The final night of 2024 Instigation Festival features a reunion between Sasha Masakowski and Marvin Tate (a highlight of this year's New Orleans festival) and a new quintet led by Dan Oestreicher.

Set 1
Sasha Masakowski - voice, electronics
Marvin Tate - voice, words

Set 2
Anton Hatwich - bass
Quin Kirchner - drums
Steve Marquette - guitar
Dan Oestreicher - saxophones, compositions, arrangements
Dave Rempis - saxophones 

Set 1:

Jeff Albert - trombone

Jeb Bishop - trombone

Dan Oestreicher - saxophones

Dave Rempis - saxophones

Set 2:

DARA Strings with special guest Michael Zerang

Isidora Edwards - cello

gabby fluke-mogul - violin

Katinka Kleijn - cello

Biliana Voutchkova - violin, voice

Michael Zerang - percussion

The first night of the 2024 Instigation Festival features Chicago, New Orleans and DARA Strings improvisers in an evening of first-time improvised collaborations. 

Jeff Albert - trombone 
Isidora Edwards - cello 
gabby fluke-mogul - violin 
Ben LaMar Gay - cornet 
Anton Hatwich - bass
Sasha Masakowski - electronics, voice
Aurora Nealand - saxophone, accordion, voice
Macie Stewart - violin, voice

Biliana Voutchkova - violin, voice

Mike Reed's Separatist Party

Mike Reed - drums, percussion,

Rob Frye -  tenor saxophone, flute, percussion

Cooper Crain - guitar, synthesizer

Dan Quinlivan -  synthesizer

Marvin Tate - vocals

Ben LaMar Gay - cornet, flugelhorn, percussion

Kobra Club

Aurora Nealand - alto saxophone, voice, accordion

Steve Marquette - guitar, synthesizer

Anton Hatwich - bass

Paul Thibodeaux - drums

MJ Guider

Melissa Guion - synthesizer, electronics

Rob Frye - tenor saxophone, flue, percussion

Steve Marquette - guitar, synthesizer

Sasha Masakowski 

DJ SET

The Instigation Festival celebrates its ninth year of Chicago / New Orleans improvised music collaborations with two nights of duos, trios and quartets. Each night will feature members of Mike Reed's Separatist Party [a stellar new project from Reed with Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Quinlivan and Marvin Tate] working with some of the leading figures of the New Orleans creative music community.  

Set 1

Rex Gregory / Ben LaMar Gay

Set 2

Rob Cambre / Cooper Crain / Rotten Milk

Set 3

Doug Garrison / Helen Gillet / Martin Kruche / Dan Quinlivan

The Instigation Festival celebrates its ninth year of Chicago / New Orleans improvised music collaborations with two nights of duos, trios and quartets. Each night will feature members of Mike Reed's Separatist Party [a stellar new project from Reed with Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, Ben LaMar Gay, Dan Quinlivan and Marvin Tate] working with some of the leading figures of the New Orleans creative music community. 

Set 1

Sasha Masakowski / Marvin Tate

Set 2

Jonathan Freilich / Jesse Morrow / Dan Oestreicher / Mike Reed

Set 3

Byron Asher / Anton Hatwich / Emily Mikesell

The Instigation Festival ends its' 2022 Chicago programming with an evening of two new trios.

Set 1

Doug Garrison - drums

Steve Marquette - guitar

Dave Rempis - saxophones

Set 2
Jason Marsalis - vibraphone, drums

Aurora Nealand - alto saxophone, accordion, voice

James Singleton - bass

The Instigation Festival is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and Friends of BlueStem Jazz, Madison.

The Instigation Festival is proud to present renowned percussionist Jason Marsalis in a duo and quartet with some of the finest improvisers working in the jazz and improvised music traditions.

Set 1

Jason Marsalis - vibraphone, drum set

Katie Ernst - bass, voice

Set 2

Jim Baker - piano

Rex Gregory - reeds

Anton Hatwich - bass

Jason Marsalis - vibraphone, drum set

The Instigation Festival is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and Friends of BlueStem Jazz, Madison.

Links Hall and The Instigation Festival, founded by movement artist and Links alum Marie Casimir and guitarist Steve Marquette and, join forces with Cristal Sabbagh’s Freedom From and Freedom To for an evening of experimentation, exploration, and celebration of artistic circumstance. Movement and sound improvisers from Chicago and New Orleans gather in front of a live audience, where they are grouped by change. Each group performs an improvised set, fusing diverse artistic backgrounds and practices to create unique and fleeting worlds.

Dancers:

Irene Hsiao 

Kristal Jones 

Kai Knight 

Helen Lee

Amanda Maraist 

Gaby Martinez

Erin Peisert 

Cristal Sabbagh 

Musicians:

Adam Zanolini

olula negre

Rob Frye

Helen Gillet

Aurora Nealand

Jeff Albert

Katinka Kleijn

Marcello Benetti

For tonight’s concert, The Instigation Festival is proud to present a new set of compositions from Ken Vandermark for an inter-city nonet titled "Two Cities Large" and the Chicago premier of Mars Williams' "The Devil's Whistle".

8:30 PM : KEN VANDERMARK’S TWO CITIES LARGE

Jeff Albert - trombone
Helen Gillet - cello, electronics, voice
Emma Hospelhorn - flute
Mabel Kwan - piano
Steve Marquette - guitar
Jason Marsalis - vibraphone
Dan Oestreicher - baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass saxophone
Isaiah Spencer - drums
Ken Vandermark - composer/reeds

9:30 PM : MARS WILLIAMS’ THE DEVIL’S WHISTLE

Jeff Albert - trombone
Helen Gillet - cello, electronics, voice
Anton Hatwich - bass
Steve Marquette - guitar
Jason Marsalis - vibraphone, drums
Sasha Masakowski - voice, electronics
Aurora Nealand - alto saxophone, voice, electronics
Dan Oestreicher - bass saxophone
Dave Rempis - tenor, alto saxophone
Macie Stewart - violin, voice, electronics
Mars Williams - composer/saxophones
Michael Zerang - drums, percussion

$20 / Tickets available at the door

This project is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and Friends of BlueStem Jazz, Madison.

The Instigation Festival returns to Chicago in it’s fifth year bringing together musicians and dancers from the sister cities of Chicago and New Orleans. For tonight’s concert, members of Ken Vandermark's "Two Cities Large" and Mars Williams' "The Devil's Whistle" perform in two smaller groupings including musicians Doug Garrison, Helen Gillet, Jason Marsalis, Dan Oestreicher, Mars Williams and more.

This Instigation Festival is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and Friends of BlueStem Jazz, Madison.

The Instigation Festival begins its' 2022 Chicago programming with an evening of three mini-sets of interdisciplinary first-time meetings.

Ben LaMar Gay - cornet, voice, electronics
Sasha Masakowski - voice, electronics

Marie Casimir - movement
Rex Gregory - reeds

Doug Garrison - drums
Kai Knight - movement
Kristal Jones - movement

This Instigation Festival is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and Friends of BlueStem Jazz, Madison.

The Instigation Festival returns to Chicago for its’ sixth year of fostering connections between Chicago and New Orleans’ creative music communities. This years festival will conclude with two new ensembles featuring two of the most in-demand polymaths from their respective cities - Aurora Nealand and Ben LaMar Gay - and an acoustic quartet utilizing Jeff Albert’s compositional techniques.

The Instigation Festival returns to Chicago for its’ sixth year of fostering connections between Chicago and New Orleans’ creative music communities. Tonight’s performance features compositions from Charles Rumback and James Singleton - augmenting the quartet heard on their acclaimed “Cadillac Turns” album with Ed Wilkerson. Video artist Kim Alpert will create a new piece in response to the music. 

Kim Alpert - video
Jim Baker - piano
Charles Rumback - drums
James Singleton - bass
Greg Ward - alto saxophone
Ed Wilkerson - reeds

Mikel Patrick Avery “Nice to Meet You”

Jeff Albert - trombone

Mikel Patrick Avery - drums, composition

Hunter Diamond - reeds

Lia Kohl - cello

Aurora Nealand - alto saxophone

Mai Sugimoto - alto saxophone

Macie Stewart - violin

The Instigation Festival returns to Chicago for its’ sixth year of fostering connections between Chicago and New Orleans’ creative music communities. Join us for a free and funky dance party celebration as the ten piece Instigation Orchestra plays social music under the direction of Jeff Albert with fellow New Orleanians’ Aurora Nealand, Paul Thibodeaux, Doug Garrison and their Chicago friends.

The 2021 Instigation Festival kicks off with an evening of mixed groupings featuring some of the finest improvisers in each cities’ respective scenes.

New Orleans

Jeff Albert - trombone

Doug Garrison - drums

Paul Thibodeaux - drums

Chicago

Sarah Clausen - alto saxophone

Lia Kohl - cello

Steve Marquette - guitar

Dave Rempis - saxophones

Ayanna Woods - bass, electronics, voice