MAMA ROSA
Brian Blade is already widely respected in the jazz world as drummer/composer/leader of Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band, with whom he has released three albums. He is also known as the drummer for many heroes of the music world, including Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Wayne Shorter, Seal, Bill Frisell and Emmylou Harris. Blade is always searching for the balance that gives a song a personal story with an outward reaching resonance. One such song of memories is entitled, “Second Home,” a tribute to his teacher, John Vidacovich, and the city of New Orleans where Brian met Fellowship band mates Jon Cowherd and Chris Thomas. Mama Rosa marks a new endeavor for Blade: a lovingly crafted, emotionally affecting song cycle that’s deeply rooted in a rich vein of personal experience. “All That Was Yesterday”, “You’ll Always Be My Baby” and “Nature’s Law” show Blade to be a soulful and expressive vocalist and a songwriter capable of rendering evocative stories that resonate with insight and empathy. “Revealing more of ourselves is always daunting,” says Blade, “but I feel like I need to keep challenging myself and peeling away layers to get to the core of who I am and what I have to offer.”

LEAF BIRD
Leaf Bird is a Chicago-based experimental folk rock band led by guitarist and songwriter Tyler James Beach. In the winter of 2007, Beach enlisted fellow members of now-dormant Chicago underground staples Fingers & Toes and Leaves to help realize sounds he had been dreaming of. Since then Leaf Bird has performed extensively in Chicago venues like Hideout, Empty Bottle, Double Door and Martyrs’.
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© 2009 Jacob Hand

Clark Sommers
Now based in New York city via Chicago, Clark Sommers has toured and performed extensively throughout the world. He has performed with Cedar Walton, Kurt Elling, Kevin Mahogany, Ira Sullivan, Frank Wess, Charles McPherson, Peter Bernstein, Von Freeman, Lin Haliday, Maurice Brown, Bobby Broom, Jeff Parker, Ron Perrillo, Jodie Christian, Michael Weiss, George Fludas, Dana Hall (who has already done a Strobe Session!), Kimberly Gordon, Ted Sirota’s Rebel Souls, and The Chicago Jazz Orchestra.

Alejandro Urzagaste
Alejandro was born in Waterloo, Iowa and raised in the Midwest. He became interested in Jazz at St. Charles high school and started formal study of the guitar when he was 11. He pursued a performance major at Northern Illinois University and continued studies at Roosevelt University. He has worked with Von Freeman, Bobby Broom, Ira Sullivan, Kobie Watkins, Ron Perrillo, Juli Wood, Dick Sisto and the large group Marco Polo. He played at the 2003 Chicago Jazz Festival and will be there this year with Marco Polo. His long standing collaboration with Jodie Christian can be heard the second Monday of the month at Katerina’s in Chicago.

8pm: Alejandro Urzagaste

9pm: Clark Sommers

Strobe Recording Studio

2631 W. Division

Chicago, IL

Doors open around 7:30. The event is BYOB. There is a $10 suggested donation which goes to the artists. Both sets will be recorded live in front of an audience for future DVD release. Please plan to arrive on time.

*THERE IS LIMITED SEATING AT THIS EVENT. IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND, YOU MUST RSVP TO: strobesessions@gmail.com

New photos are up from our last Strobe Session on July 22nd; featuring Helen Money and Wreckmeister Harmonies courtesy of Aaron Morganstein. Check out the gallery here or in our Session Archives.

February 25th 2010

L’Altra and Arthi Meera

L’Altra is the stormy collaboration and fragile friendship of singer-guitarist Joseph Costa and singer-keyboardist Lindsay Anderson.

Arthi Meera

First trained in classical Hindustani singing, Chicago singer songwriter Arthi Meera will perform her own indie pop songs.

This will be the last session for a couple of months. We’re taking a break to finish our first archive DVD. So this will be your last chance to catch the series for awhile.

8pm: Arthi Meera

9pm: L’Altra

Strobe Recording Studio

2631 W. Division

Chicago, IL

Doors open around 7:30. The event is BYOB. There is a $10 suggested donation which goes to the artists. Both sets will be recorded live in front of an audience for future DVD release. Please plan to arrive on time.

*THERE IS LIMITED SEATING AT THIS EVENT. IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND, YOU MUST RSVP TO: strobesessions@gmail.com

Happy New Year!

We’re very excited about the performances happening in the next few months, so please check back. Here is all of the info for

January’s Strobe Session.

As we did last month, we’re going to be sticking to our early schedule, so don’t be late!

Doors open around 7:30. Music starts at 8pm.

Set One (8pm):

Archer Prewitt

Archer Prewitt, guitarist for the Sea and Cake and formerly of the Coctails, has released four albums and an EP under his own

name. Prewitt’s guitar work is integral to the sound of his other band, The Sea and Cake, as it is for his solo work. However,

here on his own, Prewitt manages to find an entirely different tone and timbre. Archer will be accompanied tonight by Mark

Greenberg on bass.

Set Two:

Jon Williams Quartet

Justin Brown: pedal steel

Phil Stosberg: drums

Benjamin Das: bass

Jon Williams: guitar and vocals

Many of you probably know Jon from his other band, The Blue Line Riders. We’re very happy to Jon’s quartet playing the 2nd

set this evening.

The event is BYOB with a $10 suggested donation at the door. All proceeds go to the musicians.  The set will be performed and

recorded in front of a live audience to audio and video for future release. Please plan to arrive on time.

Music starts at 8pm.

*THERE IS LIMITED SEATING AT THIS EVENT. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND PLEASE RSVP TO:

strobesessions@gmail.com

It’s snowing in Chicago.

We’re very excited about December’s Strobe Session.

There is only one band this month, and since it’s really feeling like winter now, we’re going to be sticking to our early schedule. So don’t be late!

Josh Berman’s Old Idea:

Josh Berman cornet

Keefe Jackson tenor saxophone / clarinets

Jason Adasiewicz vibraphone

Anton Hatwich bass

Marc Riordan drums

Doors open around 7:30.

The event is BYOB with a $10 suggested donation at the door. All proceeds go to the musicians.  The set will be performed and recorded in front of a live audience to audio and video for future release. Please plan to arrive on time.

Music starts at 8pm.

*THERE IS LIMITED SEATING AT THIS EVENT. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND PLEASE RSVP TO: strobesessions@gmail.com

This month, due to holiday conflicts, we’re hosting Strobe Session #21 a little early. On Thursday, November 5th we’ll present an evening with two great acts:

Nick Mazzarella

The first act will be the Nick Mazzarella Trio featuring Nick Mazzarella (saxophones), Jason Roebke (bass), and Frank Rosaly (drums).

The second act will be Adamik, DeLorenzo, and Lepine (featuring Joe Adamik (Califone), Dan DeLorenzo, and Nate Lepine (Manishevitz)).

As always, if you would like to attend, please RSVP to: strobesessions [at] gmail [dot] com, this is a private event and there is limited seating.

The event is BYOB with a $10 suggested donation at the door. All proceeds go to the musicians.  Both acts will be performed and recorded in front of a live audience to audio and video for future release. Please plan to arrive on time.

Doors open at 7:30pm, with the first act going on at 8pm.

Last Friday, November 30th  Strobe Session number #20 was conducted.  It was a great night with 3 great performances.

Lord of the Yum Yum at 10pm

Followed by some short films

A Tundra headlines.

A Tundra