began with the collaboration 25 years ago of poet R. Virgil Ellis with musician Al Jewer of Laughing Cat Studio. In 1983 the two moved from flute and poet duets to a full-scale performance band known as the Chamber Rock Ensemble.
The Ensemble performed in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and smaller towns around Wisconsin. In 1987 the group toured New York, appearing in several clubs, including The Knitting Factory and the Cafe Elysian in Hoboken. In 1987, in collaboration with Al Jewer's Laughing Cat Studio, The Chamber Rock Ensemble produced an audio cassette album entitled Open My Eyes. The album has been given air‑time on National Public Radio, as well as on WNYC. That was the year Cynthia Cotts, writing in The Village Voice, gave the group an admiring review of Open My Eyes. (continue history)
