Pianist/keyboardist Paul Hecht’s Pyrography takes its name from a poem by John Ashbery, and also from thinking about this ancient kind of “fire writing,” as in the process of inscribing the spirit/flame, but also of taking the inscribed, the coded, and finding ways to ignite it or unlock its inner fire. Both directions are important. The group plays original compositions by Hecht, as well as open improvisations and jazz standards by modern masters.

With James Davis on trumpet, Ben Dillinger on bass and Gustavo Cortiñas on drums.

Every Tuesday & Wednesday, we present Chicago’s top jazz artists in a lively atmosphere, full of cocktail-shaking and spirited conversation.