Ars Nova Workshop presents AACM ensemble Katalyst Conversation at Solar Myth on Wednesday, October 15.

Katalyst Conversation is a powerful new ensemble rooted in the visionary spirit of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), uniting four singular voices in exploratory jazz: saxophonists Ari Brown and Ed Wilkerson, percussionist Vincent Davis, and marimbist Preyas Roy. Steeped in the legacy of Chicago’s avant-garde, the group weaves a dynamic tapestry of improvisation and structure—Brown’s tenure with Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner linking him directly to the lineage of John Coltrane, while Wilkerson, a founding member of 8 Bold Souls, brings decades of compositional brilliance shaped by AACM’s ethos. Davis and Roy add deep rhythmic fluency and shimmering textural nuance, rounding out a quartet that is as searching as it is grounded. Following their performance at London’s Soul on Ice Festival, the ensemble’s fierce synergy is captured on their new album, The Katalyst Conversation: Live in Brussels, out this March.