Paul Hecht's "Pyrography" with The Nunnery

Experience an evening of rich, boundary-pushing sound as Pyrography celebrates their debut record release joined by special guest The Nunnery. Led by pianist and keyboardist Paul Hecht, this Chicago-based quartet blends deep improvisation with a striking range of influences, creating music that is both intricately woven and restlessly adventurous.

A trained jazz pianist whose approach was nurtured through an early encounter with Yusef Lateef, Hecht veered into literary studies and classical violin, becoming a professor and playing in orchestras and chamber groups in his spare time. His path to professional jazz performance over the last ten years had everything to do with finding himself in Chicago during a period of creative expansion led by a new generation of musicians as willing to innovate as they were wired into the city’s storied living musical traditions. He has kept up ties to the city since moving to Eau Claire in 2021, and his collaborators this evening have deep ties to various parts of that expansion, and all are accomplished composers and bandleaders in their own right.

Joining Hecht in Pyrography are:
James Davis – a trumpeter known for his innovative compositions and role in key Chicago ensembles.
Gustavo Cortiñas – a drummer and composer originally from Mexico, whose ambitious projects have earned him acclaim, including the launch of his own record label, Desafío Candente.
Ben Dillinger – a sought-after bassist moving seamlessly between traditional jazz and avant-garde experiments.

Pyrography’s debut album, releasing April 4, takes its name from the ancient art of burning designs into wood—writing as singeing, history as controlled fire. The name also draws from a John Ashbery poem, capturing the spirit of fleeting moments channeled into something permanent.

   And not just the major events but the
   whole incredible
   Mass of everything happening
   simultaneously and pairing off,
   Channeling itself into history, will unroll
   As carefully and as casually as a
   conversation in the next room 

With influences ranging from discarded musical fragments to grand, romantic gestures, Pyrography crafts a sound that is both playfully irreverent and deeply intentional. Don't miss this electrifying fusion of improvisation, texture, and storytelling.

The Nunnery begins with one voice layered upon itself and becoming a lush soundscape. Sarah Elstran is an independent musician who unites bright-eyed pop composition and the hands-on atmospheric live layering of voice. Her vocal loops give us the kind of detail and multi-octave range that we might come to expect from a marquee pop star, while her production decisions continually keep us guessing what rabbit holes her tracks might fall into next.