Phil Schurger: The Waters Above

On September 23 at 8pm, ALL presents "The Waters Above," by Phil Schurger. On this album, his second ears&eyes Records release, guitarist and composer Phil Schurger continues down the path of monumental storytelling through symbols referencing the cosmos, and a curiosity for world cultures. As with with his first release, “Echoes of the Ancestors”, each composition is multi-dimensional and episodic. The opening melodic statement sets the scene, which is followed by solo sections and interludes, crafted to continue the development of the ebbs and flows of the broader story. The band is dynamic in its ability to sculpt the music, whether propelled by Greg Ward and Phil Schurger as the soloists, or Clif Wallace and Jeff Greene’s dynamic rhythm section playing.

Tickets $12 online in advance at https://watersabove.bpt.me or $15 at the door. Online sales end 1 hour before the show. Doors open at 7:30.

The ALL Jazz Series is sponsored in part by Dobhan Restaurant, Alchemy, and Heid Music.

Greg Ward

Greg Ward is a saxophonist and composer who was born in Peoria, IL. Currently based in Chicago, Ward has had the opportunity to perform and record with a varied group of artists like Prefuse 73, Lupe Fiasco, Tortoise, William Parker, Makaya McCraven, Linda Oh, and Mike Reed. As a bandleader, Ward has produced 4 recordings including Fitted Shards: South Side Story, Phonic Juggernaut, Touch My Beloved’s Thought, and Rogue Parade. As a composer, he has also received commissions from the Jazz Gallery in NYC, the Chicago Jazz Institute, the City of Chicago’s Made In Chicago: World Class Jazz Series, and the Peoria Ballet Company. He has also been awarded the New Music USA Van Lier Fellowship in 2012 and a DCASE IAP grant in 2017.

Phil Schurger

Phil Schurger is an internationally recognized composer and guitarist. HIs most recent album "Echoes of the Ancestors", released on the Chicago based record label Ear and Eyes, has received radio play in Europe, South America, the United States, and Canada. The Chicago Artist's Resource says of his music: "Indiana native Phil Schurger's wide-ranging compositions and colorfully intense guitar playing are a rare treat: a cinematic meditation - blending both rock and jazz with a sense of drama and the mystical." Phil has been playing professionally since the age of 17. He has played throughout the United States, and Europe sharing the stage with such artists as the Wailers, Fareed Haque (Sting, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Zawinul), Ravi Coltrane, Greg Ward (Marquis Hill, Makaya McCraven), Nick Roth (Yurodny Ensemble), and Bolokada Conde (Mickey Hart). He holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Music from Northern Illinois University where he studied with jazz guitar with Fareed... Read More

Ethan Philion

Ethan Philion is a Chicago based bassist, composer, and bandleader. A 2014 graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, Ethan has already performed with internationally renowned musicians such as Rufus Reid, Chris Thile, Howard Levy, Gary Bartz, Greg Ward, Mark Gross, Antonio Hart, Steve Turre, Leo Blanco, Richard Johnson, Bobby Broom, Sharon Clark, Klauss Mueller, and more. He has played across the United States in venues such as the Kennedy Center, Millenium Park, The Green Mill, and Severance Hall. Ethan is a two-time finalist in the International Society of Bassists Competition and was a Betty Carter Jazz Ahead fellow in 2015. While at Oberlin, Ethan won at Outstanding Soloist Award from Downbeat in the 2014 Student Music Awards edition. His septet, A Little Big Band, also won an Outstanding Small Ensemble Award.

Clif Wallace

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Clif Wallace began serious studies in Jazz at North Carolina Central University where he received both a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance.

In College, Clif gained broad experience in playing in many different musical settings playing with any one from blues guitarist Roy Roberts to Jazz Great Branford Marsalis. Ultimately earning the drum seat in the African American Jazz Caucus’s Historically Black College and University (HBCU) All-Star Big Band for three years. With the HBCU Band, he had the opportunity to perform with Jimmy Heath, Joe Chambers, Gerald Wilson, and Jimmy Cobb.

Just after college, he joined the judging panel for the 2008 Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival along the likes of Marvin Stamm, Gene Bertoncini, Jim McNeely, Larry Ridley, and Jamey Aabersold.

In 2009, Clif Wallace took the opportunity to participate in Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead artist Residency Program in Washington, DC... Read More

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Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.

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