Bill MacKay, who has featured many times on KLOF Mag, most recently in a collaboration with Elena Setién (as Black Duck), is joining forces with the American jazz percussionist Michael Zerang. Scarlet Hour will be the duo’s first collaborative long-player, released January 29th via Drag City.
Like MacKay, Zerang is a longstanding pillar of the Chicago music scene and no stranger to collaboration, having worked with figures such as Peter Brötzmann, Jeff Parker, Eugene Chadbourne, Tashi Dorji, and Daniel Higgs. The album is comprised of eight tracks, taking inspiration from Arabian, Turkish, Indian and Iberian folk music – some tracks written together, and some penned by one or the other player. Their lead single, simply titled New Song, is accompanied by a video directed by another Chicagoan, Michael Vallera, a musician and visual artist. His photographic work, which often highlights aspects of internal symmetry and balance, really shines through across this video, a perfect visual counterpoint to MacKay and Zerang‘s exploration and balance of rhythm and melody alike.
Bill MacKay & Michael Zerang US Tour Dates 2027
Jan. 29th @ The Hideout – Chicago, IL (Record release show!)
Mar. 18th @ Evanston SPACE – Evanston, IL
Mar. 19th @ Rozz-Tox – Rock Island, IL
Mar. 20th @ Arts + Literature Laboratory – Madison, WI
Mar. 21st @ Woodland Pattern – Milwaukee, WI
Pre-Save/Order: https://lnk.to/scarlethour