Peter Margasak

Last updated
Peter Margasak
Nationality (legal) American
Occupation(s)Music journalist, programmer
Website petermargasak.com

Peter Margasak is a music critic, journalist, and artistic director of the annual Frequency Festival in Chicago, an event that grew out of his longstanding work programming the weekly Frequency Series for experimental, improvised, and contemporary classical music. [1] [2] Margasak wrote for the Chicago Reader for 25 years. [3]

Contents

Career

Margasak writes about disparate musical times and communities within the broad field of late-20th and 21st-century music. His contributions to The New York Times include a piece about Algerian "pop rai" artist Khaled Brahim [4] and another on the avant-garde artists of the Theatre of Eternal Music and their battles for proprietorship of drone music; [5] a Pitchfork feature on the year 1979 in Chicago touches on both power pop and the racial dimensions of anti-disco sentiment during "the Rise of House Music"; [6] he has written about trip hop for Rolling Stone [7] and reviewed new work by jazz saxophonist Matana Roberts for NPR's All Things Considered . [8] Margasak is a regular contributor to DownBeat , [9] Chamber Music America, [10] and The Quietus , [11] and he is the lead contemporary classical music reviewer for Bandcamp Daily. [12] Among many other publications, he frequently wrote for the Chicago Tribune in the 1990s. [13]

Margasak is best known for his work writing for the Chicago Reader from 1993 to 2018. [3] [10] Before he started working for the Chicago Reader, Margasak published the zine Butt Rag, which he started as a sophomore in college. [14] A total of nine issues of Butt Rag were published, and one of them attracted the attention of three Chicago Reader employees, including the then-editor-in-chief Michael Lenehan. After they saw Butt Rag, they decided to offer Margasak a job at the Reader, in the hopes of bringing some of the zine's snarky writing to the Reader's pages. [3] [15]

In 2017, Dare Mighty Things declared Margasak one of "37 Influential Media People Shaping The Future Of Chicago". [16]

In September 2018, Margasak announced he would be leaving the Chicago Reader to attend the American Academy in Rome as part of its Visiting Artists & Scholars Program. [3]

Frequency Series and Festival

In 2013, Margasak founded and began curating the Frequency Series, a weekly series dedicated to showcasing new musicians at the Chicago venue Constellation. [17] He said his goal in starting the series was "to connect the dots between the strong experimental, improvised and contemporary classical scenes in Chicago". [17] Frequency quickly gained traction, and was included in Chicago magazine's "Best of 2014". [18]

In 2016, he launched The Frequency Festival, a week-long version of the series featuring new musicians from the Chicago area; the festival comprises daily performances, culminating with a two-show day on Sunday. [19] His work grew into an acclaimed event [20] with international draw, leading to partnerships and co-presentations with the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the Renaissance Society, [21] though it maintains its "home base" at Constellation. [22]

Margasak relocated to Germany after his time in Rome, but he continued his work programming both the series and festival. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Bolcom</span> American composer and pianist (born 1938)

William Elden Bolcom is an American composer and pianist. He has received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Arts, a Grammy Award, the Detroit Music Award and was named 2007 Composer of the Year by Musical America. He taught composition at the University of Michigan from 1973 until 2008. He is married to mezzo-soprano Joan Morris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBEZ</span> Public radio station in Chicago

WBEZ – branded WBEZ 91.5 – is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, and primarily serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It is owned by Chicago Public Media and is financed by listener contributions, corporate underwriting and some government funding. WBEZ is affiliated with both National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Radio Exchange (PRX). It also broadcasts content from American Public Media and the BBC World Service. It produces several nationally syndicated shows for public radio stations, including This American Life and has a co-production credit for Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, which is produced by NPR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weasel Walter</span> American drummer

Weasel Walter is an American composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of ugEXPLODE Records. Walter's work has been informed by techniques and traditions of music including Avant-garde, experimental, no wave, free jazz, extreme metal, punk jazz, hardcore punk, noise, new music and free improvisation. He coined the term "brutal prog" to describe the aggressively dissonant strain of prog played by groups like his band the Flying Luttenbachers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matana Roberts</span> American jazz musician (born 1975)

Matana Roberts is an American sound experimentalist, visual artist, jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, composer and improviser based in New York City. They have previously been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), and a member of the B.R.C. Black Rock Coalition.

<i>New Moon</i> (Abderrahmane Abdelli album) 1995 studio album by Abderrahmane Abdelli

New Moon is an album by the Algerian composer and singer-songwriter Abderrahmane Abdelli. It was released in 1995 by Real World Records. The album was produced in Brussels, with Abdelli recording his vocals before he was deported; the album was finished with local street musicians who played Algerian instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Evans (musician)</span> Musical artist

Peter Evans is an improvising trumpeter who specializes in free improvisation and avant-garde music.

<i>Dilate</i> (Bardo Pond album) 2001 studio album by Bardo Pond

Dilate is the fifth studio album by Bardo Pond. It was released on April 24, 2001, on Matador Records.

<i>Turn</i> (The Ex album) 2004 studio album by The Ex

Turn is a double album by Dutch anarchist post-punk band The Ex. After 20 years of working with Luc, their former bass guitarist, Turn is the only Ex album to feature double bass player Rosemarie giving the band a sound akin their prior work with cellist Tom Cora. In tandem with The Ex's drummer Katrin, Rosemarie also contributed significant female vocal harmonies to the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Mitchell (musician)</span> American jazz flautist and composer (born 1967)

Nicole Mitchell is an American jazz flautist and composer who teaches jazz at the University of Virginia. She is a former chairwoman of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

The MCA Stage is the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago’s performing arts program. Founded in 1996 with the opening of the MCA’s new building in Chicago, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanees Zarour</span> Musical artist

Wanees Zarour is a Chicago-based music composer, focusing on contemporary Middle Eastern Music. He is an accomplished oud, buzuq, percussion and violin player, having been featured in many international music festivals. He released his first album, Quarter to Midnight, in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomeka Reid</span> American jazz musician

Tomeka Reid is an American composer, improviser, cellist, curator, and teacher.

Ensemble Dal Niente is a contemporary classical music ensemble based in Chicago, Illinois, USA that performs acoustic and electroacoustic chamber music.

<i>Krai</i> (album) 2014 studio album by Olga Bell

Krai or Край is a full-length studio album by Russian-born New York singer-songwriter Olga Bell. It is her second solo album, and her first release on independent label One Little Indian Records/New Amsterdam Records. An exploration of themes of territory and identity, the album is sung entirely in Russian.

Mike Reed is an American jazz drummer, bandleader, composer and music presenter.

Harrison Napoleon Bankhead III was an American jazz double-bassist.

<i>Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile</i> 2013 studio album by Matana Roberts

Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile is a studio album by Matana Roberts. It is the second installment of the 12-part Coin Coin series. It was released by Constellation Records October 1, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Taylor (drummer)</span> American musician (born 1973)

Chad Taylor is an American drummer, percussionist, and composer. Taylor leads both the Chad Taylor Trio with Brian Settles and Neil Podgurski and Circle Down with Angelica Sanchez and Chris Lightcap. He is a founding member of the Chicago Underground along with Jeff Parker and Rob Mazurek. In 2024, he was selected to lead the University of Pittsburgh's Jazz Studies Program while holding the univeristiy's William S. Dietrich II Endowed Chair in Jazz Studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Relative Pitch Records</span> American independent record label

Relative Pitch Records is an American independent record label specializing in free jazz and avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, and experimental music. Run by Kevin Reilly, Relative Pitch has been ranked among the top jazz record labels in The New York City Jazz Record and DownBeat year-end lists, and praised by publications and organizations including The Guardian, NPR Music, The Brooklyn Rail, and in Bandcamp Daily's label profile, "Relative Pitch is Built on Enthusiasm for Experimental Music".

<i>The Truth</i> (Matana Roberts and Pat Thomas album) 2020 live album by Matana Roberts and Pat Thomas

The Truth is a live album by saxophonist Matana Roberts and pianist Pat Thomas. Consisting of four improvised tracks, it was recorded on December 8, 2018, at Cafe Oto in London, and was released on vinyl in 2020 by the Otoroku label.

References

  1. ↑ Cohen, Aaron (21 February 2020). "The beauty of new music is the many forms it takes — and that you can hear it all at Chicago's Frequency Festival". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 Meyer, Bill (20 November 2019). "The 2020 Frequency Festival announces a lineup of world-class experimental music". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Margasak, Peter (2018-09-05). "Music critic Peter Margasak says farewell and thanks to the Reader and to Chicago". Chicago Reader . Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  4. ↑ Margasak, Peter (9 July 2000). "'King of Rai' Returns To His Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  5. ↑ Margasak, Peter (13 August 2000). "Amid the Drone, a Feud Over Who Composed It". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Margasak, Peter (5 May 2016). "Chicago's Disco Demoliton, Cheap Trick, and the Rise of House Music". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  7. ↑ "Mo' Wax Captures the Trip-Hop Vibe". Rolling Stone. 11 July 1996. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  8. ↑ Margasak, Peter (27 July 2011). "Matana Roberts: An Ancestral History In Music". NPR. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "Peter Margasak". DownBeat. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Music Writing". PeterMargasak.com. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Peter Margasak: Articles". The Quietus. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  12. ↑ "Peter Margasak: Contributor". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "Chicago Tribune". PeterMargasak.com. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  14. ↑ Wyman, Bill (1993-04-22). "Fanzine Mania". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  15. ↑ McSweeney, Ellen (2013-05-09). "Music Writers on Writing: Peter Margasak". NewMusicBox . Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  16. ↑ "37 Influential Media People Shaping The Future Of Chicago". Dare Mighty Things. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  17. 1 2 Clarke, Mia (2013-04-16). "Peter Margasak talks Frequency". Time Out Chicago . Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  18. ↑ "Frequency". Chicago Magazine. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  19. ↑ Meyer, Graham (2016-02-22). "The Frequency Festival Brings the New-Music Festival Back to Chicago". Chicago . Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  20. ↑ Allen, David (1 March 2016). "Review: Frequency Festival in Chicago Offers the Complicated and Compelling". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  21. ↑ "On a New Music Frequency". Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  22. ↑ Warwick, Kevin (23 February 2016). "The Frequency Festival kicks off six days of top-shelf contemporary classical tonight at the MCA". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.