The guiding principle of my career from 2014 till the present has to been to amplify the voices of those who only can at present only speak to themselve.

The students surrounding Marquette Park fit this category.

They are largely neglected, not only by the city government in terms of arts funding or the provision of resources PERIOD, but also by my peers in the Chicago jazz scene. This is largely because of where they live--which is, of course, directly influenced by the redlining decisions of white supremacist city planners of the early 20th century.

They are, however, prodigious and precocious improvisers, who are quickly becoming known in their neighborhood for their capacity as instrumentalists.

As an experiment, to occupy my time during COVID-19, I asked them to send me in improvisations and poetry so that I could score around them with my own playing. To create a band sound where there could be none at present in a live context.

The result is this ground-breaking, correspondence-style album which serves to introduce these talented young people to the scene at large and the scene at large to these talented young people. The world to Marquette Park, and Marquette Park to the world.

As of this release on 6/5, there are 5 tracks. More will be rolling in as students complete their improvisations while fighting the pandemic and the rioting which is happening in their neighborhoods. These priorities will make sense to the reader.

Enjoy. I am proud of their work.

Matt Riggen
Director of Music at Marquette Park