PFT Media

As a prefix, “post” tends to signify both the offspring of something major and a place where you can lay multiple creative ideas on the table–like “post-punk” or “post-rock.” The last term is synonymous with both the trio Twin Talk and their hometown city of Chicago. Twin Talk’s music is jazz, but it’s produced like an indie-rock record, not too unlike the music of some of their illustrious fans such as Bon Iver or Jason Moran. With a brooding, elegant, cinematic, and dreamlike sound, Twin Talk takes on the intensity of Sonny Rollins with the soundscapes of Tortoise.

The second half of the program welcomes Grachan Moncur III, whose own music could also be described as brooding and cinematic, if not idiosyncratic. One of the most original composers in the canon of American music, his career has taken him from Julliard, to the Chitlin Circuit, to hard bop, to the avant-garde. He’s also gained the artistic respect of Ray Charles, The Jazztet, Jackie McLean, Archie Shepp, Lee Morgan, and Frank Zappa to name a few. His Blue Note recordings are often celebrated, but throughout the years his more underground work has earned him a fervent cult following. The Major Scale explores three of these recordings with the man himself: the rare and sought after Echoes of Prayer, Shadows, and Blues For Donald Duck.