2009 Will Be a Challenging Year for the MAMAs

MAMA registration for artists ends this Saturday, Jan 31st. Performer applications for Jazz at Five are due Feb 15 (see Musicians Page)

2009 promises to be one of the most challenging years yet for the Madison Area Music Awards. After five years we feel like we’re finally getting this thing started. But economic woes are hitting charitable organizations everywhere and we don’t expect it to be much different for us.

2008 was a year of change for this organization. We’ve refocused our efforts and are putting together programs that will help the community. We continue to work with the area’s schools but have also started work in the Atwood Community Center, the East Madison Community Center and with the Boys and Girls Club. Once some of these programs are in place, we’ll be turning to the community of music professionals and bringing in instructors in music and recording technology for paid positions.

In 2008 we tripled our charitable giving, crossing the $30,000 mark in funds and instruments donated to various individuals, schools and other organizations.

All of this is precipitated on MAMA, Inc.’s (a tax-exempt organization) ability to procure grants. This summer we secured a reliable grant writer and we’re currently coordinating our application procedure. This March we’ll be constructing a database from the data we’ve gathered over the years. This will allow for letter-writing campaigns and appeals for donations.

This takes time, however, and that leaves us open to vulnerability, especially in 2009. With corporate sponsorships dwindling, the MAMAs will rely more heavily on its membership and registration monies to see us through to the next step.

The board remains the focused effort of six individuals but we hope to change that very soon. We’d like to procure a musician from each genre of music in which we present awards to take a seat on our board. This will make the board quite large but we plan to take finances and rulemaking to committees, leaving the bulk of the board’s work to raise money and promote the organization. The MAMAs has been the most tender of babies but now it’s growing and it’s time to branch out.

Tuesday night Blues Jam/Showcase at the Frequency starts 1-13-09

This site is devoted to Madison jazz but as jazz is rooted in the blues you may be interested in what’s new on the Madison blues scene.

Guitarist A.J. Love has done a good deed and organized another blues jam, an after work event from 5:30 to 8 pm every Tuesday at the Frequency. This will be great for those of us that work downtown. It’s also nice because it doesn’t compete with the other Tuesday night blues jams.

Here’s the scoop from A.J.:

Special Jazz Events Next Week

Looking ahead to this coming week reminds me of New Orleans – so much good music, so little time.

Before Katrina I went to New Orleans every other year for  jazzfest. Fortunately there was a work related conference the same weekend for which my travel expenses were covered.  This was my day: conference in the morning, jazzfest in the afternoon, dinner, to the clubs for more jazz, and crawl out of bed early the next morning to do it all over again. It was physically exhausting but worth it. There was so much to take in and I wanted to experience it all.

A funny thing happened after coming home from one of those trips. For some reason it dawned on me that Madison has a fantastic music scene too; I just need to take advantage of it. Like many people I push myself on vacations to make sure I don’t miss a thing, but back home let loads of great stuff pass by. After that epiphany I vowed to start hearing some of the great music right here in Madison. I waited for the smoking ban and then began attending jazz events regularly.

Unlike my New Orleans trips I pace myself; I go out about once a week. This next week I’m going to push myself a little harder. In addition to all the usual good jazz, there are 3 special events:

Ray Rideout’s letter to Kathleen Falk

Alright, another Madison jazz club is toast. We have plenty of great jazz musicians but fewer and fewer places to play. Some say there isn’t an audience for jazz, “Jazz is dead.” I disagree. I believe the audience is out there; we just need owners that love jazz and properly market their venue to other jazz lovers. If we agree the audience exists, then the question is, “How do we find these new venue owners, or how do we in some way create influence towards a healthier jazz scene?” It will take many combined efforts. The Madison Music Collective was resurrected towards this end. I started this blog for the same reasons.  If you were trying to promote the jazz scene what would be your approach?

Ray Rideout, the well known local saxophonist, wrote to Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. He sent me this copy of his letter from October of this year:

Clyde Stubblefield this Thursday at Overture

For some real funky improvisation don’t miss Clyde Stubblefield, a Madison icon, this Thursday from 5-7 in the Overture Hall Lobby. Clyde and his 10 piece band kick off the first concert in this season’s Overture after Work series. The rest of the lineup looks killer too.

I’ve been saying for way too long I have to go to one of his shows, but 10pm on a Monday night is tough. This will work perfectly. I’ll meet my wife down there and go to eat after. If you have time to eat before 5, you can catch this show and follow it with the Madison Music Collective concert at Capitol Lakes at 7:30.

Concourse Jazz last night

It was another beautiful night of jazz at the Concourse Hotel bar last night. The band seemed mystified why trumpeter Dave Cooper wasn’t there, but the show went on as a quartet featuring tenor saxophonist Patrick Briener. Patrick has great technique, a seemingly unlimited supply of great ideas, puts them together in unexpected ways, and intersperses them with overtones, alternate fingerings, and other special effects. Really a treat to listen to.

Dave Cooper showed for the second set, maybe the fog had slowed him down? The band sounded great, so did some of the guest musicians. Among those that stood out were John Doing (drums), and Matt Donoghue (bass), from the Red Quartet. They were off from their usual gig at the Mercury Lounge on Wednesdays. This is the first time I heard them and based on their performance I’ll have to check out the entire group. Another notable jammer was Joey B. Banks , a very busy blues and funk Madison drummer who showed off some nice jazz chops.

More about the situation regarding the future of music at the Concourse…  Apparently, nothing has been decided. There is a meeting in early December when it’s believed decisions will be made. Let’s hope for the best.

Wednesday Jams at the Concourse Hotel – the soul of our jazz scene

It makes sense to make my first post about the Weds jams at the Concourse Hotel bar because in my mind this is the heart and soul of the Madison jazz scene. This is where jazz players of all levels gather to hang out, visit with their friends, and sit in with the the all-star band, “The New Breed Quintet.”

“The New Breed Quintet,” features some of Madison’s best jazz musicians in Dave Cooper, Dave Stoler, Nick Moran, and Jamie Ryan. Patrick Briener, a recent transplant from the New York jazz scene, is the newest member and has already upped the ante with his incredible and unpredictable saxophone solos. This is an outstanding band that sounds fresh each week. Many times I’ve thought how lucky I am to be able to drive downtown, find a parking spot right in front of the hotel, and sit down moments later to great jazz played from a few feet away and without paying any cover. Every week I hear jazz equal to jazz I’ve heard at jazz festivals around the country and beyond.

The quintet plays the first set from 9 to around 10 and with the second set the jam session starts. A signup list is put out and players wait to be called up and play 1 or 2 tunes of their choice with the rest of the band. The talent ranges from beginning-intermediate improvisers to local and visiting pros. Like Forest Gump said about a box of chocolates, “you never know what you’re gonna get.”One of the best times to be there is during the Jazz at Five series on State Street, or when other jazz concerts are scheduled. Many other times there will be a jazz pro traveling through stopping by to get their fix of jamming (like the drummer last week). I’ve heard some outstanding pros from just a few feet away, and did I mention it’s always free?

I’ve been going down there regularly since Madison went smoke-free and for me it’s one of the jewels of Madison. Unfortunately, I’m worried about it’s future. The Concourse Bar is undergoing renovations in December and the band won’t be able to play until reopening in January. The word is that it will be turned into a sports bar and the music on the weekends will be gone. Only the weekly jam session will remain, but I wonder for all long? Better get down there while you can!