Chris Williams (trumpet/electronics) and Trae Crudup (percussion) debut their newly formed duo on the OPTION stage.

This performance and interview are presented in the ESS garden, and will be premiered online on ESS’s YouTube.

The OPTION series is curated by Ken Vandermark, Lily Finnegan, and Andrew Clinkman.
About Chris Williams

Chris Williams is an interdisciplinary artist and musician based in Brooklyn, NY. His work takes the form of electroacoustic composition and performance installation and deals with decoding family history, ambience, and time-space compression. His debut EP ‘Live’ received praise from Jazz Right Now and The Quietus for“dazzling collaged pieces that ricochet between improvised passages and written material” (Peter Margasak, The Quietus). He has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe, has been commissioned by WasteLAnd and International Contemporary Ensemble.

About Trae Crudup

“The drumming of Warren “Trae” Crudup III sounds like fresh firecrackers, but it ultimately feels ceremonial, and here’s why” Chris Richards of The Washington Post. Warren “Trae” Crudup III comes from a family of musicians and since the ripe age of 3 , Warren has grown a passion for the drums. Born December 7th 1984 in Dothan, Alabama and growing up in Fort Washington, Maryland, Warren developed musically in the COGIC church. Warren is well-versed in many styles of music including jazz, gospel, funk, go-go and other ethnic music from around the world. Warren’s magnifying and electric stage presence has allowed him to record and perform with various eclectic artists across genres, such as legendary Edward “Butch” Warren, Grammy nominee Cheick Hamala Diabate, David Ornette Cherry, Tarus Mateen, James Brandon Lewis and currently a member of BLACKS’ MYTHS core duo , bassist Luke Stewart, of whom just released their original album “Unknown Rivers” in spring of 2024. Warren , a previous member of the prestigious UDC Big Band at the University of the District of Columbia , shared the bandstand with Bruce Williams, Allyn Johnson, and many more.

About OPTION

OPTION is an ongoing music salon curated by Chicago musicians Andrew Clinkman, Lily Finnegan, and Ken Vandermark and presented by Experimental Sound Studio. Its programming explores contemporary perspectives on improvisation and composition in a ‘salon’ format, enabling local, national, and international artists to publicly discuss their practice and ideas as well as perform.
Parking

Street parking can be found easily around ESS on streets such as W. Thorndale. There are three parking spots directly in front of ESS on Ravenswood. On weekends, parking is also available along the front of Weber Furniture; please do not block the garage doors. Behind ESS through the alley, there are also two parking spots which we are happy to reserve for anyone with accessibility needs. Please get in touch with info@ess.org to reserve a spot.

During the OPTION series this summer, diagonal parking is available in the alley directly south of ESS and Weber Furniture Service.
Accessibility

ESS has wheelchair seating and accessible bathrooms on both floors.

Please note that once on one floor, there is no ADA-accessible path inside the building to switch between floors; you will have to exit the building and reenter from the respective floor entrance. Our front entrance on Ravenswood leads you to our 1st floor (Audible Gallery, Studio A, Live Room), while our alley entrance leads you to the basement/garden (garden shows, Creative Audio Archive, Studio B).

To reserve accessible seating or parking, request other accommodations, or ask us any accessibility-related questions, please email info@ess.org.

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Tags: Chicago, Chris Williams, Edgewater, ess, Experimental Sound Studio, OPTION: Chris Williams & Trae Crudup, Trae Crudup