Mazz Swift - violin
Tomeka Reid - cello
Silvia Bolognesi - contrabass

Celebrate the 2023 Summer Solstice with the sublime sounds of Hear In Now in the acoustically phenomenal Asbury Hall! Three internationally-renowned master musicians come togther to form one of the most unique and powerful string trios on the planet. Featuring the brilliant Italian bassist Silvia Bolognesi, violin virtuoso Mazz Swift, and the prolific cellist (and 2022 MacArthur "genius" grant recipient) Tomeka Reid, Hear In Now is truly not-to-be-missed!

A world-caliber collective of women working in a class almost entirely their own, Hear in Now is a string trio that composes and improvises fluidly between free jazz and contemporary classical, folk music and avant- garde. Originally banded by a commission from WomaJazz in Italy, Mazz Swift (violin), Tomeka Reid (cello) and Silvia Bolognesi (double bass) came together from their homes in New York, Chicago and Siena IT to not only perform but also meet for the first time on the same date in 2009. In the 8 years since that first encounter, Hear in Now has become a rare egalitarian ensemble for the three highly active musicians, who are as often singular band leaders as they are sidewomen. In those respects, their compiled musical CV is as impressive as it is diverse—including collaborations, performances and recordings with Anthony Braxton, Nicole Mitchell, Butch Morris, William Parker, Common, Jay-Z and Kanye West—and as a unit they comprised one-half of the Roscoe Mitchell Sextet for several European shows in early 2017. Not Living in Fear, their 2nd studio album, was engineered by Griffin Rodriguez (Icy Demons, Beirut, Modest Mouse) and Alex Inglizian (Experimental Sound Studio), and features guest vocals by Chicago jazz legend Dee Alexander.

BIOS:

Described as a "New Jazz Power Source" by the New York Times, cellist and composer Tomeka Reid has emerged as one of the most original, versatile, and curious musicians in Chicago's bustling jazz and improvised music community over the last decade. Her distinctive melodic sensibility, always rooted in a strong sense of groove, has been featured in many distinguished ensembles over the years. Reid has been a key member of ensembles led by legendary reedists like Anthony Braxton (ZIM SEXTET) and Roscoe Mitchell (ROSCOE MITCHELL QUARTET, ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO), as well as a younger generation of visionaries including flutist Nicole Mitchell (BLACK EARTH ENSEMBLE, ARTIFACTS), vocalist Dee Alexander (EVOLUTION ENSEMBLE), and drummer Mike Reed (LOOSE ASSEMBLY, LIVING BY LANTERNS, ARTIFACTS). She co-leads the adventurous string trio HEAR IN NOW, with violinist Mazz Swift and bassist Silvia Bolognesi, and in 2013 launched the first Chicago Jazz String Summit, a semi-annual three-day international festival of cutting edge string players held in Chicago. In the Fall of 2019 Tomeka Reid received a teaching appointment at Mills College as the Darius Milhaud chair in composition.

Critically acclaimed as one of America's most talented and versatile performers today, Violin/Vox/Freestyle Composition artist Mazz Swift has engaged audiences all over the world with the signature weaving of song, melody and improvisation that they call MazzMuse. As a singer, composer and Juilliard-trained violinist who plays electronic and acoustic instruments, Mazz has performed and recorded with a diverse accumulation of artists including The Silkroad Ensemble, William Parker, Butch Morris, Jason Lindner, James "Blood" Ulmer, Vernon Reid, Valerie June, Whitney Houston, DJ Logic, Kanye West, D'Angelo. Mx. Swift is a 2021 United States Artist and 2019 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, currently working on a series of compositions that involve conducted improvisation, and that are centered around protest, spirituals, and the Ghanaian concept of 'Sankofa': looking back to learn how to move forward.

Silvia Bolognesi is a double bass player, composer and arranger born in Siena, Italy. Graduated in double bass at the R. Franci Institute of Siena with Maestro Andrea Granai, perfecting with Maestro Alberto Bocini, she approached jazz studying at the Siena Jazz Accademy with Paolino dalla Porta, Furio di Castri and Ferruccio Spinetti. The most significant encounters in his musical training are those with William Parker, Muhal Richard Abrams, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Roscoe Mitchell and Antony Braxton. Winner of the "Top Jazz 2010", by "Musica Jazz" as best new talent and in the same year winner of the "In Sound" trophy for double bass category. In 2010 she founded her own label "Fonterossa Records". She leads several bands: Young Shouts, Open Combo, Almond Tree, Xilo Ensemble, Ju-Ju Sounds and Fonterossa Open Orchestra. Since 2009 she is part of the international string trio Hear In Now with Tomeka Reid on cello and Mazz Swift on violin and vocals; with this trio they completed Roscoe Mitchell's sextet in his Homage to John Coltrane in 2017. She's part of the "Art Ensemble of Chicago 50th Anniversary" special project. She teaches double bass and combo class at the Siena Jazz Academy and at "Associazione Mosaico" in Colle Val d'Elsa (Siena). Since 2016 she is part of the "European exchange-Erasmus +" program for the Conservatory of Maastricht (Holland), Tbilisi (Georgia), Riga (Latvia), Birmingham (UK). She runs workshops on Improvisation and "Conduction" since 2008.

This engagement of HEAR in NOW was made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The .9 Mile Collaborative was made possible through a generous grant from The Cullen Foundation (2020–2022), which continues to support Hallwalls' Music Program. Concert planning was supported with past grants (through 2022) from the Music program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).