Taylor Ho Bynum Trio Coming to Chicago's Velvet Lounge in April

Taylor Ho Bynum, cornet; Mary Halvorson, guitar; Tomas Fujiwara, drums; Nicole Mitchell, flutes; Nate McBride, bass

On Tuesday, April 17th, New York-based cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum will perform with his trio at Chicago's Velvet Lounge in support of his two new CDs, True Events (482 Music) and The Middle Picture (Firehouse 12 Records). The group, which features fellow New Yorkers Mary Halvorson (guitar) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums), will be joined by two of Chicago's most respected young improvisers, flautist Nicole Mitchell and bassist Nate McBride.

Critics have called Bynum “a strong cornetist and serious-minded composer with experimental tendencies" (Nate Chinen, The New York Times) and “an agile and creative improviser who sounds like no one but himself" (Chris Kelsey, JazzTimes ). His trio is a scaled down version of his sextet, a group that brings a trickster sensibility and third millennium flavor to the compositional and improvisational advancements made by pioneers such as Duke Ellington, Charles Ives and Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). The sextet's April debut, The Middle Picture, is a compilation of both live and studio performances from the past two years.

Along with his trio and sextet, Bynum leads or co-leads a variety of other ensembles, including a duo with Fujiwara that released its debut CD, True Events, in February. In addition to his work as a leader, he is best known for his decade-long association with the legendary Anthony Braxton, which includes his appearance on the Anthony Braxton 12+1tet's new 9-CD box set, 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 (Firehouse 12 Records). Bynum's expansive resume also includes work in groups such as the Fully Celebrated Orchestra, Jason Kao Hwang's Edge, Miya Masaoka's Chironomy and the Cecil Taylor Orchestra among many others.