CHI: The Fine Art of Jazz

If you've seen a wild silkscreened concert poster for a jazz show around town, chances are it was made by Dan Grzeca, a fine arts painter and printmaker based in Lincoln Square. We asked him a little about his art and the jazz scene.

How did you get into screening concert posters?

Through Bob Hartzell at Screwball Press; he was my introduction to screenprinting. I started making posters for my friend Ken Vandermark's band, and by extension began doing posters for the free jazz scene. And from there I started to do rock posters, too, bands like Low and the Melvins.

You're also a fan of punk rock. How did you make the jump to jazz?

I was naturally attracted to the music of John Coltrane while I was in the midst of punk scene, and he opened me up to the history of jazz and Ornette Coleman and others. Right around that time, the Vandermark Quartet was just beginning to play around, and I just really started to go out see a lot of music about that time, That's when the Chicago improv jazz scene was really starting to blossom.

What shows are you looking forward to?

While I don't occasionally catch a rock show, I generally go to jazz and improvized music in Chicago. Definitely the upcoming Vandermark 5 show on Wednesday at the Hideout is a do-not-miss. Also, in the next two weeks you'll see a multitude of appearances by legendary reed player Peter Brötzmann, in conjunction with Experimental Sound Studios' concert series.

Vandermark 5, Nov. 8
The Hideout
1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago
773-227-4433

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