The blue-collar DIY spirit of Chicagoans’ artistic practice is one of the city’s calling cards. Away from the oppressive glare of the art business on the coasts, artists of all stripes—musicians, playwrights, painters, writers—can take time to develop and solidify their practice. That’s why so much of the greatest work to emerge from Chicago seems to bubble up from the underground fully formed.
As work on Looks of a Lot ramped up, I spoke in turn to Moran, Gates, and Vandermark, and I’ve edited those interviews together into a conversation. The discussion sometimes gets pretty abstract, as you might expect given the unsettled nature of the project, but it does make it clear how their collaboration came to be.
I think of it the same way that I see [my] relationship with Ken Vandermark. We’d played together in Eric Revis’s band; we’d done a gig in Chicago together with Jeff Parker and [Bandwagon drummer] Nasheet [Waits]. And we always stayed in contact, talking about films—he knows some deep, dark films. When I think about projects, it’s like, which conversations are really striking me? I think it’s the same way for a lot of these artists—they’re looking for what other element is going to add a layer that’s gonna help the piece come together.
Moran: The great thing about my commission history is that anyone who knows it understands that when they approach me about a commission, they’re not going to get what they asked for but something bigger. So when [Chicago Symphony Orchestra programming director] James Fahey [asked], I don’t know what he was considering I might do—something for my group or a little bit larger.
Vandermark: Jason said he was going to give [the Kenwood band] his arrangement of the Schubert piece [“Der Doppelgänger”] and have me play over it. I had never met them before, and I didn’t know the director. They were all super gracious and, I have to say, quite remarkable for students that age—they had way more discipline and ability than I had at that age.
It’s just kind of pulling people together. There’s no grand theory to any of this, but I wanted to make a big gesture and a very deep vow to the city of Chicago and to the people who keep the arts going in Chicago—because their impact is so, so large.
The world premiere of Moran’s collaborative performance Looks of a Lot. Fri 5/308 PMSymphony Center$24-$55All ages
