A star of Chicago based label, International Anthem, Ben Lamar Gay comes to Berlin this January for a special live performance at the Pierre Boulez Saal.
Ben LaMar Gay is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, poet, and patently eclectic polymath who Afropunk has called “strikingly original,” Pitchfork has called “uncategorizable,” and Jeff Parker has called “hands down, one of my favorite musicians on the planet today.” He channels a radical array of sound, color, and space through the universal language of folklore; but despite the widely attributed genius of his work, his artistic approach and general demeanor are characterized by an endearing humbleness and warm humanity.
One of the most prolific collaborators in our Chicago’s creative music community, he makes active contributions to Theaster Gates’s Black Monks of Mississippi, Nicole Mitchell’s EarthSeed, Mike Reed’s Flesh & Bone, Matthew Lux’s Communication Arts Quartet, Joshua Abrams’s Natural Information Society, Bitchin Bajas & many more. He’s a default descendent and a long-time participant in the AACM (i.e. the legendary Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). And he’s well represented in the International Anthem catalogue as well.
The Pierre Boulez Saal opened on March 4, 2017 with a concert conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Designed by Frank Gehry, the hall has a unique architectural profile, with its elliptical shape inviting audience and artists to become one community—there is no separation here between stage and auditorium. The Pierre Boulez Saal enriches the cultural life of Berlin with an outstanding program of approximately 150 events per season.
