Tue, Jan 5 - 8pm - $7

Manuals (Gabriel Wallace) is a sonic shredder in size 10 sneakers. The Midwestern drummer and solo artist commands a dexterous style, fortified by top-flight experience.  He has worked with some of the music industry's elite: Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon and Mick Jones (The Clash), late greats Bobby Womack and Lou Reed, De La Soul, Bootie Brown (The Pharcyde), Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Snoop Dogg, yasiin bey (fka Mos Def), Will.I.Am, apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas), Little Dragon, Corinne Bailey Rae, Childish Gambino, Quadron, 2NE1, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Peven Everett, Celia Faussart (Les Nubians), Jesse Fischer, Margot Bingham and more.  A product of the Chicago area, his boundless energy, intensity, and focus stems from a dense athletic background. Gabriel's percussive grit is shaped via the shed, the road, and the studio.  He has independently composed, arranged, and produced two albums thus far. 2012's MID ONE (Manuals Instrumental Disc One) is a thump-clap beat fest (a mixtape for vibe heads). The upcoming MID 1.5 is a fat-free, filthy recording, primed to further Manuals' "1 of 1" soundprint.  Wallace is a DW Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, and Vic Firth Sticks Artist.

Formed in 2013, the Xavier Breaker Coalition is the brainchild of drummer, composer, and arranger, Xavier Breaker. Its members come from different musical backgrounds but with a common thread in jazz and anything that grooves. The Coalition recently released their debut album entitled “Dreamology.” Their mission is to take you on a journey through the vehicle of music. Their aim is to heal you by injecting the medicine of their “far-flung” musical explorations into the blood cells of your imagination.

Stereo Genius is a Chicago-based musicians’ collective led by drummer, composer, and producer Justin Boyd. They present a mixture of digital and analog sounds in the genres of jazz, soul, funk, and world music, performing a wide repertoire and pulling from numerous sources of inspiration. The group’s most recent release, Miracle Year, offers a glimpse into the band’s sound and style. Since its inception Stereo Genius has shared the stage with Roy Ayers, Boney James, and other notables. Their live show is ever evolving and leaves room for improvisation, spontaneity and performing in the moment.

 In a new era of genre-bending music, Makaya McCraven pushes the boundaries of sound and rhythm to create categories of his own. Called “a sound visionary” (jazzinchicago.org) who is “not your everyday jazz drummer” (thewordisbond.com), McCraven is a beat scientist. Whether behind the drums or in the lab, mixmaster Makaya McCraven moves between genres at lightning speed. “You are listening to one incredible musician. His style and sound is unique, a heady, skillful, sophisticated and boldly uncompromising mix of jazz and hiphop” (UKVibe). Makaya’s breakthrough debut 2XLP, “In the Moment” (International Anthem, 2015) has garnered international attention, earning critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, BBC (Gilles Peterson’s “Album of the Week”), and NPR. “In the Moment” is one of DownBeat and Pop Matters’ Top Jazz Albums of 2015. UK’s The Wire writes, “While Teo Macero’s work with Miles [Davis] might seem the obvious reference point, ‘In The Moment’ is closer in spirit to Madlib and J Dilla.” Jazz Times calls “In The Moment” “mesmerizing” and “an important document.”  Makaya has shared the stage with a host of great artists such as Charles Neville, Lionel Louke, Soulive, Marcus Strickland, and Bernie Worrell. He has toured extensively, including a 52-city national tour opening for Steely Dan with The Bobby Broom OrganiSation. Makaya endorses Vic Firth sticks and Istanbul AGOP Cymbals.  Makaya McCraven layers his extensive experience with hip hop bands, African dance bands, Hungarian folk music, and indie rock on top of a deep history of “straight ahead” jazz, improvisation, and the avantgarde with beats, sampling, and electronics as a form of unique self expression.