I wish I had time to write up the highlights each week (help gladly accepted). The Madison jazz scene has really come alive lately! Today I’m making a special effort because the weekend is packed with jazz. For full details about these shows and a complete listing of all the jazz in Madison see the jazz calendar to your left.
Friday:
5-7 pm: Start your night off with the Alison Margaret Quartet at the UW Memorial Rathskellar. Alison has a clear, polished voice, and a band willing to experiment without getting too far out. This should be an excellent show except for the Rathskellar acoustics. No cover.
8 pm and 10pm: Tia Fuller and her quartet perform two shows at The Sett inside Union South. These shows have rightfully received a lot of press and are free. Arrive early (see comments below). My only concern is the acoustics. I’ve been to the Sett once, to hear a high school battle of the bands. The volume was blistering and the acoustics horrible. I hope the acoustics improve when the volume is more reasonable.
Saturday:
9pm: Last week UW Madison Jazz Studies Professor Johannes Wallmann began a weekly Saturday night gig at the new Madison jazz hotspot, The Fountain, 122 State St. Each week he hosts different players. This week he’s joined by fellow UW School of Music professors Les Thimmig on woodwinds and John Schaffer on bass. Rand Moore is on drums. No cover.
Sunday
1:30pm: Howard Alden and Andy Brown at the Coliseum Bar. These world-class guitarists will be accompanied by two of the finest rhythm players on Chicago’s jazz scene, bassist Joe Policastro and drummer Bob Rummage.
Tuesday
7:30pm: Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio at the Capitol Theater inside the Overture Center. A great venue and two virtuosos from different genres – should be interesting.
Due to popular demand for tonight’s Tia Fuller concert at The Sett (Union South), the Wisconsin Union Theater and Madison Music Collective have added a second show at 10:00 PM. That show will also be free, and people will be seated on a first-come basis, until the room is full. Ample parking should be available across Randall Avenue in the UW’s Engineering campus.
Thanks for the additional information. I updated the post.
Actually, I am honored to be the drummer at the fountain Saturday with Johannes Wallman.
Oops, sorry, Rand. Guess I had some bad info. I fixed it in the post.