Old and New Dreams: Hothouse Festival Announced

Second Annual Two-Day Multi-arts Festival Features Array of Top Talent

The second annual, two-day HotHouse Old and New Dreams Festival is a multi-arts event that celebrates the intersection of jazz and “world musics”. Over the past thirty years, HotHouse has consistently been a cultural leader in Chicago, and this premiere showcase will highlight some of the key programming HotHouse has to offer.

The Old and New Dreams Festival will provide a mélange of talent complete with unusual musical pairings and long-overdue popular jazz appearances. The artists range from young up and comers newly emerging on the scene, to seasoned performers worthy of greater recognition. There will even be some sho’ nuff giants that seldom come to town.

“The two-day Festival was launched last year to celebrate our own revival,” said Marguerite Horberg, Executive Director of HotHouse. “Over the course of the festival, we endeavor to tell a comprehensive story that speaks to our own curatorial vision crafted over decades. It is a celebration of our work, the artists we admire and the community we endeavor to serve.”

This year we are thrilled to welcome a range of performers including two projects led by former homeboy Adam Rudolph. During the Saturday performance, Adam’s debut projects – Moving Pictures and the Go: Organic Orchestra – will demonstrate the artful array of global influences that define his compositions.

Greg Burk of LA Weekly wrote, “The music, performed by a large ensemble of wind and percussion players, rose like vines from hand drummer Adam Rudolph’s written instructions and hand signals,” in response to Adam’s performance. “And it truly is organic — a blend of gentle sustained dissonance, heaven-crashing rhythm jams, and individual improvisations. No joke: a startling and involving development in roots music, with more to follow.”

On Saturday afternoon, HotHouse will offer up free matinee educational events in the Logan Center penthouse “room with a view.” Leading jazz critics will play their favorite LP’s and they will offer their “spin” on the music that has moved them over the decades. Additionally, youth from the Black Lives Matter movement will share their insights on how to make art that responds to the moment.

Friday highlights will include the commanding performance of M.A.D.D. Rhythms’ Supreme Love – a tap dance whirlwind interpretation of Coltrane’s eternal hit record “A Love Supreme”. Attendees will also have a rare opportunity to enjoy the performance of the 86-year-old, Philly-based sax man, Odean Pope, who will headline the evening’s program.

The title of this years Festival – Old and New Dreams – pays homage to a cherished musical ensemble that featured many of the side-men in Ornette Coleman’s bands from the 1960’s. These artists interpreted the words Old – and – New – Dreams in a poetic and prosaic way that is representative of the organizational history and rebirth of HotHouse. Old and New Dreams promises to be spectacular multi-arts festival, that will be a heralded entry in every arts and culture fall calendar.

HotHouse, founded in 1987, provides a forum for expression in the arts that extends the milieu of academy, high caliber and international arts innovation to underserved populations throughout the Chicago metropolitan region.