Andrew Bird's 'Sunday Morning' a Chicago homecoming

When it came time to figure out a good spot for the new album release show for “Sunday Morning Put-On,” the Green Mill was a natural choice.

SHARE Andrew Bird's 'Sunday Morning' a Chicago homecoming
Milk overflows in a cup that Andrew Bird holds up in one hand.

Andrew Bird returns to Chicago this week for two shows.

Alexa Viscius

Sometimes home feels like putting on your favorite jazz records on a lazy Sunday morning, sipping a cup of coffee and tapping your feet along to the rhythm.

At least, it feels that way for Andrew Bird. His new album, “Sunday Morning Put-On” (out May 24), features riffs on the small ensemble, mid-century jazz that has been a lifelong muse for the virtuoso violinist. And the title, in some respects, refers to a time living in Chicago in the 1990s when his practice on Sundays, and many other days, was listening to songbook standards and letting it all soak in.

It was a time before the Lake Forest native started working with the Squirrel Nut Zippers and forming his Bowl of Fire folk-swing-big band troupe; before the indie infamy and Grammy noms and his brilliant score work; a time when Bird was living in an Edgewater building surrounded by Jesuit priests and nuns from Loyola and teaching violin at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

In those days, he was a frequent listener of WBEZ-FM and recalls spending morning to night listening to “Blues Before Sunrise” and the Dick Buckley Show. “I’d stay up all night and sometimes I’d tape the shows to listen to them later,” he shares in a recent telephone interview from his home in L.A. “It was a huge part of my musical diet on a daily basis.”

ANDREW BIRD TRIO

When: 8 p.m. May 29

Where: Green Mill, 4802 N. Broadway

Tickets: Sold Out

Info: greenmilljazz.com
ANDREW BIRD/CHICAGO HUMANITIES FEST

When: 8 p.m. May 31

Where: Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.

Tickets: Sold Out

Info: chicagohumanities.org

There was also another local treasure where Bird would often frequent to get his fill — the Green Mill.

“I used to ride my bike over there in the mornings because they were open. … There’d be a couple people at the bar but mostly I had the place to myself, and I got to play the jukebox mounted in the wall, [filled with] vinyl 45s of classic jazz.” He pauses, caught in the memory, before adding, “I look back and see Chicago as a very rich environment. I don’t know if I appreciated it at the time but I certainly do now.”

So, when it came time to figure out a good spot for the record release show for “Sunday Morning Put-On,” the Green Mill was a natural choice.

“It makes total sense. … Well, it doesn’t make sense economically but it makes sense artistically,” Bird jokes.

Playing the hallowed Uptown joint is a truly special affair for the amphitheater-league musician. It’s a venue he seldom returns to, the last time being 2019, though it will be a cherished spot for fans to hear the hand-picked gems on the new record. The 10 tracks feature takes on Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Lerner & Loewe and Rodgers & Hart and show tunes like “I Fall In Love Too Easily” (Sammy Cahn-Jule Styne) & “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face” (Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe). There’s also one original, “Ballon de Peut-etre.”

Andrew Bird sits in a stool wearing a grey blazer and sunglasses.

Andrew Bird

Alexa Viscius

The effort is formally billed as the Andrew Bird Trio and features instrumentals from guitarist Jeff Parker and pianist Larry Goldings. Bird’s incredible manipulation of the violin and his playful vocals are the album’s real riches, with his go-to instrument sounding like a whole other beast.

“I subconsciously adopt certain techniques to get the sounds I hear in my head,” Bird says, admitting that he’s long been drawn to tenor sax players like Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young and wanted that sound on “Sunday Morning Put-On.” That sound is, as he says, “that sort of fluid, less-articulated phrasing that they were known for … even though it’s an entirely different principle of making sound with a bow and a string versus a reed.”

Andrew Bird's "Sunday Morning Put-On" album is the culmination of a 30-year passion project.

Andrew Bird’s “Sunday Morning Put-On” album is the culmination of a 30-year passion project.

Concord Music Group

Bird says the album — a 30-year passion project — finally developed after he wrapped up the release and promotion rigmarole for 2022’s “Inside Problems.”

“I like to create these little sabbaticals [between albums] where I scratch an itch that doesn’t get scratched when I’m making song albums. I really didn’t feel like writing at that time last winter. I wanted to just kind of buckle down and be a student again …. and see where I could get to as a jazz soloist,” he says.

Though, ultimately, his motive in “Sunday Morning Put-On” was to “make an album I don’t think exists. … I make albums because I can’t find what I hear in my head in the record store,” he says.

While Bird’s events this month — also including a Chicago Humanities Festival event on May 31 at his old stomping grounds — the Old Town School of Folk Music — are both sold-out, there’s always the chance to see Bird again in December at his long-running Gezelligheid shows at Fourth Presbyterian Church, a now holiday tradition that seems to add more dates every year.

“I feel like I have more energy for it every year as I get older. I used to find seven shows in a row to just destroy me, and now it kind of invigorates me,” Bird admits. “Now, it’s my favorite thing to do all year.”

More 2024 Summer Guides
  1. JC Brooks Band continues its comeback at inaugural Off North Shore festival
  2. What's that beautiful noise? It's the summer concert season in Chicago
  3. Food, music, art and workouts in the park — family-friendly fests and special events offer these and more
  4. Kronos Quartet celebrating bittersweet 50th anniversary as two members will soon depart
  5. Sun-Times readers suggest budget-friendly ways to enjoy summertime in Chicago
  6. Make tracks to these laugh hubs for a summer filled with comedy
  7. 5 ways to beat the heat this summer
  8. Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit at Art Institute finds the artist in a New York state of mind
  9. Swimming in Lake Michigan this summer? Here are 3 swim safety tips you should know
  10. Sing, dance, laugh out loud, say hi to a dinosaur — enjoy these summer events with the whole family
  11. Sueños 2024: Qué está permitido llevar, reglas de entrada, opciones de transporte y más
  12. Sueños 2024: Bag policy, entry rules, transit options and more
  13. Beyond the stadium superstars, other great talents will make music in Chicago this summer
  14. Lincoln Roscoe Art & Craft Fair helps kick off Chicago's street fest season
  15. Chicago-area stages are primed for a summer filled with comedy, drama, musicals, magic and more
  16. Summer Movie Preview: Blockbuster season brings back Deadpool, Axel Foley and the 'Inside Out' gang
  17. 'The Enigmatist' creator combines his passions for puzzlemaking and magic for immersive evening of theater
  18. Una galería del Mariachi Potosino en el museo de arte de Pilsen honra el legado de los músicos en Chicago

The Latest
At least one person has died following a crash Sunday morning in the 2600 block of South California Avenue.
Some businesses saw a brief boost. Many lost regular customers during the festival because of traffic.
The circumstances of the shooting were unknown.
The man was discovered Sunday morning with multiple gunshot wounds.
Preliminary evidence indicates multiple gunmen opened fire Sunday night in the 4500 block of South Evans Avenue, according to Chicago police.