This month JRAC is moving into it’s new home as The Fulton Street Collective has taken residence in the Hubbard Street Lofts at 1821 W. Hubbard St. in Chicago.
August features the Christopher McBride Quintet performing selections from Gigi Gryce and Donald Byrd s 1957 compilation The Complete Lab Sessions on Wednesday, August 19th at 9:00pm. The evening will also feature a solo exhibit by artist Lewis Achenbach who will do a live painting of the band’s performance.
"These recordings were made during the spring and early autumn of 1957. At 24 years old, Donald Byrd was already among the greatest trumpeters alive at that time. Alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce, who wrote the charts for everything heard on this disc aside from "I Remember Clifford," was an exceptionally talented arranger as well as a gifted composer. Unlike the rest of the Byrd/Gryce recordings from 1957, these have extra horns: Benny Powell's trombone, Julius Watkins' French horn, Don Butterfield's tuba, and Sahib Shihab's baritone sax. The rhythm section players were exceptionally solid: pianists Tommy Flanagan, Wade Legge, and Wynton Kelly; bassist Wendell Marshall; and master percussionist Art Taylor. Each track is a masterpiece of immaculately hip precision. Of the three installments in this label's Jazz Lab Project, this first volume is a glowing jewel nestled in the exact center of the lotus."
AllMusic.com