Thursday at Project Lodge and Death of Cabana Room

by Patrick Breiner

Greetings Wisconsinites,

Hot off the presses: The Cabana Room has given the New Breed the ax. We will not be playing this Wednesday, nor the following, nor any subsequent Wednesday night. The reason? Who knows? The explanation given by a high ranking Samba Party official: “We’re not making enough money off it.” That seems strange to this guerilla as the bar is always packed with 50-100 people whenever we play. Where is all that money going? Certainly not to the hard-working citizens who keep the gears a-turnin’.

In any case, the New Breed is currently looking for a new home for underground jazzy camaraderie. We here at WPJB will keep you abreast of the wheelings and dealings.

That being said, come get your weekly fix of great music on Thursday instead!

The deets:
This Thursday, Nov 5
7:30-10:30 pm
at the Project Lodge
817 East Johnson St. at Paterson
$5

Pay admission and dip into a free cooler of Miller High Life! Or BYOB if you’re feeling hoity-toity.

This Thursday will feature, from Chicago:
Caroline Davis – saxophone
Dave Miller – guitar

From Madison:
Patrick Breiner – saxophone
Luke Polipnick – guitar

We’ll also have some awesome stage visuals by Tyler Mackie.

Don’t miss it!

Madison Music Collective Announces Fall 2009 Concert Series

by Howard Landsman

Cole Porter co-exists with music made on laptop as the Madison Music Collective launches the kind of eclectic concert series for which it has come to be known.  The Collective’s Fall 2009 series will range from the classic to the avant-garde, solo performances to ensemble works, vocal jazz to instrumental, acoustic sounds to advanced electronics.   The series will also be moving to weekends from its former Thursday night perch.

New Faces of Madison Jazz: Patrick Breiner (tenor saxophone) and Luke Polipnick (guitar)

September 18th, 8:00 PM, Capitol Lakes Grand Hall, 333 West Main Street in Downtown Madison, $10 general admission, $8 members of the Madison Music Collective and Madison Jazz Society 

Fans of the New Breed Quintet will see a new side of saxophonist Patrick Breiner as he inhabits the persona of Vartan Mamigonian for his solo set on September 18th.

Saxophonist Patrick Breiner and guitarist Luke Polipnick are remarkably mature and sensitive young players who are full of fresh ideas.  Breiner moved to Madison last year from New York City, and has quickly developed a strong local following through performances at the 2009 Isthmus Jazz Festival and weekly gigs with the New Breed Quintet at the Cabana Room’s Wednesday night jam sessions.  Breiner improvises in a wide range of musical styles and contexts, and returns frequently to New York where he gigs with the likes of renowned drummer Billy Hart. 

Guitarist Luke Polipnick will perform a solo set and then join saxophonist Patrick Breiner for a duo performance to close out the Collective's September 18th concert.

Luke Polipnick moved to Madison earlier this summer from Lincoln NE.  He has been active in the Twin Cities creative music scene and performed in Madison earlier this year as part of a nation-wide tour with renowned Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani.  His music incorporates computer-based electronics and often has a dark, brooding spaciousness that evokes the vast mysterious depths of the Great Plains.

For their MMC concert, Breiner and Polipnick will each perform a solo set, unaccompanied by other musicians, and then close with a duo performance.

 

 

 

 

The Music of Cole Porter: Vocalists Kelly DeHaven, Gerri DiMaggio and Marilyn Fisher

Saturday, October 10^th, 8:00 PM, Top of the Park at the Best Western on the Capitol Square, 22 South Carroll Street, $15 general admission, $12 members of the Madison Music Collective and Madison Jazz Society

The featured vocalists for the Collective's Cole Porter concert (left to right): Kelly DeHaven, Gerri DiMaggio, and Marilyn Fisher

With its panoramic view of the Capitol and its cabaret atmosphere, the Top of the Park will offer the perfect setting for for an evening of the sophisticated “uptown” music of the legendary American songwriter, Cole Porter.

Porter’s pieces are noted for their clever rhymes, complex forms and sophisticated sexual innuendos, all of which are evident in classics like “Night and Day,” “Anything Goes,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Don’t Fence Me In,” and so many more.   He and Irving Berlin stand alone as the two giants of the Great American Songbook who wrote both the words and music.

Performing in solo, duo and trio settings with pianist Paul Hastil, bassist John Mesoloras, and drummer John Becker, celebrated local vocalists Kelly DeHaven, Gerri DiMaggio and Marilyn Fisher will present two sets of Porter’s popular and lesser-known songs.   Along with the music, this vocal trio will also provide background and insight into Porter’s life and works.

Electro-Acoustic Music: The Desert Fathers (Gregory Taylor on laptop computer and Jeff Kaiser on quarter-tone trumpet and laptop)

Friday, November 13th, 8:00 PM, Capitol Lakes Grand Hall, 333 West Main Street in Downtown Madison, $10 general admission, $8 members of the Madison Music Collective and Madison Jazz Society 

The Desert Fathers are a duo comprised of WORT-FM host Gregory Taylor (R.T.Q.E., Sundays at 9:00 PM) on laptop computer and the highly-accomplished composer and music technologist Jeff Kaiser of LaJolla CA playing quarter-tone trumpet and laptop.  They use an expansive array of electronics and effects to spontaneously generate music that is complex, layered and other-worldly.  The sinuous sound of Mr. Kaiser’s trumpet will snake its way through this aural landscape while being subjected to a variety of electronic manipulations including delays, pitch shifting, and much else.  At the same time, listeners will also hear more sustained, melodic playing, making the trumpet’s quarter-tone capability apparent.

Laurie’s Living Room Concerts

The Madison jazz scene continues to show its resiliency. As the number of jazz events in Madison clubs trends downward, jazz is springing up in a variety of other non-drinking establishments. The MMC is leading the way with frequent events at Capitol Lakes, a new series of creative improvised music (free jazz) at Escape Java coffeehouse, and last weekend’s successful mini-jazzfest at Art in the Barn in Fitchburg.

This Saturday another new venue will host a jazz event. Longtime Madison bassist Laurie Lang is presenting the second in an evolving series of concerts at the Faith Community Church on Park Street. Interestingly, this church used to be the jazz club called Bunkies. There are no pews. It is set up coffeehouse style with couches, round tables with chairs,  a Kawai grand piano, and a full PA with great sound. Drinks and desserts will be available during the performance as part of the cover charge.

Last month Laurie hosted an event for a high school band doing music for young people, mostly originals, a few covers, and some of it improvisational in nature. This Saturday, Laurie and John Becker will perform a concert of John’s jazz compositions. Laurie describes John’s songs as a hybrid of Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, and Vince Guaraldi. John plays piano and drums, and sings. Laurie will play bass. Here’s the publicity blurb:

—————–

Laurie’s Living Room Concerts Presents:

“Time Stands Still”

A unique evening of storytelling, through music and spoken word.

On Saturday, July 25^th John Becker and Barb Schultz-Becker will share their journey from disappointment to parenthood. John has recorded his struggles, victories, sorrow and joy in musical compositions that tell the story of “Time Stands Still,”

John is a prolific writer of beautiful music, joyful elementary school music teacher and well- respected jazz artist. He has shared his music in concert halls, clubs, churches and schools. John grew up in Wisconsin doing concerts with his extremely musical family, studied music at UW completing a bachelor and masters degree program, and then worked as a professional musician in LA. In recent years, he has returned to Wisconsin gotten married, become a parent and still gracefully shares his music with many.

Laurie’s Living Room Concerts create a venue that is informal and yet respectful of the artists. It is a gathering to offer a performance space that is cozy, warm and inviting while showcasing the beauty of the art being presented. We ask for a donation to cover the costs involved and provide you with a distinctive performance experience.

Come:

Saturday, July 25^th. 2009

7:30 – 9:30pm

Faith Community, 3 N. Park St., Madison

Coffeehouse style performance: $10 suggested donation/per person: This donation will include the performance, an open dessert table with drinks and a $5off coupon toward a CD.

Cabana Room cuts Jazz, Jam survives

The economy continues to take its toll on the Madison jazz scene. The Cabana Room has featured live jazz Wednesday through Saturday nights since January, but Scott Stenton tells me that as of July 1st all the jazz except the New Breed jam  has been discontinued.  Scott played there every Saturday night and says it’s been slow since the beginning of summer. The crowd for the jam was a little off last night but has otherwise been consistently strong.

It doesn’t sound like the jazz will be replaced by another kind of live music, and Scott has no idea if jazz will return when the students do in the fall.

Jazz at Milwaukee Pabst Theater

The Milwaukee Pabst theater is one of the nicest regional venues to hear serious music. It combines old world craftsmanship and charm with great acoustics. A while back I noted that the Hal Leonard series at the Milwaukee Pabst Theater had been cancelled. Fortunately, they are still scheduling some jazz.

This is very short notice but tickets are still available for Madeline Peyroux tomorrow night at 8 pm. She will doing material from her latest CD which to my ears sounds like a cross between Billy Holliday and Nora Jones; laid back, medium slow grooves with nice melodies.

Just announced is Diana Krall Sunday June 28. Tickets go on sale 3/27 and are $55 and $75. This is during Summerfest so you could check out Summerfest during the day and do the concert at night, or make a whole weekend of it.

Tim Whalen Nonet – jazz bursting at the seams

I hope that Jessica Steinhoff, the Isthmus writer who asked, “Whither Jazz,” attended the Tim Whalen Nonet performance last Saturday. Anyone who was at Magnus for that show can appreciate that Madison jazz is more than alive and well. When the Nonet is playing, jazz is bursting at the seams. It was the Nonet’s first Madison show in many months, and the pent up demand was more than could be contained.

Jazz at the Majestic Theater

The Majestic Theater is turning into THE place to hear big name jazz with popular appeal. The Bad Plus was already on the schedule for April 16, now they’ve added John Scofield for the same week, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe  for the end of this month, and Charlie Hunter for early May. All of these are must see shows. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe may be more funk/RnB than jazz but it is informed by his jazz roots and features his funky sax.

I’ll have more about these artists as we get closer to their concerts. Here’s the lineup as it currently looks:

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
Saturday, 3/28, 9 pm
Tickets $20-35

John Scofield
Monday, 4/13, 8 pm
Tickets $20-32

Bad Plus
Thursday, 4/16, 8 pm
Tickets $16-25

The Charlie Hunter Duo
Wednesday, 5/6, 8 pm
Tickets $15-30

Harlan Jefferson tonight at R Place

Last week the Isthmus newspaper featured Harlan Jefferson, a talented alto saxophone player from Rockford, as a critics pick for this Wednesday night. That reminded me that I’ve been wanting to check him out since I noticed back in January that he plays at R Place on Park on Wednesday nights. I guess I haven’t gotten there yet because I’m so into the New Breed jam sessions on Wednesday nights. It’s also easy to overlook R Place because I’ve never been there, they don’t have a webpage,  and for some reason they aren’t listed on the Crazeology calendar (they are, however, listed and mapped on the Venue page).

Now it looks like time is running out. Tonight might be the last time to hear Harlan in Madison for a while. Joined by drummer Rick Flowers and keyboardist Cheeseburger McClain, Harlan has been playing his mix of smooth jazz, RnB, and gospel on Wednesday nights for the last two months, but now neither his webpage calendar (which doesn’t extend into March) or the Isthmus show any Madison gigs in March. 

Petition to save Mitby disappears

Sometime yesterday morning the petition to save the Mitby Theater disappeared from the petition site. It’s been confirmed by a reliable source that employees of Ward Brodt started the petition, and apparently took it down now that MATC is looking at other options.

It’s too bad because the petition was a focal point for mobilizing support for the theater.  Many signatures were added in the last few days (there were around 175 in the end) and many more would have been added. These situations need constant pressure until a final decision is made and now some momentum has been lost. For now, Madison Jazz will continue to follow the story and keep you informed.

The return of the New Breed Jazz Jam – Patrick Breiner

Madison folks,

I’ve finally returned after 2 long months troubadoring (it wasn’t a verb before, but it is now) on the East Coast!

Kicking off the new year, the new prez, in a new space is the New Breed!

After a short hiatus we’ve found a new home at Samba’s Cabana Room. Check out Madison Jazz Blog’s review of the space here. We’ll play there every Wednesday for the next 8 weeks – maybe more if you all come show your support for Madison’s best jazz quintet!

It starts tomorrow night:
Wednesday, January 21
9 pm
Samba Brazilian Grill’s Cabana Room
240 West Gilman Street (at State)
FREE!

Don’t forget, this is also a jam session. So if you’re a musician definitely bring your ax.

Hope to see you all very soon.

Best,
Patrick

CD at CD Baby – www.CDBaby.com/VartanMamigonian
Official Website – www.VartanMamigonian.net
Myspace – www.myspace.com/PatrickBreinerMusic