In
a jazz era that bristles with young talent, releasing an album that’s
sure to be shortlisted for best debut recording of the year is
impressive. But Chicago drummer and composer Lily Finnegan’s consistently enthralling project Heat On
achieves something considerably more significant. Embraced by the Windy
City scene in recent years, she’s returned and amplified the affection
with her first album.It introduces her powerhouse, multi-generational
inside-out Heat On quartet featuring legendary Chicago tenor saxophonist Ed Wilkerson Jr., Chi-town alto sax great Fred Jackson Jr., and consummately versatile Nick Macri on upright and electric bass.
“It is a love letter to Chicago,” Finnegan says. “I’m clearly inspired
by the music, energy and ethos here. Chicago is about creating good
music and art for itself. It’s about dealing with the whole spectrum of
sound. Even the more angular, dissonant music comes back to deep
grooves. The free things can still have a dance and melody.”
A regular collaborator with Chicago heavyweight Ken Vandermark in
Edition Redux with pianist Erez Dessel and Beth McDonald on tuba,
Finnegan is also part of saxophonist Sarah Clausen’s trio, punk band
Cucuy, and duo with violinist gabby fluke-mogul. Adding to those
overlapping circles she’s collaborated with James Brandon Lewis, Nicole
Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Macie Stewart, Fay Victor, Sylvia Bolognesi,
Shanta Nurullah, Dave Rempis, Katie Ernst, Jason Stein, Devon Gates,
Lia Kohl and many others.
Part of what makes Heat On
such a revelatory project is the frisson created by the intertwined
tandems of rhythm section and horns. Finnegan and Macri, who met
through Vandermark, have often found that they share similar aesthetics, “connecting over their love of punk and rock and free improvised music,” she says.
Finnegan connected with Jackson on a gig with Chicago storyteller and
sitar player Shanta Nurullah and was enamored with his big Texas sound.
A protégé of clarinet great Alvin Batiste, he moved to Chicago in 1999
and has played a central role in the ACCM’s 21st
century resurgence. Finnegan thought he’d make an ideal foil for
Wilkerson, who’s also a longtime member of the AACM. “I was a big fan
of 8 Bold Souls,” she says. “They’ve got different styles but blend
really well.”
For her first album she designed a
spacious set of music based on brief motifs for bass and saxophones,
looking to create an extended listening experience. Harmonies take
shape via interaction between Jackson and Wilkerson as they create
counterpoint lines. Song form and free improv, groove and thrash,
“there’s room for a lot of different sounds,” she says. “From my punk
background I write music in little pieces. I’m interested in through
composed pieces, but with wide-open stretches for improvisation.”
In many ways the project embodies the intergenerational nature of the
Chicago scene, and Finnegan is both proud and humbled to be joining
that history and lineage. “Ed was open to doing the album and it was a
huge honor to have him record my compositions,” she says. “He was
really supportive and great to work with. Ed, Fred, and Nick are
musicians playing as their life-long endeavor. This is what they’re
here to do. I’m interested in making this a sustainable life-long
endeavor for myself, and I hope to keep the excitement and curiosity as I go.”
Clearly, Finnegan contains multitudes. From punk rock to free improv to
post-bop jazz tunes, “the variety of projects help me connect with the
different sides of myself,” she says. “I feel taken in many directions,
and happy to be organizing events and shows. I did some touring with
James Brandon Lewis in the fall, filling in for Chad Taylor. It feels
like the beginning of everything.”
With Heat On Finnegan takes a major first step, celebrating the Chicago legacy that inspires and informs her bountiful music.
Heat On press release
