🎶 Celebrating Black music organizations

A look through the archives and today [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( Daily Reader | February 16, 2024 We’re halfway through Black History Month - we’re talking music this week! There’s no shortage of incredible Black musicians in Chicago, with more acts popping up every day. The city hosts a multitude of organizations dedicated to supporting artistic development and collaboration, as well as outreach programs that aim to make music accessible to everyone. In a [January 2022 Reader article]( Bill Meyer wrote about the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), founded in 1965 by a group of musicians who sought to build community and create platforms for experimentation in music and composition. Still active today with a similar mission statement, the [AACM’s School of Music]( also provides free training programs for disadvantaged youth. [D-Composed]( was founded in 2017 as the only all-Black ensemble and the only ensemble that focuses exclusively on the works of Black composers in Chicago. According to SUNY Fredonia’s Institute for Composer Diversity, African-Americans make up only 2.4% of American orchestras, and two-thirds of orchestra repertoire still primarily features compositions from deceased white males. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra features an [African American Network]( celebrating Black musicians across genres and hosting meet-and-greets and networking events. Plus, don’t miss [BLACK MUSE]( a weekly podcast series exploring the rich genealogy of Black culture, presented by the Chicago West Community Music Center. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, in short - support some music organizations and go see some live music this weekend! Maja Stachnik | Marketing Associate at the Reader [Parker Lee Williams helped shape Chicago hip-hop—and he never stopped building]( January 2022 | He threw the city’s first recurring hip-hop party, worked with the likes of Grandmaster Caz and Jamal-Ski, and built commercial music libraries that continue to support local artists. by [Leor Galil]( | [Read more]( → [Vic Mensa revisits his vanishing Hyde Park]( February 2018 | The rising rapper considers his teenage stomping grounds home, even though gentrification has killed his favorite hangouts. by [The TRiiBE]( [Tiffany Walden]( and [Morgan Elise Johnson]( | [Read more]( → [Saying good-bye to Herb Kent, radio’s greatest of all time]( October 2016 by [Jake Austen]( | [Read more]( → [Charles Stepney built lasting cathedrals inside Black music]( August 2022 | The brilliant Chicago arranger gets his flowers at an ambitious Millennium Park concert that doubles as a celebration of his first-ever solo album, released 46 years after his death. by [Ayana Contreras]( | [Read more]( → [Give your money to Mary Lane]( August 2020 | The 84-year-old Chicago blueswoman should be a legend. She can barely pay her bills. by [Katie Prout]( | [Read more]( → The Sit Down with Shawnee Dez On episode 3 of The Sit Down, host Shawnee Dez speaks to Nikko Washington about his latest exhibition, For The Old Gods and The New, his childhood growing up in Chicago, and the places and people that made him the artist he is today. With new episodes dropping twice a month, Shawnee has engaging conversations with the individuals who embody community, and help make this such a dynamic place to call home. [LISTEN TO EPISODE THREE OF THE SIT DOWN!]( Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, February 8, 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 9]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [Become a member of the Chicago Reader.]( [Twitter icon]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616