Madison Jazz Calendar

(press release)

September 13 – iGnitE jAzz! Fall Kick-off 

Kick off the fall music season at our iGnitE jAzz kick off, open to all ages and ability levels. The schedule is as follows:

10am – 12pm, breakout workshop sessions:

Option 1: “How to be Successful on Stage at a Jazz Jam,” led by Laurie Lang. This session is appropriate for beginning to intermediate players.

Option 2: Exploring “Time, No Changes”, led by Adam Czerepinski. An interactive session focused on melodic and rhythmic improvisation without pre-defined chord changes.

12pm – 2pm, open jam session (BYO lunch) 

2pm – 3pm, presentation 
Peruvian Coastal Music Traditions Reimagined through Jazz Philosophy/Improvisation with Sebastian Roman and Friends

Witness the powerful impact that jazz theory and improvisation has had on the new generation of “criolla and afro-Peruvian” musicians Peru. In a discussion featuring La Quinta, a Lima-based band that seeks to reimagine what it means to play Peruvian musica criolla (“creole music”). Experience — through listening, seeing and discussing — the power that improvisation has had on our coastal music and the resulting impression on the newer generation of creole artists. We will discuss how Ruben Alonso, the drummer, approaches coastal rhythms such as the festejo, vals, and landos through the lens of a jazz drummer. Alexis Kagüe, the guitarist, will present how he has reimagined the sonority of the traditional Peruvian guitar so prominently featured in musica criolla. Arturo Valdez, the upright bassist, will discuss his inspiration that draws from the lineage of the jazz greats like Reggie Workman and Ben Street, and how that impacts his approach to playing Peruvian music. And finally, Sebastian Roman will explore how his duality of being raised in the US and returning to Peru as an adult has shaped his approach to the Peruvian saxophone, an instrument relatively underscored in Peruvian music but making a strong impact on its newly imagined sound.

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October and beyond  https://www.madisonjazz.com/events/

The first Saturdays of each month will be hosted at Cafe Coda on Williamson Street https://cafecoda.club/

11:30am – 1pm “Cool School Session” Hanah Jon Taylor with the assistance of a UW jazz studies student will teach a class for middle school and high school students called “Cool School” where they will explore creative improvisation and the future of this music we have called jazz. 
11:30am – 1pm “Student Workshop Session” At the same time in a different room another local jazz educator musician with the assistance of a UW jazz studies student will lead the workshop class that teaches people the building blocks of jazz from past jazz repertoire and will practice how to apply these improvisation skills to that repertoire. 

1-3pm There will be a jam session on the stage at Cafe Coda. Each class will demonstrate some of what they worked on in each of those classes. The rest of the jam will be organized from a sign-up sheet for people to perform specific songs with a variety of people in a welcoming jazz jam session format. 

These Saturday sessions will prioritize those learning to improvise and those who have attended the classes. 

The second Wednesdays of each month will be hosted at this old warehouse space that is an arts incubator with a vision to be an arts campus on the south side of Madison called COPA Madison  https://copamadison.org/

6-7pm “MJS Workshop” is a jazz workshop where all levels of jazz musicians and jazz enthusiasts join to hear a presentation about an aspect of jazz improvisation. The workshop leaders will also have a component of this presentation that calls the musicians in the room to try out the concept presented. All can participate in this workshop.  

6-7:15pm “Vocal-track Workshop” in another room those that want to explore vocal improvisation and circle singing (note: Bobby McFerrin circle songs) will have a session that warms up the voice and gets people singing in a group and learning different aspects of jazz vocals. 

7-9PM Jazz Jam Session  Each class will demonstrate some of what they worked on in each of those classes somewhere during the jam session. The rest of the jam will be organized from a sign-up sheet for people to perform specific songs with a variety of people in the room. This is a welcoming and inclusive jazz jam session format.

The lineup for Strollin’ Middleton 2025 is listed below. This year all performances take place on the Stone Horse Green, 7550 Hubbard Avenue, Middleton. Admission is free.

Why is it called Strollin’? The original concerts were sponsored by the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium (GMJC) and featured local jazz artists performing at venues close enough so audience members could stroll from one to the next. These happened 2-3 times a year and moved between different locations: Monroe St, downtown Madison, downtown Middleton, Schenk’s corners, Hilldale, and other spots.

Strollin’ Middleton caught on right away and even though the GMJC no longer exists, the Middleton concert series continues and has turned into an annual tradition. All concerts are now held at the Stone Horse Green, so though there no longer is any strolling, the name remains.

Toni Jakovec, an important contributor to Madison’s jazz community, has Stage 3 endometrial cancer. She had surgery in late May and recently began a grueling course of chemotherapy that will continue into mid-October. These treatments, and their aftermath, are leaving her unable to work, most likely through early winter, and are resulting in a substantial loss of income.

Toni has agreed to go public with her situation so that friends can conduct a GoFundMe campaign that will hopefully enable her to remain financially solvent during her chemo treatments and recovery from them. The campaign is now live and people can visit this web page to donate.

Toni has been a force in our local jazz community for the past decade: editing the free monthly Greater Madison Jazz e-newsletter; writing successful grant proposals for Madison Music Collective; coordinating jazz education classes through UW-Madison Continuing Studies; and producing, since the onset of COVID, an annual outdoor concert series in her neighborhood that showcased many local jazz musicians (documented beautifully in the short film, “Mondale Courting“). In its early stages she also curated the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium’s online event calendar.

Now, in her time of need, we are turning to our local jazz community – fans, musicians, educators, and venues – to rally around Toni. Please consider contributing to her GoFundMe campaign and, if you are so inclined, help spread the word and the link.

Thanks much for anything you can do to help!

Howard Landsman
Founding Chairman and Board Member (2012-2020)
Greater Madison Jazz Consortium