FITZGERALDS SIDEBAR Presents:  FREE SHOW! Click “Book Now” to RSVP for guaranteed entry. Riding through “an international confluence of downtempo, jazz, and funk”, Imperial Boxmen features a power ensemble of heavyweight Chicago players. After years of underground exposure in Chicago as a niche acid jazz trio (made up of Ford, Austin, and Plotkin) focused on recreating the songs sampled in 90’s hip hop, the Boxmen sound gradually moved to original music under the direction of keyboardist Kevin Ford. Their sound sits firmly in the jazz underground of Chicago, drawing influences from instrumental hip-hop, 70s jazz-funk, and currents of afrobeat and ethiopiques music. The band name, Imperial Boxmen, paints an image of the ‘in-house’ musical ensemble in the court of a god-emperor—partly inspired by the era of Ethiopian jazz in the 60s and 70s under Emperor Haile Selassi: the soundtrack of a mythical future utopia. The band features Kevin Ford on keyboards, Alex Austin on Bass, Noah Plotkin on Drums & Danjuma Gaskin on Percussion. Grab dinner before the show at BABYGOLD BARBECUE ***PARKING*** There is rather limited street parking in the area, we recommend arriving by rideshare, bicycle, or rickshaw.   ***AGE RESTRICTIONS*** 21+, Minors admitted with guardian!