Artist description The Revolution Ensemble, led by Peter Saltzman, defies all labels, drawing on a range of musical styles from jazz to r&b, classical to country, and then synthesizing them into a new super-style or POST-GENRE tradition.

Music Style jazz, Post-genre, classical, funk, r&b, country, avant garde, modern, adult contemporary, rock, fusion, acoustic, Jewish

Musical Influences John Coltran, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Beethoven, Bach, Stravinksy, Art Tatum, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner

Similar Artists None, John Coltrane, Stevie Wonder, Kronos Quaret, McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis

Artist History Founded in 1997 by composer/pianist/vocalist Peter Saltzman, TRE has been in ensembles ranging in size from a jazz trio and both jazz and string quartets to a full-blown Hybrid Orchestra (including electric guitars, drums, saxophones, etc.). The regular group is a nine-piece ensemble consisting of jazz quartet, string quartet and lead vocalist. TRE performs mostly original music, much of it by Peter Saltzman but also by other Ensemble members, including Jim Gailloreto, Katherine Hughes and Ben Wedge.

Group Members Peter Saltzman (composer/keyboards/vocals)Gingi Lahera (Lead vocalist)Katherine Hughes (violin/vocals/composer)Jim Gailloreto (sax/composer)Ben Wedge (viola/composer)Jeff Stitely (drums)Jill Kaeding (cello)Rob Kassinger (Bass)Mark Agnor (violin)

Instruments vocalists, piano, bass, drums, sax, violins, violas, cell

Albums Kabbalah Blues/Quantum Funk

Press Reviews "Peter Saltzman and his Revolution Ensemble presented the premiere of ‘Kaballah Blues/Quantum Funk,’ an ambitious, richly layered, wonderfully accessible 55-minute work for elaborate jazz combo and vocalists.Taking off on a cosmic theme, Saltzman has unified the ancient and spiritual (in the form of Jewish prayer and mysticism), with the modern and scientific (in the form of quantum physics and the search for universal forces). Using a subtle blend of traditional Jewish melodies, jazz standards and early 20th century sounds from Gershwin to Debussy (with lyrics sung deftly by Gingi Lehera, backed hauntingly by percussionist Jeff Stitely) the composer also suggested the connection between the love of God, and the love between a man and a woman."Hedi Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times"The Revolution Ensemble...led by award-winning composer Peter Saltzman, is trying to do what few have tried: push classical music into the twentieth century...this is interesting enough stuff to engage even the most jaded music fan."Dave Chamberlain, NewCity "Distinctive...memorable..." Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Sun-Times"Composer and pianist Peter Saltzman resists classification, having gone to conservatories and written works that mix jazz, gospel, rock and classical elements…[his is] music of days to come: resolutely tonal, idiom-blending works that would win back listeners."Ted Shen, Chicago Tribune "There’s a musical revolution afoot and Peter Saltzman is leading the charge."Pioneer Press"[T]hey could give the Kronos Quartet a run for their money" Ted Shen, Chicago Tribune"Saltzman, along with [his] enthusiastic players, should be complimented for seriously rethinking how music is presented...Obviously, there's an audience in Chicago interested in thinking about music in different ways."Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Sun-Times"Summing up the past century of Jewish music would take all of the next century. Which is why I’ve chosen to focus on a particularly fertile period of Jewish music—the last decade. With the other movements of the 1960’s and ‘70s came the revitalization of folk music, especially the music of various folk groups. By the 1990s, a generation had grown up on these Jewish songs, whether rediscovered or created anew. Not surprisingly, we’ve had a bumper crop of young Jewish talent recording in this decade. Here’s my pick of the cream of that crop…"Keyboards: Peter SaltzmanOther Jewish pianists may be better known, but Chicago’s own Peter Saltzman won’t be our secret for too much longer. He’s the linchpin of a musician’s collective, encompassing both classical and jazz quartets. Paul Wieder, JUF News

Location Oak Park, IL - USA

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