<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1d8bcT_1H3hXWcr00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1d8bcT_1H3hXWcr00" width="1121" height="747" ></figure>The Event Horizon Quartet performs at The Old Elburn Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The Quartet is one of many bi-weekly groups of jazz musicians from around the area that perform at The Hall to an audience of Elburn natives who appreciate the art of jazz. Music is the core of creative connection. The emotions that pull at the strings of your heart or the goosebumps that spread like fire across your skin all tend to be caused by the combination of rhythm and melody. Music, inherently, is the catalyst to these emotions. You may not realize it, but the impact that an arbitrary string of notes has on your life and the lives of the people around you is undeniable. When delved into deeper, the story behind the pitches reveals the emotions the composer pours into their work. Whether you’re looking at a ballad, a somber track, a grunge tune or a reggae song, they’re all designed to speak to your brain and ignite your emotions. When your focus shifts to the center of downtown Elburn, you’re introduced to maybe the most evocative genre of music: the jazz scene. Jazz doesn’t always have a direction; it doesn’t need it. The whim of the music is what entices you; it’s what keeps it fresh. Jazz doesn’t need to abide by the rules that other genres may follow. The musicians infuse their own personalities into it and almost give the music its own soul. The rhythm of the piece, the instrumental solos, the passion that is poured into each note is what entices millions of people globally. All of these fervent, passionate aspects serve to fuel the emotional side of you. It may make it appear like the music is almost speaking to you, and that’s because, in a figurative sense, it is.Jazz is a conversation. Every Wednesday night in the heart of Elburn, that conversation finds itself in The Old Elburn Hall. For drummer Matt Kellen, a touring drummer across the Chicagoland area, jazz can be so much more than simply light background music. It’s an exchange between every member of the band and the audience, built on improvisation and rhythm.“I think that the thing that’s special about jazz is when you hear the real deal, it’s not just background music,” Kellen said. “People are really trying to make art that is a conversation, and the audience feels like they’re part of that.”Kellen, who is a seasoned drummer and has devoted years to his craft, does exactly that when playing his gigs. His aggressive style of play characterizes the songs he performs in his own unique fashion. The connection he has with the rhythm of the song allows him to speak to the audience about the person that he is through the craft that he adores. Kellen has been at The Old Elburn Hall in particular several times, noting his roots in the town and his connection to the owners. “I got the call from Matt Kavanaugh, the guitarist, to play tonight, and I love this place,” Kellen said. “I grew up out here and have long ties to the venue owners. So if anyone ever asks me to come play here, it’s always a big yes.”Kellen’s childhood connection to The Old Elburn Hall makes it that much more meaningful to share the wonderful world of jazz music with the town. One of his first times being involved with music even happened to be with co-owner of The Old Elburn Hall and multi-intrumentalist Joel Ream.“I had my very first piano lesson with Joel and Janelle Ream back in the 1990s,” Kellen said. “We’ve been family friends forever, and it’s a really cool thing how that all goes down. “Similar to Kellen, drummer and co-founder of Hix Brothers Music School Andrew Hix has played at The Old Elburn Hall a number of times. He particularly enjoys the listener forward attitude of the venue. “Sometimes you can do a gig and you’re wallpaper, and that’s fine,” Hix said. “You’re hired for that. But at The Hall, people are actually there to pay attention, which is great.”Hix isn’t alone in his appreciation of The Hall’s audience. Guitarist Matt Kavanaugh has also frequently played there and holds similar gratitude to both the building and its patrons.“The Elburn Hall is a great spot to play,” Kavanaugh said. “It’s just a really good place and a good area where people are there to enjoy the music and listen.”For performers, the way an audience responds can become an important driving force for the performance itself. The way an audience collectively moves with the rhythm of the music being performed, tapping their feet, bobbing their head or even just clapping after a solo helps join the two sides of the room together. “I would say if I have a gig where I haven’t had someone move their body or make a sound or something, I’m like, ‘Huh. What did I not do?’ or something,” Kellen said.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1YKWI2_1H3hXWcr00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1YKWI2_1H3hXWcr00" width="898" height="818" ></figure>An outside look at The Old Elburn Hall building on any given Wednesday. The bright sign that beams in the front window is almost impossible to miss while passing by on performance day.The Old Elburn Hall hasn’t always been a bustling jazz club. In fact, the building itself was constructed in 1904 as a butcher shop named The Elburn Market. 50 years after being opened, the butcher shop was purchased by the Ream family and was subsequently renamed Ream’s Meat Market. It functioned as such until 2016 when it was clear their work had outgrown the building, so they moved to their current larger location down the street.Randy Ream, co-owner of The Old Elburn Hall and saxophonist for the venue’s house quintet and lifelong musician, decided with the rest of his family to transition the now empty building into a jazz club. Throughout the next few years, the interior of the building would be fine tuned for perfect acoustics and a welcoming atmosphere while keeping the historic exterior architecture. “You want to walk into it and feel comfortable.” Ream said. “You know the lighting has to be right, the room has to be right. You kind of notice that when you walk into a McDonald’s compared to a really good restaurant.”The attention put into the musical ambience and acoustics does not go unnoticed by the performers either.“The fact that the owners are musicians, they just kind of get it,” Hix said. “It’s always packed when we play there, and they’re always extremely appreciative.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0DJ5s8_1H3hXWcr00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0DJ5s8_1H3hXWcr00" width="1235" height="818" ></figure>The Event Horizon Quartet performs at The Old Elburn Hall. The warm lighting, designed to draw out the features of the performers, highlights the band as an intent audience watches on from the main viewing area of the building.For musicians, the relationships between bandmates can be just as meaningful as the performances themselves.“I’ve had many moments with those guys that further deepen my appreciation for being able to play and create music with people like that and share it with others,” Kavanaugh said.The connection doesn’t stop between the performers but extends into the audience. Between the occasional viewers, out of town visitors and regular patrons, everyone plays their own part in the collective experience. Frequent Hall attendee and musician Jason Musser has been going almost every week since it opened. “Everyone who plays here is great and approachable,” Musser said. “And you’ll meet some interesting, oddball, charming patrons as well.”To many, The Hall has been a cornerstone of their weeks since it opened. Every Wednesday, a community of people unite in one building for the shared purpose of communicating though the music they hear. They listen to everything the band has to offer, and they give everything they have right back.“There are times when I have thought, ‘I don’t know if I want to drag myself out there,'” Musser said. “But absolutely every time I come out here, no matter how bad I thought I was doing, my mental health is so much better after coming here.”That’s the goal with a musical-driven atmosphere like The Old Elburn Hall. Being able to share music with the emotional impact of jazz has the capability to influence the lives of attendees similar to Musser.The musicians that perform at The Hall know just how impactful jazz can be to a listener like Musser as well.“It’s the universal language,” Kellen said. We all feel the syncopation. I feel like perhaps the element of improvisation mixed with just the most interesting rhythms you’ve ever heard, you know, people naturally get into it that way.”The conversation that jazz music is between the musician and the listener is something that is not foreign to the people at The Old Elburn Hall. Ream knows that through the emotions and passion that is devoted to the art of jazz, that conversation can be what separates a tasteless tune from an introspective piece of art. “Music is a form of communication,” Ream said. “The musicians that can communicate the best tend to produce the best music. That’s philosophical, isn’t it?”</div></body>

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The Event Horizon Quartet performs at The Old Elburn Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The Quartet is one of many bi-weekly groups of jazz musicians from around the area that perform at The Hall to an audience of Elburn natives who appreciate the art of jazz. Music is the core...

A conversation in every note

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The Event Horizon Quartet performs at The Old Elburn Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The Quartet is one of many bi-weekly groups of jazz musicians from around 

A conversation in every note

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