Multi-instrumentalist, composer and Roulette Van Lear Fellow Morgan Guerin will present new works with his band.

Alexis Lombre keyboards/vocals
Mike King keyboards
JK Kim drums
Milena Casado trumpet/vocals/percussion
Morgan Guerin saxophone/EWI/bass/bass clarinet
+ Special Guests and more details TBA

Born into a family of musicians right outside New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and learning drums and saxophone before he reached double digits, Louisiana and later Atlanta, Georgia native, Morgan Guerin has a profound musical pedigree. Now 25 years old, Guerin holds a master’s degree in Jazz and has studied at both the prestigious New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and Berklee College of Music. He’s performed on stages around the world, working with luminaries like Terri Lyne Carrington, Russell Gunn, Tyshawn Sorey, and Esperanza Spalding. He’s contributed work to two GRAMMY award-winning albums. He’s released a series of acclaimed albums of his own (The Saga Trilogy), and he’s already been dubbed a “wunderkind saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist” by The New York Times.

Milena Casado is a composer, flugelhorn & trumpet player from Spain, currently based in New York. During the course of her career, Milena has performed and recorded with such renowned artists as Jorge Rossy, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Kenny Werner, and Bill McHenry, among others; at noted venues and festivals around the world, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and Marciac Jazz Festival, among others. She has also been focusing on composing her own music which portrays a process of self-discovery and self-acceptance, and performing it in different settings, including the Milena Casado trio, quartet, sextet and nonet. Milena recently completed her Master’s degree at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute.

Alexis Lombre is a pianist, vocalist and composer from Chicago who discovered early that the true essence of music is not just about what you hear but how music makes you feel. Her musical mission is to keep the ‘Soul’ in music alive. The 2017 release of her debut album, “Southside Sounds”, does just that, as it is a soulful straight-ahead reflection of her upbringing on Chicago’s Southside. This collection of her original compositions is an attempt to pay homage to the Southside’s lively artistic, cultural heritage influenced by Eddie Harris & Gene Ammons. She has also played with internationally known musicians such as: Nicole Mitchell, Jamila Woods, the AACM Great Black Music Ensemble, Laurin Talese, Junius Paul, Makaya McCraven, Donald Harrison, Bobby Watson, Buster Williams, Wadada Leo Smith, Dee Alexander, J Moss, Cece Peniston, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and Nona Hendrix.

Virtuosic pianist Michael King, a Chicagoan native began playing drums in his local church band at the early age of four. This fortuitously melodic schooling nurtured an undeniable affinity to the piano and organ, the very seat that he began to occupy, by ear, at age fourteen. Mr. King is an alumni of Lincoln Park High School and the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory. He was selected to attend the Thelonious Monk Institute and The Ravinia Jazz Scholars program on merit scholarships. Michael has performed with Bobby Watson, Kevin Eubanks, Dave Liebeman, Gary Bartz, Billy Hart, Joel Frahm, Rufus Reid, & Antonio Hart, among others. Currently you can catch Mr. King touring internationally with: The Mike King Trio, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Robin Eubanks, Marquis Hill, Theo Croker, Soul Understated, Melissa Aldana, & Marcus Printup.

Jk Kim – Jongkuk Kim is an Award-winning Billboard nominated Drummer, improviser, composer, and electronic musician from Incheon, Korea who has become an integral voice in the contemporary Jazz and improvised music scene in his home city and a rising star in the worldwide Jazz community. Jongkuk’s name has appeared in the Grammy, Billboard and Vogue magazine.