Off to a flying start!

Reblogged from Madison Jazz Jam:

Today was a terrific start to what we expect will be a long association with The Fountain. Everything about the jam was so good I had a hard time controlling the urge to go nuts with exclamation points. I've done my best; it's just that it was a great jam!

First of all, the house band was smoking! Anders on sax, Nick on bass, Michael on drums....

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I wanted to share this post from our sister site, Madison Jazz Jam. Not only was it a great day at the jam's new location, but I'm convinced The Fountain is going to be THE next Madison jazz hot spot.

Madison Jazz Jam Sunday Sept 16th at The Fountain

Jammers developing their skills at a Madison Jazz Jam session

This Sunday, September 16th is the first Madison Jazz Jam session at its new location, The Fountain, downtown at 122 State Street (back room at the corner of West Dayton and North Carroll – enter from either the State Street or Dayton Street side of the building. ). This session is special for many reasons: it is the second anniversary of Madison Jazz Jam (MJJ), it is the first session at its new larger, central location, and it marks the performance debut of the UW School of Music’s new Jazz Studies Professor, Johannes Wallmann, who’ll be holding down the keyboard chair in the house band.

And now it is easier to keep track of the jam: except for holidays, it will always be at The Fountain from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM the first and third Sunday of every month. Musicians of all ages are invited to jam with the house band, and fans sit back and enjoy live jazz and learning more about it.

MJJ is unique because the first set is geared toward less experienced improvising musicians, and features instructional feedback from one of our fine local jazz educators (this week, it’s saxophonist Anders Svanoe, pinch-hitting for Dan Wallach). As always, the house band is a rotation of Madison’s finest jazz musicians. Anchoring the rhythm section this week is bassist Nick Moran and percussionist Michael Brenneis, both of the New Breed quartet. As my wife Mary said, “It’s going to be a good one!”

For more information see the Madison Jazz Jam website.

Madison Jazz Jam tomorrow

Don’t forget the Madison Jazz Jam tomorrow at Liliana’s Restaurant. Musicians of all ages and talents play along with a house band composed of a rotating cast of Madison’s best jazz musicians. This week the band is Joey Banks on drums,  Michael BB on keys, John Mesoloras on bass, and guitarist/vocalist Cliff Fredericksen filling in for Dan Wallach as the educator. See Madison Jazz Jam for more information.

Madison Jazz Jam Expands to Twice-Monthly, Adding Jim Doherty and East Side Site

By Howard Landsman

Thanks to an $8,000 grant from the John and Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation and some excellent fundraising by its board, Madison Jazz Jam will be expanding this Fall to twice-monthly sessions. Always on Sundays, from 4:00-7:00 PM, these sessions will now alternate between two host restaurant sites, continuing at Liliana’s on the West Side and adding Talula on the East Side.

Now entering its second year, Madison Jazz Jam (MJJ) conducts jam sessions for improvisers of all ages and talent levels, as well as for appreciators who want to learn more about how an improviser crafts a solo or who just want to hear some good music. Each session features two 75-minute sets in which emerging amateur musicians perform with a “house band” of experienced local professionals (including a rhythm section of piano, bass and drums). At Liliana’s, the sessions are led by alto saxophonist and Edgewood College Jazz Studies Director Dan Wallach while trumpeter and UW Jazz Orchestra Conductor Jim Doherty is joining the MJJ team to lead the sessions at Talula. All MJJ sessions are free to participating musicians and audience members alike.

While the format will vary somewhat between East and West Side sites, each session’s first set is targeted to newer improvisers, e.g., middle and high school-age kids and other less experienced musicians, and has an educational component in which participants get gentle, constructive feedback from Messrs. Wallach or Doherty, who choose most of the music to be performed. To allow for practice beforehand, chord charts, practice hints, and other support materials are posted on the MJJ website well in advance of the next session.

The second MJJ set is targeted to more advanced emerging musicians and follows a traditional jam session format, with participants selecting the songs and each musician getting a chance to solo.

Members of the MJJ house band rotate from session to session, with several well-known local players having signed on as part of the coming year’s pool, e.g., pianists Paul Hastil and Michael Butkus-Boomier, bassists John Christensen and Nick Moran, and drummers Rand Moore and Michael Brenneis.

The next MJJ sessions are this Sunday, September 18th at Liliana’s, and October 9th at Talula. Liliana’s is located at 2951 Triverton Pike, just west of Fish Hatchery Road off of Highway PD (McKee Road) in Fitchburg. Talula is located at 802 Atlas Avenue, just east of Highway 51 and Cottage Grove Road.

For more information about Madison Jazz Jam, including the complete Fall 2011 schedule, visit http://madisonjazzjam.org// or contact MJJ Coordinator Bob Kerwin at madisonjazzjam AT gmail DOT com.

Madison Jazz Jam this Sunday, July 10th

Dan Wallach leads an all-ages group of jammers through a tune. Photo by Amber Arnold

Madison Jazz Jam
Sunday July 10th, 4-7 pm
Liliana’s Restaurant

The monthly all-ages, all-abilities jazz jam at Liliana’s is going strong right through the summer. Last month’s jam attracted one of our largest gatherings, and this month a similar turnout is expected.

As always we keep it fresh by rotating different faces into the house band. This month we’re honored to have Paul Hastil on Fender Rhodes and John Mesoloras on bass. Paul and John play together in Gerri DiMaggio’s trio and have developed a wonderful chemistry. They will be joined by Chris Chambreau on drums, and Dan Wallach on saxophone. As usual, Dan is also our instructor for the first set.

Designated tunes for the first set are Equinox and St Thomas. If you are an intermediate or advanced player please join us for the second set. And keep in mind the jam is not just for musicians; the entire community is invited. We have many jazz fans that enjoy our educational and entertaining format. Just get there early if you want a seat.

Madison’s famous all ages jam returns Sunday, May 15th

Madison Jazz Jam, an all ages, all abilities jam held monthly at Liliana’s is back again this Sunday. I can’t promise your picture will be in the newspaper (see the WJS article from April 17th, this story was picked up by the AP and ended up in newspapers throughout the state and as far away as Canada, Texas, Colorado, and Indiana), but we’ll have a good time and you’ll get a chance to play and hear fine jazz.

Here’s the poster: