June 13, 2021
Featuring:

* Alex Wing – oud, piano, guitar
* Edward Wilkerson – saxophones
* Tomeka Reed – cello
* Lewis Achenbach – visual art

Z FEST 2021

A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of

Saalik A. Ziyad (June 2nd 1978-2019)

Son of the AACM

June 5th (limited in-person attendance) & June 12th, 13th and 14th (broadcast premieres) at 7pm CST on Elastic Twitch: twitch.tv/elasticartschicago

Saalik A. Ziyad ‘Z’ was not only a dynamic performer on keyboards, voice, and electronics. He was an adventurous and inventive composer, and also a unifying and supportive force in Chicago’s music landscape.  Exemplifying the spirit of a past generation when musicians crossed porous boundaries among different genres, traditions and idioms, Saalik made consistent, significant contributions to modern jazz, creative improvised, and sacred music.

Like too many other talented and accomplished jazz artists before him, Saalik made his transition long before any of his contemporaries, friends, family and fans were ready to say goodbye.  At the age of 40, Saalik had already established himself as a consummate professional musician, brilliant composer, band leader, and arts leader in Chicago.  But it’s hard not to imagine all the accomplishments we might have enjoyed if his life had not ended so soon.

Saalik and his music touched a great number of musicians and audiences locally here in Chicago and internationally. In his youth, he performed in Africa and Asia with the Chicago Children’s Choir. His musical groups “the 5 After 7 Project”, and the “Z Quartet” influences touched Poznan, Poland (Made In Chicago Festival), Europe and the Mediterranean.

It’s taken some time since his transition to cope with this tremendous loss to our community. But now a number of musicians and artists have come together to celebrate his life, his work, and his enduring legacy by organizing a three-day festival in his honor.  The Z FEST will include some of his closest collaborators and friends, who will pay tribute through music and visual art.  Six sets of music will take place over three days at Elastic Arts, and at Fred Anderson Park. Because of limited in-person capacity due to covid this year, the sets will be broadcast via Twitch twitch.tv/elasticartschicago
on 3 consecutive nights; June 12-14th 2021.

Initially envisioned by artist Lewis Achenbach and Adam Zanolini, the festival is a collaboration between them, Saalik’s parents Taalib-Din and Daaiyah A. Ziyad, and partners Elastic Arts Foundation, Jazz Occurrence project and the Chicago Park District.

-Adam Zanolini PhD

April 2021

Z FEST

June 5 – (limited in-person attendance)

Fred Anderson Park (1611 S. Wabash Ave. Chicago)

2-4pm CST

(1st set)

* Art Turk Burton –  percussions
* Micah Collier – bass
* Leon Q Allen – trumpet
* Maggie Brown – vocalist

(2nd set)

* Adam Zanolini – flute & saxophone
* Taalib-Din Ziyad – flute & vocals
* Fred Jackson Jr.- saxophones
* Darius Savage – bass
* Dushun Mosely – drums
* Lewis Achenbach – visual art

June 12th 7pm CST Saturday broadcast – (recorded live June 3rd)

Elastic Arts (1st & 2nd sets):

* Marlene Rosenberg – leader & bass
* Ari Brown – saxophone
* Phil Fornett – drums
* Daniel C. Tabion – piano
* Felena Bunn – vocalist 1st set;
* Margaret Murphy-Webb – vocalist 2nd set
* Lewis Achenbach – visual art

June 13th 7pm CST Sunday broadcast– (recorded live June 4th)

Elastic Arts:

* Alex Wing – oud, piano, guitar
* Edward Wilkerson – saxophones
* Tomeka Reed – cello
* Lewis Achenbach – visual art

June 14th 7pm CST Monday broadcast premiere of the June 5th concert at

Fred Anderson Park (details above)

Again, the Z FEST premiere broadcasts will take place on June 12th, 13th and 14th at 7pm CST on the Elastic Arts Twitch channel: twitch.tv/elasticartschicago

CDC protocols for outdoor gathering (Fred Anderson Park) will be adhered to and followed. All attendees and performers (as appropriate) will be masked and stationed 6 (six) feet apart. There will be an event ‘Covid Captain’ enforcing protocols, as well as tee-shirt wearing ‘staff’ in charge keeping everything ‘covid cool’. Maximum capacity for the park will be enforced.

CDC protocols for capacity will be adhered to at the Elastic Arts Foundation.

Z FEST is a trademarked festival title and logo (see top).

Donate Here: www.donorbox.org/elasticarts
Tune in Here: www.twitch.tv/elasticartschicago