8:30pm.
Presenting their new album Deuce live for the first time in Chicago, Manu Delago and Max ZT, the two Grammy nominated instrument innovators unite in a bold new duo, reimagining their melodic and percussive instruments to create soundscapes of delicacy, depth and drive. Having met Max ZT 10 years ago when Manu Delago was touring in the US with Bjork, the two musicians formed a striking connection that draws from a lifetime of global collaboration, deep improvisation, and refined compositional craft. Together Manu Delago (handpan) and Max ZT (hammered dulcimer) create immersive, rhythmic, lush, meditative soundscapes.
The Austrian nature lover and the foremost handpan player on the planet, Manu Delago, who has also released several solo albums on his own, has played in iconic venues and festivals in more than 50 countries around the world with diverse artists such as Björk, Anoushka Shankar, Ólafur Arnalds, Cinematic Orchestra and more. IL native and Brooklyn resident, Max ZT, hailed by NPR as “The Jimi Hendrix of the hammered dulcimer,” has redefined the instrument through global study and innovation learning from Indian classical music from santoor legend Shivkumar Sharma and melodies of the kora in Mali in West Africa with the Sissoko family of griot musicians. Max also plays live and records with his Grammy Nominated band, House of Waters.
The Manu and Max released their debut album Deuce in early 2026 which has received high praise and media attention worldwide. The duo toured Europe and UK in 2026 and are set to make their live US debut with a tour in the spring of 2027. Rooted in rhythm, rich in texture and melodies, and open in spirit, the duo invite listeners into a world that feels both ancient and somehow entirely new.
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