Twin Talk at Rozz-Tox -- March 22.
Saturday, March 22, 8 p.m.
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Praised by Downbeat magazine as a trio that "expresses both its melodic rigor and appetite for adventure" and by Radio New Zealand as an outfit that makes "melodies and rhythms move like single primitive organisms," the Chicago-based musicians of Twin Talk play Rock Island's Rozz-Tox on March 22 in support of their September release Twin Talk Live, which inspired Chicago Jazz to rave, "Twin Talk has established itself as a marker of postmodern jazz creativity, where composition and improvisation ... meet in resounding and refreshing ways."
Over the past dozen years, Chicago’s Twin Talk has steadily drifted from the conventions of the saxophone trio. Saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi, bassist-singer Katie Ernst, and drummer Andrew Green have spent their time on the band stage together making their music elastic, spontaneous, and open, embracing new inspirations without stifling the improvisational heart of their work. While all three musicians are active members in the city’s bustling jazz community, each playing in numerous working bands, they have found a true collective voice as Twin Talk. They use live performances as opportunities to stretch, expanding on composed material and ditching set lists in favor of calling tunes on the fly.
As stated at AllMusic.com, "The three musicians began working together in 2012, releasing their first album, Sightline, under the name Laurenzi/Ernst/Green in 2013. Following several performances around their home city, including a well-received appearance at the 2014 Chicago Jazz Festival, the trio switched to the more concise moniker Twin Talk in 2015 and released their self-titled second full-length the following year. Laurenzi toured with Bon Iver throughout 2016-2017, and Justin Vernon was so impressed with a Twin Talk performance in Minneapolis that he invited the group to record at his April Base studio. With only five days of studio time, the trio wrote and recorded third full-length Weaver, which was issued through 37d03d, a publishing platform co-launched by Vernon and Bryce Dessner of the National, in 2019. Twin Talk recorded a series of mini-sets at Chicago's Shirk Studios in 2023, blurring the lines between improvisation and composed songs. Titled Twin Talk Live ... it more accurately represents the group's energy in concert than their previous recordings."
Playing two sets with an intermission, Twin Talk brings their current tour to Rock Island on March 22 in an OUTLETProgramme presentation, admission to the 8 p.m. all-ages concert is $10 at the door (cash only), and more information is available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.
