Heisenberg Uncertainty Players

Description

Heisenberg Uncertainty Players is a diverse mixture of musicians for a variety of backgrounds. Our members are excellent musicians and creators in their own right and come together to form a unique blend of perspectives.

Work Sample

"Point Giannis" from Heisenberg Uncertainty Players' 2020 album "Gradient". The track is 6 minutes. This is a movement from "The Basketball Suite", which is a 4-movement composition inspired by modern trends in the NBA. It is a good example of HUP's ability to combine otherwise disconnected areas, including music, basketball, jazz, and R&B.

"The Crunge" by Heisenberg Uncertainty Players. Originally written and recorded by Led Zeppelin, this is John Dorhauer's arrangement and one of the pieces in HUP's performance of Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy album. This is one of the albums we have adapted cover-to-cover and a good example of how we combine jazz and rock styles. This arrangement is 9 minutes long, and the whole performance is about an hour long.

"Throb" by Heisenberg Uncertainty Players. This is the second movement in an eight-movement composition by John Dorhauer called "Functions". This movement is two minutes long, and the whole piece is 24 minutes. The piece was premiered as part of the Ear Taxi 2021 festival, and the video is taken from this performance. This is a good example of HUP's use of classical contemporary influences adapted for jazz big band instrumentation.

The provided samples demonstrate our stylistic diversity as well as our ability to recontextualize well-known examples of popular music.

History

Heisenberg Uncertainty Players (HUP) is a 17-piece new music ensemble with jazz big band instrumentation that is quickly becoming known as one of the most ambitious and creative ensembles in Chicago. Formed in 2011 and playing exclusively original compositions and arrangements from founder and director John Dorhauer, HUP has performed a wide variety of shows, including their versions of entire albums by The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, symphonic movements by Classical composers, a multimedia suite about baseball stadiums, and a boy-band tribute show. HUP performs monthly in Chicago at Phyllis' Musical Inn and the Chicago Magic Lounge.

Artistic Vision

Heisenberg Uncertainty Players is a new music ensemble with standard jazz big band instrumentation. We seek to create original music that will simultaneously invite audience members in through accessibility and challenge their preconceived notions of what a jazz band can do. We combine several disparate styles and elements in unique and inventive ways to appeal to a wide group of people, and we put inventive spins on beloved examples of popular music.

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

When we have presented our versions of entire albums, we not only perform the music in new and inventive ways, we also provide historical context for the album, the artist, and the individual songs. In doing so, we are able to engage devoted fans of the artist by allowing them to think about music they love in new ways, but we also expose new generations to artists and albums and provide them with the necessary contextual information.