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Arts + Lit Lab | New Music Series: Mai Sugimoto
April 24, 2022 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
The New Music Series presents saxophonist Mai Sugimoto on Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 5:00pm. The New Music Series, founded and curated by Anders Svanoe, presents original music by regional artists across musical genres. Concerts are free, and donations help support the continuation of this series. Doors open at 4:30pm. Please be sure to check ALL’s current COVID-19 safety policies.
Mai Sugimoto is a saxophonist, composer, and active member of Chicago’s jazz and improvisational music scene. “A compelling performer” with “dry-champagne tone and lyrical lines” (Chicago Tribune), Sugimoto draws inspiration from her upbringing in Japan and her roots in jazz to compose and perform from her unique multicultural experience. Born/Raised, her debut album (Asian Improv Records, 2018), explores this cultural and musical binary, juxtaposing, among others, a jazz rendition of a Japanese children’s song alongside compositions inspired by the American jazz idiom.
Sugimoto is also a core member of the quartet Hanami, whose two albums similarly mix Japanese culture into creative music. Mai has performed three times at the Chicago Jazz Festival: in 2015 with Hanami, in 2019 as a leader, and in 2018 with renowned bassist Tatsu Aoki, with whom she frequently plays, including appearances in his Fred Anderson Legacy Band. Her first solo album, monologue (Asian Improv Records) was released in March of 2021.