If you have come here, you are probably already familiar with Nik Baertsch’s RONIN quartet (comprised of band leader Nik Baertsch on piano and keyboard, Sha on alto saxophone and bass clarinet, Thomy Jordi on bass and Kaspar Rast on drums). RONIN have released phenomenal records on the prestigious ECM jazz label, hopefully you have already been able to hear them live which is a transformational experience, and so much has already been written about them. No suprise that with their original zen-funk, minimalist approach they are already inspiring other musicians in the genre, and their unique sound with a sometimes almost hypnotic aestetic can really draw you in. When they are not touring the world, they usually play on Mondays in their local club in Zurich, the Exil.

But this time I happend to be in Chicago by coincidence and when I learned that they were playing in the city as part of their new album (Awase) promoting US tour I did not want to miss the opportunity to hear and photograph them. The venue was the Constellation, apparently a rather new addition to the rich Chicago music scene. I think every city would be happy to have such a great club with a lot of space for the stage, an amphi theatre style seating surrounding the band on three sides, and a great bar to hang out before and after a concert.

The Constellation turned out to be both intimate and spacious at the same time and the lofty hall enabled a surprisingly great sound. And with a band which had so much fun playing tunes from their new album it was a real treat to be there with them. Not often have I seen a jazz club audience saluting the band with standing ovations at the end of a concert. Hopefully the images below are able to document some of the magic which was going on.

This is Sha coming out of the back stage area with one of his instruments waiting for him

And here they play

Some close ups of Nik

Nik with Sha

Sha

Sha with Thomy

Thomy

Kaspar

Zen-funk groove

Thank you

And while the after glow was going on in the bar after a fantastic concert and some of the band members were engaging with part of their audience the nighthawks were already active outside of the Constellation.