This Sunday, June 21st is Make Music Madison. Free music will be happening all across the city. Here is the schedule filtered to show jazz events. Rennebohm Park has jazz from 4-9pm. To read more about Make Music Madison see their home page.

Here is a chart showing all the drop in sessions. Each day is also listed individually on the calendar and more information can be found there.

Arts and Lit Lab and The Wisconsin Union Theater recently announced the line-up for this year’s fest. The full lineup is below and individual acts are also listed on the calendar.

Jazz camps seem to be sprouting in Madison. Park Street Piano has a spring and summer session planned, specific for piano players ages 8-12. Here is the info: Relax and play at this camp, where young pianists imagine, create, and groove together! Students will dive into improvisation, swing, blues and more in a fun and…

Cliff was widely considered one of Madison’s greatest musicians and was beloved by many. I cannot locate an obituary, but many are posting on this Facebook page and this Facebook page to lament his passing last week. If you aren’t familiar with Cliff, here is a documentary that starts with his upbringing in St Louis,…

Trio Volume 1 by Tim Whalen At one time, Tim Whalen’s groups were among the most popular jazz acts in Madison. Then he moved to Ohio and later to Washington D.C. In 2023 he moved back to his childhood home of Milwaukee, and now gigs regularly in Madison. On December 6th he brings his trio…

(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.…

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…

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…

in these hills, beyond by Chad McCullough Chad McCullough’s latest release was recorded live over two nights at the North Street Cabaret right here in Madison. Released on Sept 6, 2024, the complete liner notes, and the option to buy a CD or digital album are available on this bandcamp page. CHAD McCULLOUGH trumpetBRAM WEIJTERS…

Tribunal by Chris Mosley Tribunal was released Sept 6, 2024 and is Chris Mosley’s first record since moving to Madison in 2022. He is having a record release party on October 26th at Cafe Coda. According to his website, Tribunal is “an instrumental psych-jazz guitar record feat. bassist Damian Erskine and drummer Wayne Salzmann II.…

This is a repost from Facebook. Johannes Wallman is the author. I just received sad news that my dear colleague and friend Dr. Les Thimmig passed away yesterday. My thoughts are with his family and friends. For 53 years, Les was an invaluable member of our UW Madison and music communities. I know much will…

Love Hurts by Feestet This latest EP from Feestet was released the weekend before Valentines day, and is a trio of songs about the dark side of love. Feestet (pronounced “Feest-tet”) is a Madison-based jazz ensemble fronted by vocalist Helen Feest. They can be found in many sizes – from an intimate duet all the way to…

Laurie Lang, president of Madison Jazz Society, is teaming up with Arts and Literature Lab to run a jazz camp this summer. The class is aimed at 10-14 year-olds and runs from 9am-noon for one week in July. Laurie will be assisted by a team of high school student mentors, college students and other jazz…

Thomas Ferrella shares his thoughts shaped by 7 years of promoting jazz in Madison.

In early March, CODA FEST will bring four consecutive days of great jazz to Cafe Coda, 1224 Williamson St. See the poster for a quick overview and either check the calendar or go to their site for more info.

“Walking in Beauty” is the first studio recording for this relatively new quintet. Pianist Doug White is the leader and composed the first four tracks. He is joined by a Wisconsin all-star group: Tom Gullion, Dave Cooper, Mark Urness, and Dane Richeson. Here are the album liner notes: Walking in Beauty by Doug White Quintet:…

Ten Stories by Precarious Towers Ten Stories is the second album by Precarious Towers, a Midwestern all-star band with strong Madison ties. It was released on September 1st and features Downbeat ‘rising star’ alto saxophonist and flutist Sharel Cassity, vibraphonist Mitchell Shiner, drummer Devin Drobka, bassist John Christensen, and pianist Johannes Wallmann. All are accomplished…

Sorry for the sad news; Bill Grahn has died. Bill was one of the last of a breed of beloved long-time local jazz musicians that have moved on. He was a great musician and a great person in his own quiet way. If you knew him, you know what a loss this is. If you…

At 12pm on Saturday, October 21, the Wisconsin Book Festival presents author Kurt Dietrich to discuss his biography of Al Jarreau, “Never Givin’ Up,” Kurt is the father of local jazz trumpeter Paul Dietrich. He is also a trombonist, Professor Emeritus of Music at Ripon College, and author of three books. His previous book, “Wisconsin…

The annual Make Music Madison event is this Wed, June 21st. There are too many jazz acts taking part to list on the calendar. The easiest way to sort out the jazz acts is to go to the Make Music Madison page and filter on jazz by artist. Enjoy!

Please Join us at Cafe Coda in the discussion and leadership of the New Madison Jazz Society APRIL 15th 11:30am -1PM (BYO sack lunch — drinks provided)   Vision for the NEW MJS: to be a Jazz Education organization and network for Dane County and beyond

Sherman United Methodist Church on Madison’s North Side will host “A Love Supreme” worship service to honor Black History Month on Sunday, Feb. 26, 9:30 a.m. The worship service, which will also feature an art exhibit and a jazz set, will be a tribute to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane and will feature artwork art, music…

The following notice appears on the Cafe Coda website: PLEASE NOTE: We have an upcoming winter break from 12/18/22 to 01/31/23 and will return with our first show on 02/02/2023.

The first CODA FEST features 5 consecutive days of great jazz at Cafe Coda, 1224 Williamson St.. A concise schedule is below. More information about each day is available on the Madison Jazz Calendar.

Arts + Literature Laboratory announces another round of this program that supports the efforts of local jazz musicians to create and present engaging new projects. The program encourages local jazz musicians and composers to stretch themselves as creative artists. One project will be selected to receive a stipend of up to $5,000. (Other projects may…

Madison Jazz Jam is trying a new format this fall. Dates, times, and location have all changed and the September jam has been canceled. Starting in October, jams will run twice a month on Saturdays from 1-4pm at Café Coda. The first Saturday of each month will feature a student band as the house band…

Prior to the pandemic Sequoya Library hosted free jazz concerts in its large meeting room every Sunday afternoon (except summer). In another sign that life is returning to normal the live performances have returned. The new format moves the concerts to the third Saturday (2-4 pm) of each month from August-December 2022. The complete fall…

Madison’s Michael Corcoran and Al Rasho teamed up to create this moving portrait of a night listening to the legendary Johnny Griffin. Johnny Griffin was a Chicago native who moved to Paris in 1963 and lived abroad the rest of his life. Al says … Before moving to Madison I was a filmmaker in Chicago…

A long-time behind-the-scenes stalwart on Madison’s jazz scene, Susan Fox retired as coordinator of the MJS’s School Residency Program in June.  Thank you, Susan, for your contributions over the years! Consequently, the MJS is seeking a replacement for this part-time contracted position.  Interested parties may contact MJS board members Gretchen Patey (gretshops@sbcglobal.net) or Sharon Sigrist…

The Arts + Literature Laboratory Jazz Artistic Development Program is seeking applicants to create and present engaging new projects. This program encourages local jazz musicians and composers to stretch themselves as creative artists. One project will be selected to receive a stipend of up to $5,000. (Other projects may be funded if additional funds are…

Fans of the steel drum will be treated to a 5 day Madison residency by Andy Narell, Aug 12th through the 17th. Andy Narell is a prolific composer and world-class instrumentalist who has spent the past several decades exploring the possibilities of Trinidad’s national instrument, the steel drum – a.k.a the steel pan, in contemporary…

This season’s free concerts highlight local and regional musicians.  Each concert is preceded at 4 pm by a local youth group performance. These concerts are listed on the Madison Jazz Calendar as well. August 3, 2022 – McKee Park, Fitchburg5:00 pm – 6:15 pm: Charlie Painter Trio6:45 pm – 8:00 pm: Kal Bergendahl ProjectAugust 10, 2022…

Reviews of shows or new CDS are uncommon in today’s reshaped media landscape, this site is no exception. That makes the reviews of award-winning and Pulitzer-nominated Kevin Lynch all the more valuable. Kevin is a former staff arts writer for The Capital Times and he blogs at Culture Currents (Vernaculars Speak). He recently posted a…

Make Music Madison is an annual event held on the summer solstice, June 21st, and part of Make Music Day celebrated in more than 1000 cities around the world. Madison will host 450 free performances, 30 categorized as jazz. To easily find these concerts go to makemusicmadison.com and filter by genre. Performing throughout the day…

(update: The position has been filled) After many years of co-hosting WORT’s Strictly Jazz Sounds, Jane Reynolds and Steve Braunginn are retiring in June. Successors are sought. The time slot is 2-5pm every Thursday and it can be shared, or alternated. No previous experience is necessary; WORT will provide training. The full ad and a…

Jazz on State has a new website that lists dates, artists, and other event info for their downtown concert series this June. Musicians scheduled to perform are: Mr Chair, and New Orleans Tribute Band on June 8th; Charlie Painter Jazz Guitar Trio, and Betsy Ezell on June 15th; and Mike Cammilleri Organ Trio, and The…

After more than a two-year COVID-induced pause, the Madison Jazz Society will resume its presentation of concerts on Saturday, April 23. The concert will be a Madison Jazz Showcase featuring the Gaines & Wagoner Trio and Ladies Must Swing and will be held from 1-4 p.m. at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 2969 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.

Mark your calendars: this year’s Madison Jazz Festival (formerly the Isthmus Jazz Fest) is set to run from Friday, June 10th through Sunday, June 19th. The year 2022 marks 50 years since the week-long residency by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra on the UW campus, and a 50th anniversary celebration is planned, including a concert of…

Good news, one of Madison’s premier jazz venues, Cafe Coda, is reopening tomorrow! Closed since the end of December to avoid the latest covid surge, they return with a full schedule. This week’s highlights include a Fat Tuesday celebration with Panchromatic Steel and the Saideira Pagode Crew; Chicago’s Dee Alexander on Friday; and Tim Whalen…

Part of what helps the Madison arts scene flourish are the many nonprofits, DIY’ers, and others promoting, creating, and covering the arts. Tone Madison is one of these. If you aren’t familiar with it, Tone Madison is an independent online magazine covering music, culture, and local politics. A good starting point for digging into Tone…

Tim Whalen sent out an email today about the band, “Rush,” the death of Neil Pert, and his response which included arranging this tune. It’s worth reading his email before listening to the video. As a reminder, here is the original. By the way, Tim will be here with his Nonet on March 5th. The…

Here’s a quick feel-good story to start your week right. It’s about the positive impact of jazz at East High School, a sort of counter-weight to all the recent negative publicity for that school. Enjoy.

Madison Jazz Jam (MJJ) is a nonprofit that runs an all-ages, twice monthly jam. Although I’m no longer affiliated with the jam, (I founded it and ran it for 7 years) I support it’s mission and follow it with interest. This year MJJ is holding two different programs:

We will be closed from 12/19 to 2/28 for a winter break. It will give us time to do some improvement and staff training. Also, hope by then the Covid situation will calm down a bit. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

After having the 2021 Performance Series at McKee Park and hearing your feedback, Jazz at Five is excited to announce our new 6 date Performance Series,  3 performances at both Mckee Park and State Street. The planned dates for the 2022 Performance Series are below. McKee Park July 27 August 3 August 10 State Street…