This Sunday Afternoon 2p-4pm, it’s a Free Jazz Jam in the Chatham section of Chicago. 7534 South Eberhart (home of Sonic Healing Ministries) is the place. David Boykin (saxophone, et al) and the Microcosmic Sound Orchestra host. DJ Ayana spins. The Free Jazz services will also be streaming live here.

About Sonic Healing Ministries:

Dancefloor of Chicago Club, Michael Abramson (circa 1970s)

THIS Thursday, January 19, 2012. 10:00pm at Morseland. It’ll be a groovy situation laid down on wax. All Soul Lovers. No Cover. I’m ready, are you?

Above, partake in the Jones Girls singing “I Need You”. Before they found their fortunes in Philadelphia with classics like “Nights Over Egypt” and “Who Can I Run To”, the Detroit natives were getting down in Chicago with some killer cuts like 1973’s “I Need You”… just a sampling of what I’ll spin (as DJ Ayana) on Thursday. Rarities, Vintage Local Gems, Bluesy Groovers, and Jazzy Madness will abound.

The Groove Conspiracy (Simeon Viltz and Ayana Contreras)

Morseland / 1218 West Morse

Chicago, IL

10pm til 1pm

So, this week or so, here’s where you can catch DJ Ayana in action:

Monday, December  5th @ Danny’s Tavern

Folks in the know love this spot for its nice sound system and dancing scene. I plan to spin an exciting mix of mod, latin, blues, and soul to swoon and move to. Of course, heavy on the local sounds, heavy on the heavy sounds.

Danny’s Tavern

1951 West Dickens, Chicago starting at 10pm

Friday, December 9th… I’ll be spinning at the opening of The Listening Room, Theaster Gates’ Art installation at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), Seattle. Image above: Records from Theaster’s “Dr. Wax Collection” taken at the Dorchester Projects, Chicago.

More about The Listening Room: [from the art newspaper]

The installation will feature a collection of vinyl albums from the now closed Dr Wax record store in Chicago to create a space in which visitors can gather to listen and learn about “a cultural archive that was getting lost”, says Gates.

Around 4,000 records, including recordings of Martin Luther King, Jr, James Brown, the Isaac Brothers and vaudeville comedienne “Moms” Mabley, will be embedded in the gallery wall.

Gates says the records can be used to examine African-American politics through history: “When were our voices radical, when were they pacifist? Do we sing about things we can’t scream about?” A DJ [me] will play selections in a pulpit-like station built by Gates from reclaimed materials. “The DJ is the minister of music, the albums are the choir…”

Seattle Art Museum

100 University Street, Seattle 98101-2902, USA
+1 206 625 8900
www.seattleartmuseum.org

Jive on!