Jakob Heinemann Quartet

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courtesy Jakob Heinemann

Jakob Heinemann Quartet in front of a mural.

Jakob Heinemann Quartet

media release: Auricle, the experimental sound and music series, welcomes Jakob Heinemann Quartet on Saturday, April 13 at 7:00pm. Free admission, donations encouraged.

Heinemann will be joined by fellow Chicago polymaths Molly Jones (flute), Jeff Kimmel (clarinet), and Ishmael Ali (cello).

The latest release from Jakob Heinemann, Opacity finds the composer/improviser/bassist in quartet formation, working from a book of pieces developed over the course of a year of performing, writing and rehearsing with the group. Since moving to Chicago in 2017,  Jakob has cut his teeth in the experimental music scene, playing with stalwarts such as Roscoe Mitchell, Dave Rempis, and Mike Reed, while remaining active as a composer. He released his debut album of compositions, Resonant Ocean  in 2021, to acclaim from Tabs Out and A Closer Listen. For this project, Heinemann has developed a flexible system of notation that allows the music to breathe and sway, untethered to a rhythmic grid, set with impressionistic harmonies and a keen awareness of space and stillness. The compositions are at times collaged with field recordings, group improvisation, and foley sounds, creating a wide palette of colors that blend together to create a unique sonic environment. Recorded in August 2022, Heinemann is joined by fellow Chicago polymaths Molly Jones on flutes, Jeff Kimmel on clarinet, and Ishmael Ali on cello for this release.

Streaming  link: on.soundcloud.com/8NyHR

Bandcamp link: kasheeditions.bandcamp.com/album/opacity

Jakob Heinemann is a double bassist, composer, improviser and sound artist working between Chicago and Madison, WI. His  interests are wide-ranging, but tend to center on close listening, environmental composition, and open collaborations with other artists. As a bass player, he frequently performs freely improvised music, and counts himself as a member of the rich and varied community of creative musicians in Chicago. As a composer and sound artist, he utilizes field recordings, spectral analysis, and traditional scoring to sonify his  local community, seeking to document and understand a sense of place in a radically changing environment. His 2021 release, Resonant Ocean, was described by Tabs Out as “Clearly, onto something mighty pleasing and endearing”, and a “quartet of fascinating pieces” by A Closer Listen.

Ishmael Ali is a dynamic cellist, guitarist, improviser, and composer based out of Chicago. His work centers on exploring sound through improvisation, experimentation, composition, and collaboration, focusing on a wide array of idiomatic approaches in an ever-changing, always-growing list of projects informed by diverse influences.

Though varying drastically from group to group, a common thread in his work is the juxtaposition of seemingly disparate elements to create something new: both foreign and familiar. Ishmael is leader or co-leader of a plethora of working projects including the KAH trio, Hearsay, Je’raf, Akjai, Archipelago, and Oido. He has also performed or recorded with Avreeayl Ra, Josh Berman, Jim Baker, Fred Jackson, Ed Wilkerson, Angel Bat Dawid, Jason Stein, and many more.

In addition to performing, Mr. Ali is a part of the Chicago record label Amalgam Music, and is a co-founder and audio engineer at Marmalade, a recording and rehearsal space in the West Loop. He continues to work as an organizer and promoter with varying degrees of regularity.

Molly Jones’ practice incorporates improvisation and composition with saxophones, flutes, and electronics.  Her work originates in a place of playfulness, listening, and attention.

Influenced by her experiences in jazz, new music, Balkan brass, and Scottish country dance ensembles; her fascination with found sounds;  her work as a software engineer; and her ongoing participation in mindfulness communities, she has created electroacoustic pieces, chamber works, experimental theater performances, poetry, and video in addition to maintaining an improvisation practice.  She performs with Chicago quartet Mad Myth Science.

Jeff Kimmel is a Chicago-based clarinetist whose work encompasses improvisation, new and experimental music, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Jeff is a regular contributor to Chicago’s improvised music community, has toured with puppet theatre company Manual Cinema and was a member of experimental music ensemble a.pe.ri.od.ic from 2013-2020.  His discography includes releases on New Focus Recordings, Dinzu Artifacts, Amalgam, and Peira.

Jeff’s work has been funded by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and he was awarded a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts to work with Roscoe Mitchell. He holds a B.M. from New England Conservatory.