Chicago has enjoyed a huge renaissance in recent years as far as futuristic jazz goes. In no small part due to the International Anthem label and their offshoots and alumni, the scene is vibrant. I was lucky enough to witness this first hand last year when work took me to a long weekend in the Windy City.
I spent Saturday night at the Constellation venue in Roscoe Village. I didn’t appreciate it at the time but the club was launched in 2013 by Mike Reed, who just happens to be the leader and drummer in tonight’s attraction, the Separatist Party. I had a great night there, sipping Old Fashioneds whilst enjoying Clark Sommers Lens and Twin Talk.
The circularity of Cafe Oto draws Reed alongside Bitchin Bajas, who I saw here last year play a brilliant electronic interpretation of the legendary Sun Ra’s music. Space was indeed the place. To complete the Separatist Party, Reed adds Ben LaMar Gay and Marvin Tate to the band.
Their first album is released in October via Norway’s WeJazz Records and Astral Spirits. this was their debut UK show. The music was generated from sessions at Constellation at the start of 2022.
We got two sets at Cafe Oto. The first, we were told afterwards, was a run through of the new album. The second was “making stuff up” to paraphrase Mike Reed. The music was incredibly varied and engaging. Two of the guys from Bitchin’ Bajas formed a back drop with Reed that propelled the music along. Gay added to this, mostly with a muted cornet (a musical instrument rather than a depressed ice cream), whilst Rob Frye added sax and sometimes processed flute. There was plenty of banging with toy percussion and other bits and bobs.
The central focus when he was on stage though was Marvin Tate. His vocals moved between spoken word, through gently melodic to hellfire and brimstone street preacher. He’s a published poet from Chicago, and his presence brought to mind the late great Gil Scott Heron. There was a real physicality to Tate’s performance – jogging on the spot when talking about hitting the streets, transporting you to a place and time. One of the highlights of the evening in the second half was a beautiful rendering of Black Sabbath’s Planet Caravan, possibly the most gentle song of the Ozzy era. It was a beautiful moment, the sort of interesting cover that you could imagine Jimi Hendrix summoning up.
If this sounds all very improvised and scary, it wasn’t. There was a structure to much of what was played, quite often rhythmic. We moved from waltz time, through a bluesy chug to ambient bliss.
I’m really looking forward to hearing the LP in a couple of months. The opening track has been shared on Bandcamp. The refrain goes…
Your soul is a mosh pit
Decades old
Tate sounds passionate and the band gently pick up momentum as flame burns brighter. This really is what Cafe Oto does best.
You can listen to Your Soul and order the album here:
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