After having two successful nights at L26 Restaurant for the Fred Anderson Memorial Concert Series, Saalik Ziyad will close out the month of July as a successor to an already busy and successful schedule with the Saalik Ziyad Collective.  

Art "Turk" Burton opened up the series with his group Congo Square on July 7th and had an exciting night as they performed a tribute to the legendary musician, John Coltrane. Having master musicians Edwin Daugherty and Ed House on saxophone they played in and out of a meditative trance as vocalist Taalib-din sang Afro Blue. Speaking of the song Afro Blue, Maggie Brown who's father wrote the lyrics to Afro Blue, performed a week later. Maggie Brown had her rhythm section open up the concert, while Maggie Brown later had the crowd mesmerized with her delicious warmth of melodies and lyrics.

The Saalik Ziyad Collective is a group of musicians that are cross generational. They usually vary from performance to performance. All the music is improvised on the spot with no rehearsal before the concert, that way the music will always be fresh for a great adventure. For this performance for the AACM's Fred Anderson Memorial Concert Series at the L26 Restaurant will be Saalik Ziyad on vocals, Discopoet Khari B as the wordsmith, Fred Jackson Jr. on saxophones, Shanta Nurullah on sitar, Preyas Roy on vibes, Alex Wing on bass, guitar and oud, and Avreeayl Ra on drums and percussion.

Coming up for next month concerts are

August 7th and 14th - AACM GBME at Southside Community Arts Center 3pm $10 donation

August 19th - Corey Wilkes Quintet at L26 Restaurant 10pm $10 donation

August 26 - Edwin Daugherty Quintet at L26 Restaurant 10pm $10 donation 

June 2011

For Immediate Release

Contact: Saalik Ziyad

Voice: 312 834 3390

Email: aacmchicago@gmail.com

Web: www.aacmchicago.org

AACM: Summer Blitz Concert Series
Coming Home!

The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), a collective of musicians and composers dedicated to nurturing, performing, and recording original music since 1965, proudly announces its Summer Blitz Concert Series. Venues include: Dusable Museum, Northeastern Illinois University, L26 Restaurant and South side Community Arts Center.. A complete listing of concerts can be found online at www.aacmchicago.org

DuSable Museum of African American History 740 E. 56th Place 6:00 to 8:15 Sharp. admission free.

Wednesday, June 29 Great Black Music Ensemble Presents a Tribute to Captain Walter Dyett and Dr. Margaret Burroughs.

New Music Series at Northeastern Illinois University, 700 East Oakwood Blvd. 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Admission free

Thursday, June 30: Great Black Music Ensemble Tribute to Fred Anderson

August 12 Mwata Bowden and Maze Project, September 9th Douglas R. Ewart and Inventions

South Side Community Art Center 3831 S. Michigan Ave.

Every 1st and 2nd Sunday July - August - September: 3 to 5:00 PM.
admission $10.00

Great Black Music Ensemble

Fred Anderson Memorial Series at L26 Restaurant 11 West 26th Street.

Fridays 10:00 PM. Admission $10.00

July 8: Art Turk Burton & Congo Square
July 15: Maggie Brown Quartet
July 22: Saalik Ziyad Collective
August 19: Corey Wilkes Quintet
August 26: Edwin Daugherty
September 2: Ernest Dawkins Black Star Project
September 9: Ann Ward with Ari Brown
September 16: The Chicago Horns
September 23: Vincent Davis Percussion Plus
September 30: Justin Dillard Trio

A complete listing of concerts can be found online at

www.aacmchicago.org

Nicole Mitchell named as the music recipient for the 2011 Albert Award for the Arts.

The Alpert Award in the Arts provides unrestricted, annual prizes of $75,000 to five engaged, independent artists working in the fields of dance, film/video, music, theatre and the visual arts. Initiated and funded by The Herb Alpert Foundation and administered by California Institute of the Arts, the Award rewards experimenters who are challenging and transforming art, their respective disciplines, and society.

For more information please visit: http://alpertawards.org/thework/music.html 

Press Contact: Don Macica
Home Base Arts Marketing
847-644-4501
homebasearts@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO SINFONIETTA TO PERFORM
WORLD PREMIERE COMPOSITION BY RENÉE BAKER

Divertimento Notte blu (for String Orchestra and friends)
will be presented as part of the Sinfonietta’s
Women in Classical Music concert May 22 & 23, 2011

CHICAGO – Divertimento Notte blu (for String Orchestra and friends), composed by Renée Baker, will receive its World Premiere in two Chicago Sinfonietta concerts, Sunday, May 22 at 2:30 pm at Lund Auditorium of Dominican University, 7900 W. Division Street in River Forest, and Monday, May 23 at 7:30 pm at Orchestra Hall of Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It will be included in the orchestra’s Women in Classical Music concert along with other notable works by women composers, including blue cathedral by Jennifer Higdon, An American Concerto by Gwyneth Walker, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Symphony No. 1 by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.

The “friends” of the title are six of the most respected names in the world of jazz and improvised music: saxophonists Mwata Bowden and David Boykin, flutist Nicole Mitchell, vibist Bruce Nelson, cellist Teddy Rankin-Parker, and bassist Karl EH Siegfried.

Ms. Baker will conduct the orchestra and ‘friends’ in these premiere performances.

Ms. Baker, in describing the concept behind Divertimento Notte blu, says “I envisioned the depths of the human condition and the melancholy that the examination nurtured led me to explore the face of human nature… In framing the human condition through sound, I have tried to touch both our conscious and unconscious states.” She continues, “Divertimento Notte blu beckons the listener to focus on the party of our lives awakened and to imagine the full randomness of our dream episodes.” It consists of eleven movements, but Baker advises listeners “Don’t try to follow the movements. That would equal the experience of trying to document your dreams every minute in the notebook on your nightstand.”
Renée Baker is founder/leader of thirteen contemporary music performance entities, including Chicago Modern Orchestra Project, FAQ tet, Mantra Blue Free Orchestra, Connoisseur Musica String Ensemble, the Renée Baker Trio, and several more. She has created eclectic chamber festivals for Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Joffrey Ballet Chamber Series, Norris Cultural Arts Center and Classical Symphony Hall. She programs and conducts the Chicago Sinfonietta Chamber Ensemble.
As a composer, Ms. Baker has penned compositions for her own groups, as well as the Chicago Sinfonietta Chamber Ensemble and Great Black Music Ensemble/AACM. In 2009, Ms. Baker’s compositions premiered in Umbria, Italy and also have been performed at Suoni Per Il Popolo in Montreal. Baker has presented her compositions in over twenty concerts for the Chicago State University Student Afternoon Recital Series. She has premiered over ten works on the Chicago Sinfonietta Chamber Series. Ms Baker was accepted into the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute at Columbia University in July 2010. Renée Baker currently has over 900 compositions to her credit. She is currently working on commissions from the Gaudete Brass Quintet, the Harnegra Chamber Orchestra and a chamber opera commissioned by Chicago Modern Orchestra Project entitled Clarity of Job. In October 2010, her orchestral composition Sundown’s Promise for Taiko and Orchestra received its World Premiere with the Chicago Sinfonietta.
As a violinist/violist, she is the principal violist in the Chicago Sinfonietta, of which she is a founding member. Ms. Baker is one of the most sought after instrumentalists for chamber music as well as recitals. She has performed in major music festivals all over the world, including the Aspen Music Festival and the Classical Music Festival (Eisenstadt). As a soloist, she has performed with John Sharp (Chicago Symphony) making her Ravinia debut in Don Quixote as well as with YoYo Ma and many other luminaries.

Ticket Information

Tickets for both concerts are available through the Chicago Sinfonietta box office. Prices range from $26-$40 for the concert at Lund Auditorium and from $26-$96 for the concert at Orchestra Hall, with special pricing available for children and students. Call 312-236-3681 ext. 2 or visit www.chicagosinfonietta.org.

For Immediate Release  

Contact: Saalik Ziyad  

Voice: 312.834.3390 

Email: aacmchicago@gmail.com  

Web: www.aacmchicago.org  

February 12, 2011

The Association for the
Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), a collective of musicians and
composers dedicated to nurturing, performing, and recording serious original
music since 1965, proudly announces the results of its recent election of
officers.  

In January, the following
individuals were elected to serve the organization and its members: Art “Turk”
Burton, chairman; Ernest Dawkins, vice chairman; Edwin Daugherty, treasurer;
Ann E. Ward, recording secretary; Saalik A. Ziyad, correspondence
secretary. 

The AACM would also like to announce
their candidates for new membership: Jerome Croswell, Ben Lamar Gaye, Frederick
Jackson Jr., Shaun Johnson and Dawi Williams 

The AACM seeks to provide an
atmosphere conducive to the development of its member artists and to provide
leadership and vision for the development of creative music. Internationally
renowned for unparalleled contributions to modern music, the AACM continues to
pay homage to the diverse styles of expression within the body of Great Black
Music. In addition, this collective of dynamic and visionary artists is
committed to encouraging innovation and to sharing its knowledge and experience
with the next generation of artists through the free music training program -
the AACM School of Music - conducted by members for the youth of the city of
Chicago.