EVENTS
Photo by David Gilbert
AKL Quartet Live Recording at ProMusica
AKL Quartet is back and this time recording live from ProMusica. Feel the synapses fire in your nervous system with us :)
Aaron Kaufman-Levine, Garrett Frees, and Caroline Jesalva at Cafe Mustache
Bearduo + Caroline Jesalva :) that sounds like a swell evening!
Francis Bassett-Dilley Quintet at the Chicago Jazz Fest
I am joining Francis Bassett-Dilley once again to play his wonderful compositions. Come see us for free at the Chicago Jazz Fest Rooftoop Stage!
Duo with Erez Dessel at Khepri Cafe
Back at it duo style with the great Dr. Dessel. Hear our compositions featuring stately melodies and soft high density units.
Banana Acid at Chamber Music America Festival at MCA.
If you happen to be at the Chamber Music America Festival, come check us out as we play music written by the members of Banana Acid for Banana Acid!
Dorians with Alejandro Salazar
Come hang with us at Dorians as we gear up to release Alejandro’s debut album in the fall!
Yoona Kim and Banana Acid at Stola Contemporary
Banana Acid is joined by legendary East Coast ajaeng player and improviser Yoona Kim! Yoona will also play a solo set!
BananaAcid at Elastic Arts
BananaAcid is back at the Thursday Series. Enjoy your Banana Scripture!
Proverb 403:808 pages 3-45
Much like the earth, bananas can vibrate which allows for the possibility of disaster ala the bananaquake or other subsequent vibration based disruptions.
Just remember, when the “vibes are good” for you, they might be detrimental to another banana.
The banana’s produce counterpart the beet also has a vibration about it, but it often causes more dancing than destruction unless you’re in a state of being where dancing is destruction and that would vehemently oppose the cohort of beets and bananas who vibrate or the “banana beets!”
WE THE BEST MUSIC!
BananaAcid is:
Aaron Kaufman-Levine
Caroline Jesalva
Erez Dessel
Garrett Frees
Tyler Wagner
Bearduo at Bridgeport Music Collective
BEARDUO IS BACK. Our first show after an illustrious east coast tour. Come hear telepathic contrapuntal improvised saxophone glory!
Bearduo is Aaron Kaufman-Levine on Alto Sax and Garrett Frees on Tenor Sax.
Duo with Caroline Jesalva at Marmalade
Throwing down with Caroline. One of my favorite improvisers and collaborators. Come hear us!
BananaAcid + Improvised comedy troop!
An evening of music and theater! One suggestion from the audience will set up a cascading series of vingettes in which the band Banana Acid will perform music inspired by the suggestion, which will inspire scenes from some of Chicago's best improvisors, which will in turn inspire more music, and so and so forth until we ... solve all the worlds problems??? (Tim Felton).
Dorians with Alejandro Salazar
Come hang with us at Dorians as we gear up to release Alejandro’s debut album in the fall!
AKL Quartet at Lemon
Aaron leads the Aaron Kaufman-Levine Quartet (AKL Quartet) consisting of guitarist Charlie Reichert Powell, bassist Leo Buczkowski and drummer Frank Morrison. The group plays all original music by Aaron that uses heavy improvisational elements and lots of groove possibilities.
Tickets here: https://dice.fm/event/oe7xbr-aaron-kaufmanlevine-quartet-3rd-jul-lemon-chicago-tickets
Treyf at the Hideout
Treyf is back for your viewing and listening pleasure. Funk meets klezmer meets saxophone fun with our fearless leader Dr. Dessel. All proceeds go to the Human Fund (money for people).
Erez Dessel's Something Special at the Hungry Brain
Back with another Erez Dessel Concoction at the Brain, this time 4 saxophones and Erez. Lets get to it!
BananaAcid and Ro Lundberg at ProMusica
Potassium is back on the menu and we are collaborating with Ro again! This time we will each play a set so come get your nutrients :).
Now a proverb for your spiritual guidance.
Proverb 87:88 pages 963-968
Curves and lines and edges are fine except when the fiber gets mushy and the integrity gets gushy and all falls to the wayside of the inevatable baked good massacre and subsequent $10 matcha on the side, oh my!
Francis Bassett-Dilley Group at What's Blooming on Harrison
I will be joining my dear friend Francis Bassett-Dilley and his group at the What’s Blooming on Harrison Street Festival in our native Oak Park. Come see us play (its free and outside)!
AKL Quartet at Stola Contemporary
Aaron leads the Aaron Kaufman-Levine Quartet (AKL Quartet) consisting of guitarist Charlie Reichert-Powell, bassist Leo Buczkowski and drummer Frank Morrison. The group plays all original music by Aaron that uses heavy improvisational elements and lots of groove possibilities. These include swing, marches, odd-meters and more. The group will often jump between forms or sections and sometimes play multiple songs or sections at a time. The impetus of the group is freedom, clarity and decisiveness which is achieved by mixing clear modular composition with free improvisation.
BananaAcid and Ro Lundberg at Bridgeport Music Collective
Enjoy the brilliant piece “By Passing Upon” with us!
BananaAcid at Subterranean
Happy St Patricks Day! Celebrate with your Potassium Pals :)
Twilight Choir at Collider
Twilight Choir is:
Aaron Kaufman-Levine, Garrett Frees, Caroline Jesalva, Tyler Wagner, Erez Dessel
Bearduo at Stola Contemporary 2 year Anniversary show!
Bearduo is back for the first time in 2026. Come check out some of our new sounds at Stola Contemporary’s 2 year anniversary celebration! BYOB and you can reserve a spot here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/one-time-out-wsg-bearduo-registration-1979556140705?aff=oddtdtcreator
AKL Solo at Tangible Books
I will be playing solo saxophone as part of the Tangible Books Music series! Come check out my solo explorations!
Andys w Alejandro Salazar Quintet
We are back at Andy’s Jazz Club! Come get some food, some drinks, and hang out to watch us! Sets at 6pm and 8:15pm both nights!
Andys w Alejandro Salazar Quintet
We are back at Andy’s Jazz Club! Come get some food, some drinks, and hang out to watch us! Sets at 6pm and 8:15pm both nights!
BananaAcid at Stola Contemporary
BananaAcid back for your monthly Potassium needs.
Now we read from the Book of Peel Proverb 16:168 34-38
Bananas are hot and bananas are cold but of course Bananas are quite cool.
When you freeze a banana, do not expect a transformation because no matter the temperature, a Banana keeps its structural integrity.
Bananas can be a surface for a number of sweet coatings like Chocolate, Caramel, Ice Cream and more. Importantly though, even if life blends or slices or coats a Banana, it is still a Banana! We must remember this when we feel the blades of life come for our mushy insides.
BananaAcid is a Chicago based music collective consisting of Aaron Kaufman-Levine, Caroline Jesalva, Erez Dessel, Garrett Frees, Tyler Wagner
Treyf at the Whistler
Hitting it hard with Erez Dessel’s Groove/Dance Band TREYF.
Come hang and dance with us. Sure to be not Kosher!
Bearduo at Comfort Station
Bearduo is back from our post-album hibernation! Come check us out at Comfort Station!
Bearduo is:
Aaron Kaufman-Levine and Garrett Frees on Saxophones.
Music in the Garden Season 4 (Night 1)
Join us at the Music in the Garden Festival Season 4 at Elastic Arts Foundation!
Music in the Garden presents a 2-day music festival with Chicago-based improvisers and creative musicians, featuring a light and projection installation by Ruby Que.
Come enjoy a night or two of music, art and community.
November 1st
7pm Emily Rach Beisel
8pm Microplastique
Artist: Adam Shead, Ben Zucker, Molly Jones, Josh Harlow
9pm Purikoko
Artist: Ariel Vera, Alex Yoo