I got out of the house to see some live music last night. This happens multiple times a week during good weeks, but felt especially crucial yesterday as I hadn’t seen anything since the whathaveyou involving that orange man last Tuesday. …so the third night of Joshua Abrams’ November residency at The Hideout really couldn’t have come at a better time.



The evening began with Emmett Kelly (in full crooner mode) leading an Abrams quartet through a breathtaking set of old vocaljazz standards, perfectly setting the mood for the 40+ minutes of groupthink zen that would follow.



Billed as ‘Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas’ (the same group name as their fantastic 2015 @dragcityusa​ release, Automaginary), I wasn’t sure what to expect. I see both Abrams/NIS and Bajas whenever I can, but the only other time I’d seen this configuration was a true-to-the-record set at Thalia Hall surrounding its release. Instead, we were met with an augmented 10piece ensemble built around both core trios who wasted no time jumping into deepspace.



I can’t speak for everyone in the audience, but this set sure felt like the first truly deep breath I’d taken in a week. Thank Boognish for soundz, right?



Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas

11.15.2015 @ The Hideout

Chicago, IL



1. improvisation



Joshua Abrams - clarinet/guimbri/bells

Lisa Alvarado - harmonium

Mikel Patrick Avery - percussion

Cooper Crain - keyboards

Dan Quinlivan - keyboards

Rob Frye - flute/sax

Jim Baker - violin/ARP 2600

Emmett Kelly - guitar

Ben Lamar Gay - cornet/vocals

? - flute/whistles/vocals (if anyone knows this Frenchman’s name, please let me know. he ruled)



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