DATE:
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
8:30 pm
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Music

Ben LaMar Gay is a composer and cornetist who moves sound, color, and space through folkloric filters to produce electro-acoustic collages. A Chicago native, Ben’s true technique is giving life to an idea while exploring and expanding on the term ‘Americana.’ With his band, the Ben LaMar Gay Quartet, he will dive into the hypnotism of their cosmopolitan blues, with old and new tales as well as selections from their latest release Yowzers via International Anthem. This work represents a leap forward in the lexicon of Gay’s recorded output and a veritable masterwork of ancient inner-body rhythms and intuitive melodic storytelling. The quartet consists of Ben LaMar Gay on cornet, electronics, and vocals; Tommaso Moretti on drums; Edinho Gerber on guitar; and Katie Ernst on bass.

“…Elevating the diverse sounds of earth to the heavens.”– Andy Beta, Pitchfork

“Ben LaMar Gay’s music is full of wonder. It takes in the endearing glow of the natural world, plus the endless variety of man-made refractions, and then processes those beams and flickers into something strikingly original.” – AFROPUNK

“There is no one universe for Ben LaMar Gay, he just sonic booms from one sound to another.”– NPR Music