tanaka from Japan. At the turn of the millenium, Jason Ajemian was an active part of the underground music scene in Chicago, playing a variety of creative improvised experimental music.  Ajemian studied with bassist Rufus Reid and percussionist Kevin Norton  graduated from the William Patterson College in New Jersey. 

Pat Mallinger©Andrea Canter

"The daring of Mallinger's compositions, ingenuity of his arrangements, and ferocity of his solos are startling to hear” -- Chicago Tribune

A good wind blows through the Windy City this weekend as Chicago resident and alto saxman Pat Mallinger and his quartet perform at the Green Mill (April 25-26). Joining the band will be internationally acclaimed pianist Bill Carrothers.

As a youngster in St. Paul, Pat Mallinger was inspired by the Grass Junior High Jazz Band and recordings of Paul Desmond, and decided jazz rather than dentistry was his destiny. He played in the Sibley High School band, studied with his uncle Tommy Bauer and Brian Grivna, and often heard the great Eddie Berger perform around town. In addition to Desmond, Pat cites such early jazz influences as Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, and Miles Davis. After high school, Mallinger earned a degree in jazz studies from North Texas State (where he was part of the famed One O’Clock Jazz Band) and, in 1986, moved to Boston where he played with the Artie Shaw Orchestra and the Matt Wilson Quartet. Relocating to his current home in Chicago in 1990, Mallinger has played with Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Harry Connick, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.; he’s toured with Charles Earland, Woody Herman, and Cab Calloway, and appears in concerts and festivals around the world. In Chicago, he regularly performs with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, Kurt Elling, Howard Levy, and the 911 Mambo Orchestra; he co-leads the ensemble Sabertooth which has performed regularly at the Green Mill for the past 15 years. Pat is also a committed jazz educator whose efforts include inspiring inner city students to pursue jazz as a member of the Ravinia Jazz Mentors Sextet. He also teaches at Columbia College and in the Chicago Public Schools. (Click here for an exclusive Jazz Police interview with Pat Mallinger.)