Part of Hancher's 52nd Season

Presented in collaboration with Feed Me Weird Things

Hancher and Feed Me Weird Things present a totally unique evening of music and food.

Witness two distinct sets of music that track Chicago's broad and visonary jazz tradition; in between musicals sets, the audience will enjoy a community dinner featuring a generous menu of warm soul food in the heart of the Iowa winter. 

The evening leads off on the Hadley Stage with Chicago-born cornetist and singer Ben LaMar Gay and his ensemble playing a set of music from their forthcoming International Anthem release. It’s music that harmonizes a broad range of influences: jazz to funk, R&B to Tropicália, and electro to contemporary classical. Gay is a stalwart of Chicago’s experimental music scene, a member of the pivotal Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, and a frequent collaborator of Nicole Mitchell, George Lewis, and Angel Bat Dawid, among others.

Ben LaMar Gay been lauded as “a visionary” (The New York Times), “strikingly original” (Afropunk), “uncategorizable” (Pitchfork), and “hands down, one of my favorite musicians on the planet today” (Jeff Parker).

After Gay’s set, the audience will move over to Strauss Hall for a buffet-style community dinner.

Following dinner, we’ll go back to the Hadley Stage for a performance by Chicago-born Isaiah Collier and his band, The Chosen Few. They’ll be joined at Hancher by the gospel soul singer Jimetta Rose to perform a special set featuring tracks from their celebrated 2023 release Parallel Universe. On this project, Collier—who was reared in the same Park Manor Chicago neighborhood as Gay—draws together an equally rich sonic vocabulary: funk and gospel alongside spiritual jazz and post-bebop squall.

Isaiah Collier has been described as a “shamanistic saxophone prodigy” (The Guardian) and “an heir apparent to both the Chicago lineage and the post-Coltrane sax tradition” (The New York Times).

Menu (subject to change)
Cowhorn Okra Soup & Rice
Sugar Glazed Carrots
Leafy Greens
Baked Mac & Cheese
Roasted Chicken with dressing
West African Brisket
Peach Cobbler
Sweet Potato Pie

PROGRAM:
Performance by Ben LaMar Gay Ensemble
Buffet-style community dinner
Performance by Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few with Jimetta Rose

Ben LaMar Gay Ensemble Website

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few Website

In Memoriam

During the fall of 2023 and winter of 2024, Hancher programming and engagement director Aaron Greenwald and Feed Me Weird Things and FEaST director Christopher Wiersema engaged in a series of conversations about arts programming in our community. Greenwald, a seasoned programmer (Duke Performances, Big Ears) and fresh Iowa City resident after moving to town in the fall of 2022, was still learning the contours of our vibrant arts scene. Longtime presenter and producer Wiersema had seen it all; he was responsible for building so much of our unique music culture over the past twenty years.

Together they searched for a shared vocabulary that would help them become co-collaborators in bringing transformational experiences to fruition. This noteworthy program, the first full collaboration between Hancher and Feed Me Weird Things was Aaron and Chris’s opening salvo of what could be—a snapshot of how we might engage unknown, unexpected sounds and art in new ways.

Just weeks after confirming this event, Chris passed away at his home, leaving behind an astounding legacy as an Iowa City arts leader and great sorrow and appreciation from his family and friends. Much has been written and said about him since he left, but all of it is worth saying again, now and forever: Chris was a fantastic community member and neighbor and one of the most visionary, dedicated voices in Iowa City’s remarkable arts lineage. We are grateful for him every day and we hope to honor his memory with this celebratory program.

HANCHER EVENT PARTNERS
Vernon Hein Fund