Saalik and The 5 after 7 Project

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Internationally renowned for unparalleled contributions to modern music, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Inc. (AACM) has been an inspirational leader within the cultural community since 1965. A non-profit organization chartered by the State of Illinois , the AACM is a collective of musicians and composers dedicated to nurturing, performing, and recording serious, original music. This collective of dynamic and visionary artists formed the AACM to meet their emergent needs to expose and showcase their original compositions and to create an outlet for the development and performance of their music.

The Velvet Lounge
The Velvet Lounge is the only place in the world where you can hear the Chicago sound five days a week. The Sunday night jam sessions have been an effective way to promote younger members of the jazz community. Fred Anderson opened the Velvet Lounge in 1982 after his club The Birdhouse, on the near north side, closed due to city zoning ordinances.

The Loft Society
The Loft Society's main mission is to operate a performance space to showcase creative musicians and to bring creative musicians to the area, providing an opportunity for them to perform. Our main interest is to preserve the American Art Form "JAZZ" and present it live to the community in an unique venue. The Loft hosts plays, dance or anything unusual on the performance art scene.

Jazz Institute of Chicago
The Jazz Institute of Chicago was founded in 1969 by a small band of jazz fans, writers, club owners and musicians who came together to preserve the historical roots of the Chicago's music and to ensure that opportunities for the music to be heard would not be lost in a time when rock was subsuming cultural economics. Among the founding members were trad pianist Art Hodes, Muhal Richard Abrams, who a few years earlier had also co-founded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Harriett Choice, then music writer for the Chicago Tribune, Joe Segal, whose Jazz Showcase has kept the flame for bebop lit for 50 years, Bob Koester, owner of Delmark Records, Don DeMicheal, drummer and editor of Downbeat magazine, jazz promoter and supporter Penny Tyler and several other devoted souls. The operating principle was, and continues to be based on the recognition that all forms of the music should be equally represented in whatever we do. From the Annual Jazz Fair that we began in 1979 to the Chicago Jazz Festival which we began programming in 1979, to the hundreds of concerts and programs presented all over the city, we have sought to open peoples' ears to new music by standing the familiar and the unfamiliar side by side.

Saalik Ziyad at Myspace
Saalik Ziyad who is the founder of The 5 after 7 Project is also a member of the AACM: Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

Al Strong at Myspace
Albert Strong is a native of Washington, D.C., currently residing in Chicago, Illinois as a full-time musician.

Willerm Delisfort
Pianist, Composer, and visionary, Willerm Delisfort is here to stamp his hand in the books of history.

Tim Seisser Official Website
Tim Seisser, is rapidly becoming one of the most in demand bassists in the Chicago jazz scene.

Kamau Kadirifu - Photographer
A great photographer who has over 15 years of experience that includes aerial, architectural, catalogue, editorial, fashion, food, medical, portrait, and wedding work.

Nicole Mitchell
Nicole Mitchell has been celebrated for bringing a exciting new approach to flute improvisation.

Corey Wilkes - Trumpeter
A young lion with a roar being heard in several music genres; Corey Wilkes burst onto the music scene in 2002 and landed in the soul of the Chicago Jazz Club scene.

Chicago Children's Choir
The Chicago Children's Choir brings together nearly 3,200 kids in the shared pursuit of musical excellence and personal growth.

Fluxure Advanced Motion Media, Inc.
Fluxure is an artistic New York City production house specializing in cutting edge visual and audio experiences. They designed and programmed this site.

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