Ars Nova Workshop presents master drummer Chad Taylor and his adventurous new quintet at Solar Myth on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.

A composer, scholar and educator as well as a capaciously inventive percussionist now living in Philadelphia, Chad Taylor is best known as co–founder of the Chicago Underground Duo (and the numerous Underground iterations that have spun off of that original partnership) with trumpeter Rob Mazurek, and as drummer for the late jaimie branch’s Fly Or Die. A professional on the Chicago scene from the age of 16, he became a rhythmic muse for many of the most celebrated artists in improvised music, including Fred Anderson, Pharoah Sanders, Nicole Mitchell, Matana Roberts, Ken Vandermark, Darius Jones, James Brandon Lewis, Derek Bailey, Marc Ribot, and Peter Brötzmann. His new quintet features trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson of Steve Coleman’s Five Elements and new collaborators from Philly: tenor saxophonist Bryan Rogers, vibraphonist Victor Vieira–Branco, and bassist Matt Engle.