Donovan’s Garage Jazz Event: An Evening of Free Form Jazz

“Donovan’s Garage” presents a jazz quintet featuring vocalist, flutist, and composer Taalib-Din Ziyad for an evening of free form jazz improvisation.  Performing with Ziyad will be the Chicago jazz artists Art (Turk) Burton, percussion; Edward House, tenor saxophone; Brian Smith, bass; and Donovan Mixon, guitar.

The Donovan’s Garage events bring the finest of Chicago’s jazz players to Evanston for free public performances. The show on May 28 will provide one of the most intriguing forms of jazz. It is often said that jazz is a musical conversation among the players.  Free Form Jazz expands on that conversation, giving each of the artists wide latitude for improvisation.

Headlining is Taalib-Din Ziyad, (Think Leon Thomas, Alice & John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders) a veteran of the Chicago jazz scene and long-time member of Chicago’s  legendary Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

With Ziyaad will be percussionist Art (Turk) Burton who has performed with jazz greats that include Dizzy Gillespie, Ari Brown and Chico Freeman, among others.  On tenor sax will be Chicago player Edward House who has shared the stage with McCoy Tyner, Robert Irving, Willie Pickens, Maggie Brown, Douglas Ewart, George Lewis, Famoudou Don Moye and Ed Wilkerson. Holding down the bass chair will be Chicago native Brian Smith who was a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra prior to composing and performing with The Dance Theater of Harlem and The Ebony Ensemble.  He is the Founder of the unique World Bass Violin Ensemble.

Hosting the event is Evanston’s Donovan Mixon, a jazz guitarist, NEA grant recipient and AACM member who has performed in 14 countries as leader of his own ensembles.  He has performed with Eddie Henderson, Geroge Garzone, Lee Konitz, Willie Pickens, the Great Black Music Ensemble, Phylicia Rashad, Bobby Irving III and many others.  Here in Evanston, during the pandemic, Mixon organized jazz performances in the alley behind his Evanston home—leading to the Donovan’s Garage sessions, bringing great Chicago jazz to Evanston.