microplastique

BlueStem Jazz

media release: Founded in March 2023, microplastique is an innovative quartet based in Chicago, featuring multi-instrumentalists Ben Zucker, Molly Jones, Josh Harlow, and Adam Shead. Under the direction of bandleader Adam Shead, the ensemble blends diverse skills and experiences to create a dynamic and eclectic sound, drawing on a wide range of influences from the Art Ensemble of Chicago to Misha Mengelberg to Pauline Oliveros. On December 6, 2024, they released their highly anticipated debut album, Blare Blow Bloom!, which was featured on the front page of Bandcamp as a "New and Notable" release and earned a 4-star review from Lawrence Preyer of All About Jazz. With their energetic performances and bold musical approach, microplastique has quickly gained national recognition, establishing themselves as one of the most exciting and innovative groups on the contemporary music scene.

Adam Shead is an accomplished percussionist, composer, improviser, and performance curator based in Chicago. He frequently performs with the Stein/Smith/Shead trio, microplastique, and Cellular Chaos, and is a sought-after percussionist in the Chicago jazz and improvised music scene. For nearly a decade, Shead has curated performances at notable Chicago art galleries such as Slate Arts & Performance and Comfort Station, where he helps promote both emerging and established artists, enriching the local cultural landscape.

Ben Zucker engages in acts of creative juxtaposition and speculation as a composer, audiovisual artist, and multi-instrumentalist. Acclaimed as a "master of improvisation" (IMPOSE Magazine), and “more than a little bit remarkable” (Free Jazz Blog), they have contributed to experimental music scenes across North America and the UK with “stirring compositions...built on a lifetime of musical curiosity” (Chicago Reader), as well as albums, multimedia situations, and frequent performances on vibraphone, brass, voice, and electronics. They currently live in Chicago, working as a freelance musician, lecturer, curator, and President of New Music Chicago.

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.

Josh Harlow is a pianist, keyboardist, and composer based in Chicago. He plays a wide array of music, touring the country with several musical projects: the Jewish roots exploration Teiku, the instrumental psychedelic band Submerser, his duo projects with Joe Suihkonen and Peter Formanek, and his piano trio. He has collaborated with a variety of likeminded peers and mentors, including Wadada Leo Smith, John Lindberg, Michael Formanek, Jaribu Shahid, Dana Jessen, and Joo Won Park.

Presented by BlueStem Jazz: https://bluestemjazz.org/

and Audio for the Arts: https://audioforthearts.com/

This event is BYOB