Aurora Public Art Presents

The Fifth Annual Jazz Occurrence

Lewis Achenbach

Artist Lewis Achenbach has been haunting Chicago's jazz rooms and festivals for the past six to seven years, chronicling in thoroughly personal terms the city's ever-expanding jazz landscape. He moved here from San Francisco in 2011, was struck by what he encountered and decided that he had to respond.

For the 5th Annual Jazz Occurrence, Achenbach is bringing the Rajiv Halim Quintet to Aurora. During the opening night, artists will be creating fresh original artwork inspired by the musical scene. Lewis Achenbach, Arthur Wright, Michelle Richardella, Amy Rodriguez, Melanie Brown, Jes Thomas, Cameron Pfiffner, Dalton Brown and Zavier Evans will be painting, and the audience is invited to participate with supplies provided by Aurora Public Art.

Rajiv Halim                                                August 3rd 

Rajiv Halim is a saxophonist and composer from Chicago, IL, born to immigrant parents from Belize on September 15, 1990, incidentally the same birth day as saxophonist, Cannonball Adderley. The music of the late, great Charlie Parker became the beacon that sparked Rajiv’s love for improvisation and creative music.

The Rajiv Halim Quintet performs regularly in the greater Chicagoland area and features trumpeter - Victor Garcia; guitarist - Scott Hesse; bassist - Junius Paul; and drummer - Michael Piolet. Rajiv’s debut album, “Foundation,” was released in August 2015 and is available for purchase worldwide. Rajiv also performs with other well-known local bands: Ron Haynes’ Game Changers; The Xavier Breaker Coalition; and Robert Irving III’s Generations.

Nyahbingi Drum Choir                     September 8th

On September 8, 7-10 pm, the Nyahbingi Drum Choir will be performing "Songs of Splendour" to close the Jazz Occurrence show. Please join us to experience this vibrant musical event. Donation is $10 at the door.

Nyahbingi music is a synthesis of Kumina and Burru music. The Nyahbingi bass drum, is also called the thunder drum or heart beat; the Funde, representing the excited heart beat, and the Repeater (Akette/Kete/Kette/Peta) the drum that embodies aspects of the Funde and is the principal improviser and the eloquent propagator of complex syncopated rhythms, accents, tempos, textures and dynamics. The bass drum will sometimes improvise but will return to its time keeping function. Some of the best Nyahbingi drums are constructed of cedar wood, goatskin and steel tuning mechanisms.

The Fifth Annual Jazz Occurrence & Upcoming Events

• 8/3 6-9 PM Lew Achenbach and guest artists live paint to the music of Rajiv Halim and his quintet. The public is invited to paint and draw on the gallery walls.
  
  
• 8/3 - 9/8 Artwork created during the Jazz Occurrence Event will remain on display in the Third Floor Gallery
  
  
• 9/8 7-10 PM Nyahbingi Drum Choir performance at the David L Pierce Center, third floor gallery