Ben LaMar Gay Ensemble

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and poet Ben LaMar Gay is one of the defining figures of the vibrant Chicago jazz scene and is considered "strikingly original" and "uncategorizable" (Pitchwork) according to Afropunk. He channels a radical palette of sounds, colors and spaces through the universal language of folklore; but despite the widely attributed genius of his work, his artistic approach and general demeanor are marked by an endearing modesty and warm humanity.

He is one of the most prolific forces in Chicago's creative music community, actively contributing to Theaster Gates' Black Monks of Mississippi, Nicole Mitchell's EarthSeed, Mike Reed's Flesh & Bone, Matthew Lux's Communication Arts Quartet, Joshua Abrams' Natural Information Society, Bitchin Bajas, and many others. He is an intellectual descendant and longtime participant of the AACM (i.e. the legendary Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). Ben LaMar Gay is almost omnipresent in the current zeitgeist of progressive jazz sounds emerging from Chicago.