Monday night I took in an incredible show by John Scofield and his band. If you were there you know what I mean, just smoking from open to close. Tight band, great vocal harmonies, masterful guitar work from John Scofield, and pulsating rhythms that force the body to move. He played all tunes from his latest CD, “Piety Street,” and I’m going to have to buy it.
Tonight it’s back to the Majestic for theBad Plus with Wendy Lewis. I’m really looking forward to seeing them for the first time. I expect a great show but very different vibe from the Monday night concert.
Friday night there is the Jimmy Cheatham Memorial Jam session at the Best Western Inn on Park. See yesterday’s post for all the details.
Saturday night brings Executive Tea Set to Mother Fool’s. This band appears very promising and doesn’t visit Madison often so you’ll want to check them out.
Executive Tea Set is as much a jazz band as it is a composer’s ensemble. An ETS program consists of original works penned by members of the group, and the odd masterwork by one giant of modern jazz or another. With parallels in instrumentation to the Modern Jazz Quartet, ETS plays jazz with its own musical vocabulary. A unique ensemble with a unique sound. Here are the details:
Executive Tea Set at Mother Fool’s
Saturday, April 25, 8pm, $5
Mother Fool’s
1101 Williamson St.
Madison WI, 53703
608-259-1301
First the bad news: there’s almost no live jazz going on in Madison this Saturday. There’s piano jazz at Lilliana’s and Louisianne’s and nothing else that I know of. I noticed a trend like this over the last few Saturdays. What’s up with that?
The good news is jazz is alive and well tonight and tomorrow. My pick for tonight is Gerri Dimaggio 8:30 – 10:30 at the Cabana Room. Gerri plays every Wednesday at Sambas upstairs but I much prefer hearing jazz in the Cabana Room; the room is intimate and the sound much cleaner. The Sambas dining room is large, the volume not enough to overcome the talking, and nobody seems to pay attention to the music. Sambas is great for gorging on huge slabs of beef, but the Cabana Room does jazz better.
Today’s Wisconsin State Journal has an article about MATC’s new 10 year master facilities master plan. The college wants to change the entrance to the Truax campus and create a clear path once inside. The article also states,
Some of the arts programs at Truax, like studio and applied arts, hospitality and culinary arts, theater, and music, could potentially move Downtown to create a hub for arts. What that would mean for Mitby Theater on the Truax campus isn’t clear, Price said.
According to conversations I had with Jeff Peronto a few weeks ago the college administrators are seriously considering creating a grand atrium-like entrance to the Truax campus where the beautiful 1000 seat Mitby theater now stands. The Mitby theatre would be destroyed to make this happen. A smaller 250 seat theater would be added to the downtown campus in its place.
I recently spent about 2 months on the East Coast playing music, crashing on couches, and drinking excessive amounts of Scotch (after experiencing Madison I couldn’t bring myself to pay $7 for a mediocre imported beer).
Toward the end of my visit a good friend and exceptional guitar player, Ben, asked to meet for lunch at Corner Bistro – one of New York’s last remaining genuine beer/burger joints. A hole-in-the wall which has been un”improved” despite its massive popularity and massive amounts of press. An enormous, juicy Bistro Burger with the works will run you about $6.50 and a mug of McSorley’s finest will cost you $2.50. Finally. A beer in NYC worth drinking. In short, I couldn’t deny Ben’s request.
We met around 1:30. We gorged. We imbibed. We fretted over the structural integrity of our towers of beefy cheesy bacony goodness.
Somewhere between noisy mouthfuls of beef and beer we got to talking. How’s the family? How did things pan out with that girl at Zebulon the other night? The conversation turned to music and Ben brought up the subject of damage. He mentioned a band that he’s shared bills with in the past, but he just couldn’t relate to the guys when it came time to hang. He said, “They’ve got no damage!”
I found it strange that Ben was sharing this with me. I never thought of myself as having “damage.” Especially when compared to Ben. And though he never said the words, “Pat. You’re damaged goods,” the mere fact that he was sharing this with me implied, shockingly, that he thought I possessed this “important” quality.
Although specific to Milwaukee, this news is pertinent to Madison jazz fans and musicians interested in trends within the jazz world.
The struggling economy appears to be hitting the jazz scene hard. Recently General Motors, the long time major sponsor for the Montreal Jazz Festival announced it is pulling its support from the festival. Closer to home, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Hal Leonard Corp has ended its 16 year sponsorship of the Hal Leonard Jazz Series.
If you are a MATC municipal band or jazz band member do not show up next Thursday for rehearsal.
Yesterday morning I talked with MATC and found out a letter will be going out next week to all members of the band and jazz band informing them that a search is underway for a new conductor, and the groups will resume in early March.
This week’s Madison jazz song of the week is by Chris Ruppenthal of Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble. “Tango Innominado“ is on their self titled CD.
You can purchase Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble online at www.uvulittle.com. The CD is also available locally (Madison, Wis.) at Spruce Tree Music, Wardbrodt Music Mall, Mother Fool’s Coffee House and at any Caravan performance.
Here is what others are saying about Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble:
This week we highlight All That Jazz Big Band playing “Orange Colored Sky.” This selection comes from their second CD recorded in 2000.
Arranged by Roger Holmes
Vocalist – Ann Nichols
All That Jazz is a 22 piece big band started in 1985 to capture the swing sound of the true American Big Band. All That Jazz keeps an active schedule and has played for many events throughout the Madison, WI area including the Isthmus Jazz Festival, Tunes At The Terrace, many corporate events, wedding dances, anniversaries, company picnics, private parties, and reunions.
Keep sending in your mp3s for this weekly series. A new song is streamed each week and remains available via the archives. I expect the mix to run the gamut from traditional jazz to the avant garde. The idea is to provide a representation of Madison jazz.
Mail to tniwrek AT hotmail DOT com. If your file is larger than 10 MB or you plan to snail mail a CD for me to rip then use the contact form to ask for alternate instructions.
Include the name of the song, names of musicians, and any comments you want to include.
I can’t help myself. The New Breed gets booted by a sports bar and I have the nerve to compare them to Brett Favre. It’s only for a moment so please humor me. Favre has many Packer fans that continue to follow his play with the Jets. The question is are the New Breed fans just as loyal?
The answer is a no-brainer. The only special thing about the Concourse is it’s acoustics; the New Breed is the attraction. Considering the large crowd at the Cabana Room Wednesday night, playing at the Concourse may have actually limited the audience for the New Breed. The jam was a smashing success: the turnout was large, the room works well for jazz, and it was announced the jam will resume every Wednesday at the Cabana starting the second week of January.
I recently spent about 2 months on the East Coast playing music, crashing on couches, and drinking excessive amounts of Scotch (after experiencing Madison I couldn’t bring myself to pay $7 for a mediocre imported beer). 
