Concert: The Bridge #2.11—ConstelNation

In partnership with Villa Albertine, the Alliance is thrilled to welcome back transatlantic network for creative music The Bridge for their final installment: tour #2.11, ConstelNation.

This special free jazz performance celebrating 13 years of musical exchange between French and North American musicians will feature Chicagoans Angel Bat Dawid and Nick Macri alongside French artists Magic Malik, Toma Gouband, and Richard Comte.

Guests will have the opportunity to meet the artists over a complimentary glass of French wine during a post-performance reception.

*Doors at 6:00 pm. Concert at 6:30. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Non-alcoholic options will be available. Tickets are non-refundable after Tuesday, October 27—*merci pour votre compréhension.

About The Bridge

The Bridge brings together French and North American musicians to give them space, time, and the opportunity to get to know each other, in their similarities and differences, to develop their exchanges and creative projects, in reciprocity and complementarity.

About ConstelNation

Among the oldest musical instruments in the world are the flute and the lithophone, not to mention the human voice in all its forms. Among the most “classical” musical instruments in the world are the clarinet and the guitar, yet they are also the instruments of so much popular music across the globe. They are all there, these instruments, as they are and above all transformed, and also the immense shadow of the double bass, in this quintet or this pentacle of resistance fighters, of mavericks of sounds and exclamations and interstitial silences. Of deconstructors and reconstructors.

• Angel Bat Dawid - clarinet, vocals, keyboards
  Magic Malik - flute, vocals
  Richard Comte - electric guitar
  Nick Macri - double bass
  Toma Gouband - percussion

About the Artists

Angel Bat Dawid is an American clarinetist, composer, pianist, and vocalist. She has established herself as a leading figure in Chicago’s creative music scene. Her debut album, The Oracle (2019), was widely acclaimed by critics, showcasing her unique blend of spiritual jazz, avant-garde, and Third Stream music. Deeply involved in Chicago’s jazz and improvised music scene, she has collaborated with renowned musicians (Marshall Allen, Ben Lamar Gay, Damon Locks’ Black Monument Ensemble). Her music often explores themes of love, spirituality, and Black identity. Her unique sound combines elements of jazz, avant-garde, and Third Stream music, with a focus on the clarinet and vocals.

Par Geert Vandepoele from Gent, Belgium — Magic Malik, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3813102

Magic Malik is a French flutist whose musical journey has taken him from jazz to reggae, via French chanson and African music. In 2017, he founded the XP brass band: a group of about fifteen musicians united by a musical composition charter that allows them to explore the composition and improvisation techniques developed by Malik throughout his career: taléas-colors (discrepancies between rhythmic and melodic phrases), tonal signatures, Messiaen modes, etc. What makes Magic Malik unique, aside from his uncommon technique, is his exuberant playing and the use of numerous cries and hums in his flute playing.

© Flavien Moras

Richard Comte is a musician, composer, and performer who has been active in the new, alternative, and improvised music scene since 2005. Transcending aesthetic boundaries, he explores new musical forms, from conception and composition to the production of all his recordings. His music is open and inclusive, bringing together elements and practices with a generosity informed by the moment, within a highly personal vision of the sound space. He takes a resolutely contemporary approach to the guitar, which he prepares, enhances, and uses as a resonator and a sound generator.

Chicago Theatre • Photo by Zoran Orlic

Chicago-born bassist Nick Macri has been active in a variety of musical settings over the years, ranging from creative ensembles to gigging as a sideman, theater work, and solo projects. He is or has been a member of numerous groups and has collaborated with many musicians in the field of creative music (Ken Vandermark, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Charles Rumback, etc.). He has performed in Europe, Asia, South America, and North America.

Toma Gouband is a musician, improviser, inventor, researcher, and composer. He plays music on a modified drum set using sound stones and other raw objects he collects. Drawn to the study of numbers and proportions, he has developed a way of thinking that allows him to understand polyrhythmic phenomena. His approach to composition is generative; it stems from his research and aims to give everyone the opportunity to create in their own way and express themselves through their own language.

Getting Here

The Alliance Française de Chicago is one block from the CTA Red line stop at Chicago Ave. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark St and the 66 on Chicago Ave. A Divvy stations is located in front of the 54 W Chicago Ave entrance.

Parking Information

$12 for 12 hours at InterPark at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Photography Notice

Please be advised that students, members, and attendees at cultural events or programs may be photographed, and these images may be used for marketing purposes.