Lily Finnegan's Heat On
Saturday, September 27
TIME: 4:00pm-5:00pm
VENUE: Hyde Park union church. 5600 South woodlawn ave.
A photo of Lily Finnegan’s Heat On playing against a red and white background (from left to right): Fred Jackson Jr. playing alto saxophone, Edward Wilkerson Jr. playing tenor saxophone, Nick Macri playing bass, and Lily Finnegan playing drums.
Photo by Leah Wendzinski
LILY FINNEGAN’S HEAT ON
Lily Finnegan’s Heat On is a multigenerational jazz quartet and new Chicago powerhouse led by drummer and composer Lily Finnegan and featuring saxophonists Edward Wilkerson Jr. and Fred Jackson Jr. and bassist Nick Macri. The quartet’s debut album came out on Cuneiform Records in June.
A Chicago native, Finnegan is a drummer, composer, improviser, and organizer. In addition to leading Heat On, she is also a member of Ken Vandermark’s Edition Redux, The Sarah Clausen Trio, and a co-led duo project with violinist gabby fluke-mogul. Finnegan’s wide-ranging interests and cross-genre influences are embodied in her collaborations with artists including James Brandon Lewis, Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, Macie Stewart, Fay Victor, Sylvia Bolognesi, Ed Wilkerson, Shanta Nurullah, Dave Rempis, Katie Ernst, Jason Stein, Devon Gates, Katinka Kleijn, Emma Dayhuff, and Lia Kohl.
Finnegan also co-curates the Option Series, a showcase of contemporary approaches to improvisation and composition, held at Experimental Sound Studio. She was spotlighted as a “Chicagoan of Note” by The Chicago Reader for her musical organizing work in the city. In 2025, she became a member of the independent music cooperative Catalytic Sound.
The musicians:
Edward Wilkerson Jr. - tenor saxophone
Fred Jackson Jr. - alto saxophone
Nick Macri – bass
Lily Finnegan – drums