This notice was found on Darren’s Instagram page and apparently showed up first in the Greater Madison Jazz Newsletter.
-
Changes for Madison Jazz Jam
Madison Jazz Jam (MJJ) will continue holding a student-led jam at Cafe Coda on the 1st Saturday of every month. The jam that had been on the 3rd Saturday at Coda has been moved to Wednesday evenings at COPA in Fitchburg. Those jams will be led by local professional musicians, with a workshop led by Laurie Lang preceding the jam. This format is set for the next 6 months with a few exceptions such as January when Coda is usually closed.
The other major change is MJJ is now part of the revamped Madison Jazz Society. Laurie Lang had been president of MJJ, and has recently taken over as president of the Madison Jazz Society.
The MJJ website has not been updated in awhile, but upcoming jams are listed on The Madison Jazz Calendar, MJJ facebook page, and the MJJ newsletter.
Related posts: Update on Madison Jazz Jam
-
Bill Grahn
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 didn’t, I suggest reading his obituary and the guestbook comments for a strong sense of who he was.
As for myself, I didn’t know Bill deeply, but he still made an impact. I took lessons from him for a bit, and would occasionally hear him play with Rand’s group and we’d talk afterwords. He was a gentle soul, and an impressive musician. Even at 83 he was robust, easily stood for 3 hour gigs with his baritone sax, and sounded better than most other sax players in Madison. He will be remembered by many.
-
Kurt Dietrich releases Al Jarreau biography
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 Riffs: Jazz Profiles from the Heartland,” is an extensive compilation of Wisconsin jazz musicians biographies, including many currently active Madison jazz artists. This latest book is the first to chronicle Al Jarreau’s life and career, from humble beginnings in his hometown of Milwaukee to international fame. It is full of behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the man and the music, and features images spanning Al’s life.
The event is at the Wisconsin Historical Society, and is free and open to the public. More info is available at the Wisconsin Book Festival site.
-
2023 Jazz at Five Schedule
For 2023 Jazz at Five returns to State Street. All concerts in the free series will be back at the original location at the top of State Street. For more information see the Jazz at Five website.
Update: opening acts have been added to 8/30 and 9/6. See the calendar for details.
-
North Street Cabaret Mini Music Festival
Bluestem Jazz is proud to announce their first North Street Cabaret Mini Music Festival, 3 consecutive days of great jazz at the end of June. The acts include many Wisconsin musicians, including the great Fareed Hague who now lives in Wisconsin. See the calendar listings or the North Street Cabaret website for more information.
-
Jazz at Make Music Madison
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!
-
2023 MADISON JAZZ FEST LINEUP
The Wisconsin Union Theater and Arts + Literature Laboratory present the 2023 Madison Jazz Festival Thursday, June 8 – Sunday, June 18 with featured performances by Lakecia Benjamin, Ranky Tanky with Lisa Fischer, Miguel Zenon & Luis Perdomo, The Bad Plus + Marc Ribot, Kassa Overall, and more. This year, the festival has expanded to ELEVEN days of jazz with a mix of free and ticketed events across the city. Calendar listings have more details for each event.
June 8: Dayna Stephens Quartet at Cafe CODA
June 9: Mai Sugimoto Trio at Arts + Literature Laboratory
June 9: Michael Hackett Quintet at North Street Cabaret
June 10: “The Musical Legacy of Wayne Shorter” Talk by Dave Stoler at Sequoya Library
June 10: Wayne Shorter Jam Session feat. Chris Greene at Cafe CODA
June 10: Wayne Shorter Tribute Concert at Cafe CODA
June 11: The Bad Plus + Marc Ribot at High Noon Saloon
June 12: Golpe Tierra at Warner Park
June 13: Miguel Zenon & Luis Perdomo in Conversation, Location TBA
June 13: Miguel Zenon & Luis Perdomo: El Arte del Bolero at Arts + Literature Laboratory
June 14: DIG JAZZ: Rick Flowers at Penn Park
June 15: Awake: Volume 2 – the Music of Don Cherry CD Release at Arts + Literature Laboratory
June 16: Marques Carroll Quintet at Cafe CODA
June 17: Jazz all day on the Memorial Union Terrace. See Calendar for schedule.
June 17: Lakecia Benjamin at Shannon Hall
June 18: Juneteenth Celebration of Black American Music on the Memorial Union Terrace. See Calendar for schedule.
June 18: Ranky Tanky with Lisa Fischer at Shannon Hall -
MJS Organizational Meeting
(more…)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
-
New Breed on Hiatus
Big news for all you jazz jammers. This is a screenshot from the New Breed Facebook page, Feb 28th. Hopefully, it warms up quickly and the break is short; the New Breed has been a crucial part of the scene for many years.