May 16, 2014

Friday night live at Transistor: the Dustin Laurenzi Quartet and Courageous Endeavors. Sound by Jon Monteverde.

Since arriving in Chicago in early 2012, saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi has quickly gained recognition as a unique new voice in the city's creative music community. Born and raised in Kenosha, WI, his school band directors and private instructors nurtured his early musical voice, and he continued his studies at Indiana University Bloomington, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies.

Dustin is a member Laurenzi/Ernst/Green, a collaboratively-led trio whose debut release 'Sightline' was praised by All About Jazz as “bold in its youthful energy, sophisticated in its thematic unity ... fresh, enjoyable and exciting". A sought-after sideman, he also performs regularly with the Marquis Hill Blacktet and the Quentin Coaxum Quintet and has shared the stage with such artists as Jeff Parker, Corey Christiansen, Jeff Hirshfield, and Michael Spiro, among others.

For this Transistor set, the Dustin Laurenzi Quartet performed original music by the band members as well as compositions by Duke Ellington and Ornette Coleman.

Personnel: 
Charles Rumback - drums 
Jeff Swanson - guitar
Mike Harmon - bass
Dustin Laurenzi - saxophone

Visit Dustin's website.

Also available: a previous Dustin Laurenzi Transistor performance from February 7, 2014 (as Laurenzi/Ernst/Green).

Courageous Endeavors is the Twin Cities’ answer to the question of the relevance of jazz in the 21st century. The group brings together four of Minneapolis’s most prominent young professionals who share an interest in exploring new, original music. All four members have contributed compositions that draw from a wide range of stylistic sources but have been unified through a collective musical vision. Since the group's inception in the fall of 2012, they have performed at several prominent jazz venues in the Twin Cities, including the Artists’ Quarter, the Dakota, and Studio Z. In early 2014, Courageous Endeavors recorded their debut album, slated for release in early May.

This performance at Transistor was part of the group's week-long CD release tour. The album, "Prototype," consists of all original material, showcasing the diverse compositional styles of the different members of the quartet. The group's set at Transistor will draw its material from these pieces in addition to the group's larger book of new original music. Some familiar standards may appear, but any that do will have been deconstructed and recast in exciting new ways. Any adventurous Chicagoans looking to explore the sounds emerging from the not-so-distant lands to the north need look no further.

Courageous Endeavors is:
Nelson Devereaux: saxophones 
Joe Strachan: Fender Rhodes 
Brian Courage: Bass 
Miguel Hurtado: Drums

Visit Courageous Endeavors on Bandcamp.