Alto saxophonist and composer Nick Mazzarella’s work has been described as “continuing the approach taken by like-minded trailblazing altoists Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, Henry Threadgill, Oliver Lake, and Gary Bartz [by] seeking to embody the history of [jazz] music while pushing it forward into new realms” (All About Jazz). He has been a consistent presence in Chicago’s music scene since the early 2000s and has made an aesthetically unique contribution to the city’s rich culture of jazz and improvised music as both a performer and a presenter. His numerous trio projects and eponymous quintet have served as the primary vehicles for his endeavors as an improviser, composer, and bandleader, while as a collaborator or sideman he has performed and recorded with such artists as Joshua Abrams, Silvia Bolognesi, Geof Bradfield, Hamid Drake, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Dana Hall, Rob Mazurek, Makaya McCraven, Avreeayl Ra, Mike Reed, Tomeka Reid, Clark Sommers, and Ken Vandermark. To date, Mazzarella has appeared on over forty albums, including a dozen as a leader. Recordings of his original music have been released by Nessa, Astral Spirits, Clean Feed, International Anthem, and Out of Your Head, and he has performed throughout the United States and Europe, as well as in Africa and the Middle East.

The Nick Mazzarella Quartet is the latest project in a series of collaborations between Mazzarella, Hall, Sommers, and Johnson that stretches back over a decade. The group specializes in interpreting a repertoire of Mazzarella’s original pieces that seek to integrate compositional elements with structured free improvisation and draw inspiration from the chordless quartets of alto-playing luminaries Jimmy Lyons and Sonny Simmons.

The musicians:

Nick Mazzarella — alto saxophone, compositions
Russ Johnson — trumpet
Clark Sommers — bass
Dana Hall — drums