Ben LaMar Gay Ensemble (USA)

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer and poet, Ben LaMar Gay is one of the defining figures of Chicago's vibrant music scene. He comes from Southside Chicago and grew up in the legendary AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). His first instrument, the cornet, and his intuitive sense for original production enabled him to explore the city's diverse music scenes (jazz, hip-hop, house, electronic, rock, avant-garde, salsa, Latin jazz, etc.) as a young man before moving to Brazil for several years. His return to Chicago in the early 2010s marked the start of a trend that WIRE magazine has since dubbed "Pan-Americana": An eclectic musical mix of jazz, blues, hip-hop and elements of Afro-Futurism.