Hearsay’s singular aesthetic ranges from otherworldly textures to slowly evolving rhythmic grooves, to hard-hitting improvisations. Their musical language is influenced by their diverse backgrounds, which meld together to form something both familiar and alien, but always fresh. Hearsay is scheduled to release in December.

Chi Away will comprise recordings of three separate small ensembles made over the course of a few months, culminating in a series of album releases on the Chicago record label Amalgam. The project was awarded the New Music USA Creator Development fund in 2021.

The groups are new collaborations, made up of musicians from the Chicago area. The assemblies include musicians from a wide array of musical backgrounds, ranging from classical to jazz to country to experimental to punk. Included in the fray are Ishmael Ali, Allen Moore, Bill Harris, N.W. Long, Wills McKenna, Brianna Tong, Johanna Brock, and Andrew Scott Young.

Thematically, the goal of the project as a whole is catharsis—reflecting on our individual experiences as well as the role of community during the past year in isolation. The music will simultaneously embody release, reflection, beginning.

Allen Moore - turntables, records casted with varying materials.
Ishmael Ali - cello, guitar, electronics
Bill Harris - drums, percussion

Recorded live at Marmalade, Chicago, on January 16 and 17, 2021 by Ishmael Ali and Bill Harris.
Mixing and mastering by Ishmael Ali and Bill Harris.
Artwork by Jordan Martins.
This project was supported by New Music USA's Creator Development Fund in 2021.