The Sunday Preview: The moody blues blow in from Windy City

WEARING warpaint and funny hats, the Art Ensemble of Chicago brought two qualities to the Sixties avant-garde: historical perspective and a sense of irony. They were, in fact, prototype post-moderns. But there was more to it than that, and their concerts tend to create the kind of mood that lingers for days, thanks to a blending of the sensibilities of five remarkable musicians - the trumpeter Lester Bowie, the saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman, the bassist Malachi Favors and the drummer Famoudou Don Moye. Their origins were in Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, which also nurtured Anthony Braxton and Leo Smith. For these two dates the quintet will be joined by five other players from the Windy City, including the superlative pianist Amina Claudine Myers and the harmonica-player Chicago Beau in a tribute to the Chicago blues tradition. (Union Chapel, N1, 071-477 3812, Thurs, 7pm and 10pm; Fruitmarket, Glasgow, 041-227 5511, Fri.)

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