Sep 2, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf (L) jokes with general manager Rick Hahn (R) as they stand on the sidelines before a baseball game against Minnesota Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Not every player on the team laid down after the Chicago White Sox fell apart in an important series against the Cleveland Guardians. But enough did that the team ended up going 0-6 during a six-game homestand. That’s right, the Sox were winless for an entire homestand.
It started with an important series against the Guardians. The Sox needed to sweep, or at least take two of three, to have realistic hopes of winning the American League Central. Instead, they got swept.
The Sox did fight hard in the first game before falling apart in extra innings. But the effort was lacking in games two and three of the series.
The Sox, still clinging to long-shot hopes for the wild card, then fell flat against the Detroit Tigers and got swept again. The Tigers have some talent, and shortstop Javier Baez had a good series, but Detroit is also the worst team in the division.
Oddly enough, the Sox did get quality starts from their starting pitchers all week only to see a lack of offense, sloppy defense, poor bullpen pitching, and an inability to hold runners on base make those starts go to waste.
The Chicago White Sox gave up on the season instead of fighting until the end.
As a fan, it’s enraging. It’s bad enough that the team has underachieved all season, with assists from baffling managerial decisions from Tony La Russa and injuries to key players like Tim Anderson not helping.
It’s worse to see that the team still had a chance, after all that, to steal the division away from a well-managed Guardians team that plays smart baseball. It’s even worse that the Sox, having lost the first game of the series, appeared to have given up.
It adds even more insult to see that the team couldn’t rouse a fighting spirit after the Cleveland series. A team that had World Series aspirations at the season’s start should be able to shake off the sweep and fight for the division and/or wild card until the math eliminates them.
It’s insulting to the fans who invested all their time and money in this season. It’s an insult to the competition and I can’t get mad at the Guardians for trolling the Sox during their celebrations. It’s pathetic.
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields was pilloried for suggesting players hurt more after losses than fans do. Apparently, at least some of the White Sox don’t hurt as much as their spectators do and that’s frustrating.
All year long, there have been rumors about the Sox clubhouse being toxic. There’s no way to know how true those rumors are without being close to the team — even the beat reporters are limited in how much time they spend in the clubhouse (if the clubhouse has even reopened post-COVID).
But it sure looks like the team has been in need of energy and effort. And while La Russa often took the blame for that, he’s been away from the team all month and acting manager Miguel Cairo has been praised for his energy and ability to call the team out for poor effort.
So the blame lies beyond La Russa. Players must look in the mirror. Any White Sox who doesn’t have fight shouldn’t be here next year, regardless of talent level.
The front office built a talented team, for the most part. There have been some misses, and some talented veterans who have underachieved (especially in the bullpen), but generally speaking, the front office gets credit for having an eye for talent.
The problem is that talent isn’t enough. Players have to execute, they have to show baseball IQ, and they have to show the ability to fight when necessary.
The Sox have done none of the latter. Players can be taught to play smarter. But the ability to fight comes from within. And the Sox have let fans down one more time, in a season full of letdowns by showing up to the park physically but not mentally.
It’s bad enough to root for a contending team that underachieved and might finish below .500. It’s bad enough to watch a manager who isn’t the right fit for the team make baffling decisions or for injuries to take prominent players out.
But it’s poisonous icing on a cake made of crap to see the players just quit. The Sox could’ve salvaged a terrible season with a late run to the postseason.
Failing that, they could’ve at least fought to the last second, giving us fans something to cheer for. It would end a bad season on a positive note. Instead, the Sox essentially gave their fans an obscene gesture on the way out the door.
Following yet another defeat in the middle of a lost season, LeBron James was asked a question at Miami’s FTX Arena that invited him to escape the losing moment to broaden and brighten his view.
What did James think about being within striking distance of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s heralded all-time NBA scoring record of 38,387 points?
“As I’ve continued to climb the ranks, it’s natural, human, to look at it and see where you are and see if it’s even possible,” the Los Angeles Lakers star said in January. “We’ll see what happens. I’ve never chased a record in my life. I’ve never sat down and said, ‘OK, let me see if I can get this record, let me see if I can get that record.’ …
2 Related
“It’s one of those things that you never think could possibly happen.”
Abdul-Jabbar has held the torch as the league’s top scorer since April 5, 1984 — nearly nine months before James, who will turn 38 in December, came into the world.
In other words, even though James says he never imagined he would pile up more points than The Captain, maybe he was born to do this.
While James’ march toward the scoring crown will attract the biggest spotlight in his 20th season, there will be plenty of other ways he can elevate his place in the NBA record books.
Here’s a look at all the statistical superlatives James is approaching in 2022-23:
LeBron James needs 1,326 points to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring mark. Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports
The big one
James comes into the season with 37,062 career points, needing 1,326 points to pass Abdul-Jabbar’s mark.
If he averages 27.1 points per game — his career average — and doesn’t miss any games, James would set the record in the Lakers’ 49th game on Jan. 25 at home against the San Antonio Spurs.
Adding time for rest or the inevitable injury or two considering how the past several seasons have gone for James — plus an expected dip in his scoring average with Anthony Davis back healthy — it’s more feasible that James would catch Abdul-Jabbar later in the campaign.
If he averages a more modest 24 points per game and misses 15% to 20% of the season, James would be nearing the plateau somewhere in the range of Game Nos. 65 to 68.
The question is, can James reach the apex in a win? James eclipsed the past four scoring legends on the all-time list — Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone — during losses by the Lakers, putting a damper on the individual accomplishment.
James also can pass Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most 30-point games in league history by topping 30 seven times to bring his career total to 515. Jordan has the most with 562.
Longevity looms
As the No. 1 pick straight out of high school in 2003, James’ career achievements were often accompanied by the youngest ever to do so. As his time in the league approaches two decades, that has flipped. He often is the oldest to reach these feats.
“I literally try to prepare my mind and my body and my soul on how I can stay young in a young man’s game,” James said last season. “The people that’s always trying to chase you or people that kind of say that you’re too old to be at this [level] still. So, it’s just always a daily reminder, and sometimes you do have to remind people that you can still do what you do at a high level.”
James can continue to climb the ladder in two accumulation categories this season. He enters the campaign third all time in minutes played with 52,139, needing 2,714 more to pass Malone for second. He would have to be in the lineup for around 75 games to do that. Abdul-Jabbar tops the list with 57,446 minutes.
Speaking of games played, he is 14th on the all-time list with 1,366. If he plays in 59 contests this season, he would move up to eighth, passing Clifford Robinson, Reggie Miller, Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan, Jason Terry and Kevin Willis.
James’ game has often been compared to Magic Johnson’s because of his potent combination of size and court vision. And all of James’ pinpoint passing over the years has him in position to pass Johnson on the all-time assists list.
James is seventh with 10,045, just 97 assists behind Johnson for sixth.
Already the only player in league history to rank in the top 10 in total points and assists, James would become the only player to rank in the top five in those categories with 291 assists to move him past Mark Jackson in fifth place and Steve Nash in fourth.
3s and frees
James averaged 30.3 points last season — the second-highest scoring average of his career — thanks in large part to his contributions on the stripe and beyond the arc.
His 75.6% mark from the free throw line was his best clip since 2011-12, and his 161 3-pointers were the most he has ever made in a season.
He is fourth on the all-time freebies list with 7,836 and needs 543 more to pass Bryant for third, which will likely take a couple of more seasons considering he had 254 makes from the line in 2021-22.
James could move past Paul Pierce for No. 10 on the all-time 3s list as soon as opening night on Oct. 18, as he is just four behind his longtime on-court rival.
If he hits 151 3s on the season, James also would pass Jamal Crawford, Jason Terry and Vince Carter on the all-time list.
James is 97 assists away from passing Magic Johnson for sixth all time. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
Boards and triple-doubles
James quietly had one of the best rebounding seasons of his career in 2021-22, with his 8.2 boards representing the fourth-best single-season average.
With 10,210 career rebounds, he ranks No. 38 on the all-time list. If he adds 500 boards this season, he’ll shoot up to No. 32, passing Otis Thorpe, Bill Laimbeer, Dave Cowens, former teammates Tyson Chandler and Ben Wallace, and David Robinson.
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James is the only player in league history with 30,000 career points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists, so it’s no wonder he also is among elite company when it comes to the all-time triple-double list.
He is No. 5 with 105 and needs three to pass Kidd for fourth. James racked up six triple-doubles last season, bringing his total since his 35th birthday to 17 — more than double any other player in NBA history in that age bracket.
Defensive feats
If the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame required entrants to select one signature play to define their careers, James would be sending a 2016 NBA Finals clip of his Game 7 chase-down block on Andre Iguodala to Springfield, Massachusetts.
James comes into the season No. 93 on the all-time blocked shots list; if he matches his total from last year of 59, he would jump up 13 spots to tie Bob Lanier and Buck Williams for No. 80 with 1,100 career swats.
James also knows how to play the passing lanes on the defensive end of the court, ranking No. 10 on the all-time steals list. He will vault two-time Defensive Player of the Year Hakeem Olajuwon for No. 9 with 27 more swipes and pass Clyde Drexler for eighth place with 72 steals.
Playoff prowess
After missing the playoffs for just the fourth time in his 19-year career, James would tell you that getting the Lakers back in the postseason is his top priority over any individual accolade.
James said this summer he felt so left out of the league’s biggest stage that he found himself waking up at 3 a.m. while on vacation in the Maldives to tune in to games as they happened live.
“As much as I don’t want to watch it, because it burns my stomach to not be a part of these games, because it’s the best time to play basketball, like, the fan in me cannot [resist],” James said on an episode of his YouTube talk show, “The Shop: Uninterrupted.” “I just love it.”
James missed the playoffs for just the fourth time in his 19-year career. David Richard/USA TODAY Sports
It’s no wonder why he loves the postseason. He ranks No. 1 in playoff history in points, field goals, free throws, steals and games played. Not to mention, he is the only player to rank in the postseason top 10 in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
While he’ll have a hard time catching the two guys above him for all-time postseason 3-pointers — he is third behind the Golden State Warriors‘ Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson — there are a couple of categories in which he could gain some ground.
James is second in all-time playoff triple-doubles, needing three more to pass Johnson for the top spot.
And if he can accumulate 118 rebounds, he’ll pass a pair of former Lakers big men in Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal to go from sixth to fourth in all-time postseason boards.
While James has piled up so many records at this point that many barely seem to register with the Lakers star, Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring total is one that has his attention.
“I’m kind of in awe of it,” James said Monday when asked about nearing Abdul-Jabbar’s mark. “Like, ‘Wow.’ … To sit here and to know that I’m on the verge of breaking probably the most sought after record in the NBA, something that people said would probably never be done, it’s just super humbling for myself. I think it’s super cool.”
Chicago posthardcore four-piece Tar broke up in 1995, and the number of times they’ve reunited for a show since then you can count on one hand—this gig will be the first time they’ve buffeted a live audience with their mischievous stomp since 2017. They haven’t exactly been silent the past five years, though: for one thing, they’ve excavated six live recordings from their seven-year run (including a rehearsal tape with no vocals) and uploaded them to Bandcamp. Two of the recordings are from Lounge Ax: the final Tar show in November 1995 and a ripping set from November 1992. The latter captures Tar’s ability to extract melody from repetitive bludgeoning and teeth-gnashing aggression. Front man John Mohr delivers his bellicose yells with the mania of a musician feeding off the energy of a crowd, and the band’s intensity comes through so clearly that you can almost smell the hot, cigarette-stained air of a packed 90s club—and almost see their famous aluminum guitars, custom-built by Ian Schneller at Specimen Products. (That clarity is thanks in part to Brad Wood, one of Chicago indie rock’s go-to producers at the time, who was working live sound that night.) Tar contributed another Lounge Ax set from earlier in 1992 to last year’s four-disc Tar Box, which rounds up their two Amphetamine Reptile albums (1990’s Roundhouse and 1991’s Jackson) and their first AmRep EP, 1989’s Handsome. Georgia indie label Chunklet Industries and Tar’s own No Blow Records had the set’s vinyl pressed at Chicago plant Smashed Plastic, so it’s a full-circle moment to see Tar play at Smashed Plastic’s first daylong music festival.
Tar Part of the daylong festival Smashed Plastic: Live Vol. 1, which also includes several DJs and live sets from Pixel Grip, Fire-Toolz, Rookie, Ono, Serengeti, and Bev Rage & the Drinks. Sat 10/1, noon-10 PM, Smashed Plastic, Workshop 4200, 4200 W. Diversey, $35, 21+
Chicago posthardcore four-piece Tar broke up in 1995, and the number of times they’ve reunited for a show since then you can count on one hand—this gig will be the first time they’ve buffeted a live audience with their mischievous stomp since 2017. They haven’t exactly been silent the past five years, though: for one thing, they’ve excavated six live recordings from their seven-year run (including a rehearsal tape with no vocals) and uploaded them to Bandcamp. Two of the recordings are from Lounge Ax: the final Tar show in November 1995 and a ripping set from November 1992. The latter captures Tar’s ability to extract melody from repetitive bludgeoning and teeth-gnashing aggression. Front man John Mohr delivers his bellicose yells with the mania of a musician feeding off the energy of a crowd, and the band’s intensity comes through so clearly that you can almost smell the hot, cigarette-stained air of a packed 90s club—and almost see their famous aluminum guitars, custom-built by Ian Schneller at Specimen Products. (That clarity is thanks in part to Brad Wood, one of Chicago indie rock’s go-to producers at the time, who was working live sound that night.) Tar contributed another Lounge Ax set from earlier in 1992 to last year’s four-disc Tar Box, which rounds up their two Amphetamine Reptile albums (1990’s Roundhouse and 1991’s Jackson) and their first AmRep EP, 1989’s Handsome. Georgia indie label Chunklet Industries and Tar’s own No Blow Records had the set’s vinyl pressed at Chicago plant Smashed Plastic, so it’s a full-circle moment to see Tar play at Smashed Plastic’s first daylong music festival.
Tar Part of the daylong festival Smashed Plastic: Live Vol. 1, which also includes several DJs and live sets from Pixel Grip, Fire-Toolz, Rookie, Ono, Serengeti, and Bev Rage & the Drinks. Sat 10/1, noon-10 PM, Smashed Plastic, Workshop 4200, 4200 W. Diversey, $35, 21+
It is a good strategy because it is an excellent draft for everyone in the first round and possibly beyond. The Blackhawks will surely be picking in the top five if they have anything to say about it.
One thing that might make them even worse is by letting go of some of their top guys. One of those is Patrick Kane who might be the greatest player in team history. There are plenty of teams that would love to have him.
The Montreal Canadiens might be looking to make a big splash right before the season. They are a young team that might want a veteran like this to come in and help them be a playoff contender again.
These three Patrick Kane trades could be what gets a deal done between these two Original Six franchises if that is the direction that each wanted to go:
Blackhawks Get
2023 First-Round Pick (MTL)
2023 First-Round Pick (FLA)
Canadiens Get
Patrick Kane
The Montreal Canadiens might believe they can get Patrick Kane from Chicago.
If the Montreal Canadiens believe that they can get back into the postseason this year after being one of the worst teams in the league last year, they might be willing to make a big trade for Patrick Kane. They were in the Stanley Cup Final just two years ago so anything can happen.
Kane is someone that can make any team better. They might want to get an extension done quickly if they traded for him, especially if they traded two first-round picks for him.
Montreal has two picks in the 2023 first round thanks to a trade that they made with the Florida Panthers. Both of those could be worth something to Chicago which is in a legit rebuild.
Kane is still an elite player that can help all of those youngsters in Montreal grow their game. He also has experience playing with Kirby Dach who was acquired by the Canadiens over the summer. It is something for both sides to consider if that was the direction that they wanted to go in.
When the Chicago Bears hired Luke Getsy away from Green Bay to be their new offensive coordinator, there was plenty of optimism about what it meant for Justin Fields. There was a sense that finally, the team would tailor an offensive scheme around their highly touted first round draft pick in an effort to maximize his skillset.
That enthusiasm was somewhat muted when the team failed to make any “splash” moves in free agency, and the narrative shifted somewhat to “the Chicago Bears don’t believe in Justin Fields.” There were rumors and rumblings throughout the offseason to that effect, but most dismissed them as just that — rumors.
The new regime quickly pledged their support and belief in Fields and the narrative seemed to dissipate. However, it reared its head again recently with a tweet from Benjamin Allbright that the Bears had conversations with the Seattle Seahawks about Russell Wilson, before he was ultimately dealt to the Denver Broncos. However, Allbright reported that the Seahawks didn’t want Fields. If the report is true, and the new regime was looking to move on from Fields before the team even put the pads on this offseason, that would certainly suggest a lack of confidence.
Nevertheless, it was another report that, in isolation, was dismissed.
Do the Chicago Bears trust Justin Fields?
And then the regular season started, and the empirical evidence thus far seems to lend credibility to the earlier reports that were dismissed out of hand.
Game one agains the San Francisco 49ers could easily have been dismissed as an aberration. After all, they were playing in a monsoon, so it wasn’t abnormal at all that they only passed the ball 17 times. Then week two against the Packers saw Fields pass only 11 times. One could argue the flow of the game led them to lean on the run since they were having so much success with it, but that was two games in a row that Fields was limited in opportunities.
Surely in week three against the lowly Houston Texans, Getsy and head coach Matt Eberflus would allow him to open things up and air it out at home, right?
Well . . . about that. Turns out the gameplan for week three looked an awful lot like weeks one and two, with Fields attempting just 17 passes. In this game, there was no natural disaster precluding them from throwing more. In fact, the weather was mild, and the conditions, along with how the game was unfolding on the field, were conducive to throwing the ball. And yet they didn’t. Not only did they not open up the passing game to complement their effective running game, but they seemed intent on protecting Fields from himself. In a one score game, on three separate occasions, the Bears ran the ball on 3rd and 6, 3rd and 10, and 3rd and 17.
If you are not willing to allow your second year quarterback to throw the ball in situations like this, how can you expect him to get the experience he needs to develop? Which, isn’t that what this year really is about — the development of Justin Fields?
Fields is learning a brand new offense with only 15 NFL starts under his belt. While practice reps and watching film might help, there is no substitute for live game reps. That is the best, and only way, he is truly going to develop. Without giving him those opportunities, the Bears are also limiting their ability to properly evaluate him this season.
This staff would be wise to give Fields an fair shake this season and take the training wheels off. Allow him to make and learn from his mistakes and to get invaluable experience. If they have such little confidence in his abilities that they need to fashion a game plan as if it were tailored for an UDFA QB playing his first game, then why are they trotting him out there every week?
For the record, I personally have the utmost faith in Justin Fields’ abilities and think he’s one of the most physically gifted and talented quarterbacks in the league. But he has a lot he needs to work on and that can only come on the field on Sundays. This staff is doing Fields and the Chicago Bears a disservice if they don’t figure out a way to fully develop those skills this season.
Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.
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What if the person you love—the one you want to spend the rest of your life with—were to confess a secret so bizarre, so disturbing, that it makes you question whether you know them at all? How do you truly accept every part of a person when you can’t begin to understand one of their most deeply held beliefs?
Such questions are at the heart of Enough to Let the Light In, a world premiere psychological thriller by Mexican American playwright Paloma Nozicka, produced by Teatro Vista and copresented at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater. Director Georgette Verdin and the two costars skillfully balance suspenseful staging, complete with some hair-raising jump scares, and the raw emotions of a relationship under immense strain.
Enough to Let the Light In Through 10/23: Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, Sun 3 PM, Steppenwolf 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650, steppenwolf.org, $25-$45. Presented as part of the fifth annual Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival; see clata.org or destinosfest.org for festival schedule.
Melissa DuPrey (Dr. Sara Ortiz on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy) and Lisandra Tena (Lola Guerrero on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead) play Marc and Cynthia, two women who have been together for only eight months but are ready to commit to each other for good. Marc has a successful therapy practice, and Cynthia is an artist who used to paint professionally but now works in retail at an art supply store. On the night when we meet the two lovers, Cynthia invites Marc to stay over at her house for the first time. Indeed, she has never even let her partner set foot past her front door—an early revelation that immediately raises questions, given the evident intimacy between the two.
The show maintains a lighthearted tone at first as Marc and Cynthia settle in for a happy evening together. DuPrey and Tena share a playful, sweet chemistry, but their lively banter is soon underscored by foreboding hints at what’s ahead. Cynthia acts strangely territorial about a certain closet door, insisting that Marc hang her coat elsewhere and that the door remain slightly ajar, laughing off these demands by saying she’s a bit OCD.
We also glimpse another odd habit of Cynthia’s: pouring out a bowl of dry cereal and leaving it in the living room. Later, when Cynthia is alone in the room, she whispers a spine-chilling question, “Are you there?” into the dark closet. The house itself seems as jumpy as its owner—doors open on their own, a painting repeatedly falls off the wall, and mysterious sounds cause you to tune in closely to any ambient noise in the theater, wondering if it’s part of the show.
When Cynthia suggests a game of Two Truths and a Lie, secrets slowly begin to come to light. It would be a shame to reveal too many plot points, so I’ll keep the spoilers to a minimum. We learn that Cynthia had a previous marriage and a child before meeting Marc and that her family was torn apart by a terrible tragedy. While this news is shocking to Marc, it pales in comparison to Cynthia’s next confession: she claims to know why the house seems haunted, and her explanation shakes Marc to the core. As a good therapist, Marc insists that she would never use the term “crazy,” but her professional instincts kick in as she realizes that her partner is traumatized and needs help.
Under Verdin’s direction, the pacing of this production is exceptionally well done. The comfortable normality of the early scenes is punctuated with enough unsettling notes to keep the viewer on edge. Tena is quite effective in her delivery of Cynthia’s bombshell revelations, and the action gradually builds to a climax that justifies the moniker of “thriller.” The quality work of the creative team, especially the scenic design by Sotirios Livaditis and sound design by Stefanie M. Senior, is key to the success of the jump scares.
While it’s certainly thrilling, the psychological aspects of this psychological thriller are equally as compelling. Cynthia bares her soul about what motherhood has cost her, especially as someone who didn’t want children in the first place. Despite her love for her child, the loss of her previous life as a promising young artist—and the attendant loss of her sense of self—led her to dark places. For readers of Toni Morrison, there are distinct echoes of Beloved, particularly in the haunted house trope and its connection to maternal guilt.
For Marc, the evening’s events provide a harrowing test of her love for Cynthia and her commitment to this relatively new relationship. When her partner asks her to believe something that defies reason, Marc is torn between logic and love. Complicating matters, Cynthia raises the point that Marc herself, a regular churchgoer, believes in an unseen God and still talks to her late father. How is this different from Cynthia’s extraordinary claims? Marc struggles to come up with a good response.
The play ends ambiguously, leaving room for speculation about what’s really going on in this creepy old house and how these two women will navigate their future together (or not). None of the questions it raises are tied up with a neat bow, but this feels like an honest approach. Everyone brings baggage to a relationship, if not secrets as strange as Cynthia’s, and it would feel contrived to end with pat answers here. No one would wish to have their relationship stress-tested in such an extreme manner, but the show prompts reflection on what it means to accept someone’s whole self when you love them.
A final note: Enough to Let the Light In is part of the fifth Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. With 13 productions across Chicago and Aurora, the festival runs through mid-October (some shows continue into November), and showcases new works by Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S., and Latin America. This year’s festival and Teatro Vista’s production are both dedicated to the late Myrna Salazar, cofounder and executive director of the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, the organization that coproduces Destinos along with the National Museum of Mexican Art, the International Latino Cultural Center, and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance.
Stockholm-based, American-born composer Kali Malone is known for her pipe-organ works, and her path to the instrument was hardly conventional. Five minutes into her first and only organ lesson, she prevailed upon the teacher to let her get inside the instrument. She left with a referral to an organ tuner, with whom she eventually apprenticed. Malone’s music doesn’t deal with virtuosic display. Instead, she devises rigorous, rule-based compositions whose austerity is paradoxically affecting. On The Sacrificial Code (Ideal Recordings), the two-hour 2019 album whose material forms the foundation for this concert, close microphone placement strips the organ of its usual room reverb, revealing the structural integrity of a series of long, slow-motion canons that draw the listener into a meditative state. And on “Pipe Inversions (for Kirnberger III),” Malone’s contribution to a 2021 collection of music in just intonation titled The Harmonic Series II (Important), she uses that tuning system to set the listener adrift in a wash of sympathetic vibrations that can be felt as much as heard. Because some of her pieces require four hands, Malone sometimes performs with a second musician; her accompanist tonight will be Stephen O’Malley of Sunn O))), Khanate, and KTL.
Kali Malone Sat 10/1, 8 PM, Rockefeller Chapel, University of Chicago, 5850 S. Woodlawn, free, all ages
