The end of the year is a time for traditions that affirm social and spiritual priorities, and one of Chicago’s most enduring annual rituals comes from its music community. Since 1990, local percussionists Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang have convened at Links Hall to perform a concert that celebrates the season but doesn’t align with any single faith. Each year on the winter solstice, the duo and their audience gather before sunrise in a space lit only by candles. Drawing upon their knowledge of world drumming traditions as well as from the improvised music that they perform in other settings, Drake and Zerang play until sunlight streams in through the windows, and then pause for a moment of silence. With their frankly ceremonial aspects, the concerts acknowledge the cross-cultural significance of the end of the year, signaling farewells and renewal, but they also afford an opportunity to hear two of Chicago’s greatest percussionists sharing the essence of their art.
While no two solstice concerts are alike, they all immerse listeners in a spontaneous manifestation of intricate polyrhythms and overwhelming sound. The number of sunrise concerts varies from year to year, and this month they’ll occur on three mornings, from December 21 till 23. On two of those evenings, Drake and Zerang will also gather in Constellation for concerts that present their new and ongoing projects. On Wednesday, Drake will play with Indigenous Mind (Expanse), a six-member ensemble that presents spiritual jazz and multidisciplinary performance in the vein of Don Cherry’s Organic Music Theatre and Alice Coltrane. Zerang will perform solo and introduce the Velvet Bell Ensemble, his quartet featuring Kioto Aoki, Tyler Damon, and Janet Bean; they’ll play new music he’s devised for large bells. On Thursday, the percussionists will colead the Solstice After Hours Large Ensemble, a ten-piece band that includes some of their new friends as well as their most enduring.
Hamid Drake & Michael Zerang winter solstice duos Wed 12/21, Thu 12/22, & Fri 12/23, 6 AM, Links Hall, 3111 N. Western, $35, all ages
Hamid Drake & Michael Zerang winter solstice evening concerts First set, Zerang solo (the Velvet Bell) and with the Velvet Bell Ensemble (Kioto Aoki, Tyler Damon, and Janet Bean). Second set, Drake with Indigenous Mind (Expanse), aka Lisa Alvarado, Zahra Glenda Baker, Shanta Nurullah, Joshua Abrams, and Jason Adasiewicz. Wed 12/21, 8 PM, Constellation, 3111 N. Western, $20, 18+
Hamid Drake & Michael Zerang winter solstice evening concerts Solstice After Hours Large Ensemble with Drake, Zerang, Zahra Glenda Baker, Molly Jones, Ed Wilkerson Jr., Ben LaMar Gay, Mark Feldman, Johanna Brock, Kent Kessler, and Mabel Kwan. Thu 12/22, 8 PM, Constellation, 3111 N. Western, $20, 18+