Description
The 5 after 7 Project is a collaborative of diverse musicians residing in the Chicagoland area. The group performs thought provoking music from jazz to classical. The 5 after 7 Project was founded by Saalik Ziyad while he was attending Northern Illinois University. Most of the compositions performed are written by Saalik and can be arranged to fit the needs of different audiences and age groups. The band size can range from a duo to a decet.
Artistic Vision
The vision and mission of The 5 after 7 Project is to entertain and educate the world through music. Music is a universal language of peace, love and struggle for humanity in the world. Most of the compositions that we perform are steeped in the tradition of jazz, but we also look towards the future. the duty to perform music that brings about social change through peace and responsibility is a concept we embrace in our music.
Marketing
The 5 after 7 Project markets itself as an ensemble that plays different kinds of improvised jazz music from traditional swing to everything else. Presenting varying themed concerts is a part of our marketing approach. For example, we have performed concerts focusing on the music of the Bebop Masters, such as Lee Morgan, Thelonius Monk Charlie Parker and others, as a specific area of study. We also like to bring in special guests, including master performers that we respectfully call "our elder's" as a marketing component and for reaching audiences unfamiliar with our sound as a promotional aspect.
Our audience is very diverse from age to race and have found using the internet and myspace, along with other social networking sites to be very effective for marketing our availability and announcing upcoming performances.
We also list our performances with local newspaper, radio, and other media outlets.
