Beautiful evening last night at Jazz at Five: perfect weather, crowds mingling in the heart of Madison, and great jazz. Dan Trudell was smoking on the organ! That hard bop stuff never gets old (here’s a YouTube snippet of Dan last night). Gerri and the band were great as usual, although I wanted more volume on Paul Daugherty’s mic (as a sax player I like the sax nice and full in the mix). Maybe they got that fixed, I don’t know, I had to leave because I didn’t have my bike light. Why can’t it stay light until 9 year round?
So what’s on tap for this weekend? The big event is the Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival Friday and Saturday at Art in the Barn. I was out to Art in the Barn a few weeks ago for the MMC event, “Jazz on a Summer’s Eve,” and really recommend it as a unique venue. Although it’s barely outside of Fitchburg it feels like quite a getaway. It’s a working farm with chickens, horses, and nice open areas for picnics. The concert setting is intimate and the acoustics extremely good. The flies were the only downside. If your hair is a little light on top bring a hat – the flies were pretty annoying.
Here’s the info:
Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival 8/20-21
Art in the Barn, 5927 Adams Rd, Fitchburg WI
Friday Aug 20 — $18 advance / $20 Day of Show
Saturday Aug 21 — $28 adv. / $30 DoS
Both Fri. and Sat. — $38 adv. $40 DoS
Tickets will be available at the barn door!
Friday ($20):
The Jack Soref Quartet 7:30 pm,
Harmonious Wail 8:45 pm,
The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet 10 pm.
Saturday ($30):
Roma Nota 3 & 8:45 pm,
Gonzalo Bergara Quartet 4:15 & 10 pm,
Carvan Gypsy Swing Ensemble 6 pm,
Harmonious Wail 7:15 pm.
Call: 221-3966
Web: www.midwestgypsyswingfest.com
Bringing together soaring vocals, world-class musicians and 36 hours of incredible music, food and fun, the 7th annual Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival will be held Aug. 20 to 21 in Fitchburg, Wisc., presented by Madison’s own Harmonious Wail.
The event, held at Art in the Barn, 5927 Adams Road, Fitchburg, features the music of notable Gypsy Swing bands The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet, Roma Nota, The Jack Soref Quartet, Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble and Harmonious Wail.
Gonzala Bergara Quartet: After having toured the world with the John Jorgenson Quintet, native Argentinean Gonzalo Bergara is now presenting his new CD Potena Soledad to glowing reviews all over the world.
Roma Nota: Cimbalom player Alex Udvary, gypsy violinist Tony Ballog and guitarist Alphonso Ponticelli bring their unique style of Gypsy Swing to Dane County with energy and spectacular talent.
The Jack Soref Quartet: An exciting new Gypsy Jazz ensemble that reaches forward and back in time, paying homage to the music of Django Reinhardt while simultaneously enriching the tradition with its own compositions, arrangements and swinging improvisations. For its Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival debut, the quartet is pleased to be featuring two very special musicians: Henry Delaney-Potthoff, the son of Harmonious Wail’s Sims and Maggie Delaney-Potthoff, and Ben Powell, who has been eagerly playing the violin since he was two years old and who has shared the stage with such greats as Herbie Hancock, Gary Burton, Gloria Estefan, Paul Simon and Steve Winwood.
Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble: Pulling in influences from many genres of jazz, swing, and other styles, this energetic Gypsy Swing band is a favorite in performances throughout Madison, performing original tunes and a wide range of standards.
Harmonious Wail: A mix between The Manhattan Transfer, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks and Norah Jones, the Wail features four great musicians playing jazz, be-bop and Gypsy Swing laced with smoky vocals, well-selected original and cover songs and fabulous audience rapport. Drawing from the rich influence of the European gypsy musicians, most notably Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, the Wail bursts through the normal boundaries of that genre with its intoxicating vocals and enticing arrangements. “This is joyful, fun music,” said Gene Shay, a legendary on-air folk music host for Philadelphia radio station WXPN-FM 88.5. “[It's] the kind of swing time stuff I really love. No one can do it quite as well as Harmonious Wail.”
For a full festival schedule of the weekend’s events, go to http://www.midwestgypsyswingfest.com/
More information on Art in the Barn available at: http://www.artinthebarnwi.org
Food, and drink will be available from Madison’s People’s Bakery, while artists will display and sell their works on the grounds. Picnics welcome, and Gypsy campfire jams will be held each night after the concerts. Come and jam all day on the grounds.
Tickets available on-line at on line at http://www.midwestgypsyswingfest.com or from:
* Lane’s Lutherie – 4253 W.Beltline Hwy. (at Seminole Hwy), Madison, 608-442-0315
* Spruce Tree Music – 851 E.Johnson St., Madison, 608-255-2254
* Green Earth – 6771 University Ave., Madison, 608-831-2845
* B-Side Records – 436 State St., Madison, 608-255-1977
* Frugal Muse Books – 235 Junction Rd., Madison, 608-833-8668
* Frugal Muse North1193 N. Sherman Ave., Madison, 608-242-0000
For more details or tickets contact Sims Delaney-Potthoff at sims@wail.com or at
608-658-6988.
Check out Harmonious Wail’s Web site at http://www.wail.com.
- $38 adv. $40 d.o.s
