Speak Up for Jazz: Take the Greater Madison Jazz Community Survey

The Greater Madison Jazz Consortium is in the midst of crafting a first-ever action plan that speaks to our local jazz community as a whole. A compelling plan that’s grounded in the realities of the current scene and the wishes of jazz musicians, educators, venue owners, and fans will help point the way to a more vibrant and sustainable local scene and help the Consortium secure the resources needed to begin implementing the plan’s new initiatives.

To this end, the Consortium has been conducting a series of interviews with a few dozen key stakeholders, and is now inviting all other members of the jazz community to express their views through an online survey. To take the survey, simply go to http://www.greatermadisonjazzconsortium.org and click on the category (jazz musician, music educator, or fan) that fits you. (You are welcome to self-identify into multiple categories, and take the survey once in each category that fits you.)

The estimated time to complete the survey is 10-15 minutes, and your responses are anonymous and confidential, i.e., the only data to be released publicly will be aggregate data.

The survey will be “live” through day’s end Monday, May 27th, and the results will be compiled immediately thereafter for the Jazz Consortium Steering Committee’s planning retreat on June 2nd. Please help make this jazz community action plan the best it can be by completing this survey.

Thanks much for your time and your concern for the future of jazz in our community.

Howard Landsman, Convener
Cathy Sullivan, Project Coordinator
Greater Madison Jazz Consortium
Email: greatermadisonjazzconsortium@tds.net

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The Greater Madison Jazz Consortium is a partnership of nonprofit jazz presenters (Madison Jazz Society, Madison Music Collective, Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival, and Wisconsin Union Theater), educational institutions and programs (Madison Jazz Jam, Madison Metropolitan School District Fine Arts Department, and UW School of Music), and supportive media (WORT-FM), with additional support from Isthmus, the Capital City Hues, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Its work is made possible by a generous grant from the John and Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation.

“Song Stylizing for Jazz Vocalists” — A Workshop with World-Renowned Jazz Singer Mary Stallings

World-class singer Mary Stallings conducts a jazz vocal workshop in Madison on 5/31/12.

While in Madison for her Isthmus Jazz Festival headline performance, the great Mary Stallings will conduct a private workshop on Thursday, 5/31/12, from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Edgewater Hotel.  Immediately following the workshop, participants are invited to perform at a public vocal showcase in the Edgewater’s Cove Lounge hosted by Madison’s own stellar jazz vocalist Gerri DiMaggio and her long-time pianist, Paul Hastil.

Sponsored by the Madison Music Collective, this workshop is aimed at helping vocalists set a mood, tell a story, and shape phrases, and generally work toward developing their own unique sound.  The workshop will be facilitated by Laurie Lang, jazz bassist and Director of the Madison-based Improvisational Music Workshop.

To maximize personal attention from Ms. Stallings, participation will be limited to 16 registrants.  For details about the program, including registration information, visit the Improvisational Music Workshop website at http://laurielang.wordpress.com/.

Jazz Musicians Sought

From Craigslist Madison today:

Experienced performer (guitar/ukulele/vocals) looking to start a new Gypsy Swing/Novelty Jazz combo. Stand-up bass is a MUST for this type of music!

Also interested in instrumentalists of all types (trumpet, saxophone, guitar, fiddle, etc). Must be able to read charts and play changes. Email or call (608-819-8844) if you are interested in finding out more.

Good time at R Place last night

As regular readers of Madison Jazz know, I was a huge fan of the New Breed Wednesday jazz jam. I’ve been holding my breath for it to resurface and have finally decided that’s not a good idea. So I’m moving on and venturing out to the other local jams. In the last 3 weeks I’ve checked out a bunch I haven’t been to: the Monday blues jam at the Bayou, the Tuesday Chicago Blues jam at the Locker Room, and the every-other-Friday Improv Music Workshop at the Washington Hotel Coffee Room. Last night I checked out the Wednesday Neo-Soul jam at R Place on Park Street. As with all the other jams, I wish I had checked it out sooner; it’s a great scene and I had a very good time.

Everyone I run into has read the recent Isthmus article about white people being afraid to go to R Place. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure what to expect and felt a moment of apprehension when we drove up and saw a group of young black men standing around. That moment passed quickly, though, when we went inside and discovered a warm and welcoming  neighborhood bar.

Ovation Inflation at David Sanchez concert

Why is it that every concert I attend in Madison ends with a standing ovation? Am I amazingly good at selecting great concerts or is something else going on?

The David Sanchez concert last Saturday night at the Memorial Union was a good concert. I enjoyed myself, but when the concert ended and people started sprouting up around me I was caught off guard. I shouldn’t have been since this happens at all Madison concerts, but nonetheless I was. As I said, I thought it was a good concert, but aren’t standing ovations supposed to be reserved for great performances? Well, what to do. When this happens I sometimes stay seated and refuse to go along with the crowd, but the collective pressure can be great, and being in the fourth row where the musicians could clearly see me I stood up.

What happened next was interesting. The band came out front, bowed, and left the stage. The lights came on, there was no encore, and the crowd quickly filed out without protest, or apparent disappointment. Outside I ran into people I knew and we exchanged impressions of the concert. I heard others around me doing the same thing, and the next day I talked to more people who had been there. Here’s the odd thing: not one person thought it was a great concert.

I liked the concert more than the other people I talked to, but I still had some of the same issues with it. A concert over 90 minutes long that includes only six songs, seven at most, will test even the most focused listeners. The songs tended towards longish intros, abstract themes, solos that were rhythmically interesting but not especially melodic, and ending vamps that were longer than the body of the song. To be fair, I often found the ending vamps more interesting than the rest of the song because of the spontaneity and group interplay.

By far the most interesting member of the group was the drummer, Henry Cole. Everyone I talked to volunteered an opinion. Most thought he was great, a few thought he overpowered the group, and everyone agreed he was hard to watch. Personally, I thought he was great; he laid down a tremendous wave of propulsive energy for the rest of the group to ride over. That energy is what sustained me through the 20 minute tunes.

As for being hard to watch, this brings up the topic of odd musician mannerisms, you know, the Joe Cocker type stuff. There’s at least one local musician that I like to say has his jaw bone connected to his music bone because his mouth gapes open in strange ways when he plays. Everyone loves his playing but it takes getting used to watching him. Same thing with this drummer; he’d turn his head, look right into the audience, and make very odd faces. A few times he seemed to be looking right at me and I had to look away. I’m sure he wasn’t seeing anyone in particular, more likely he was in a music-induced altered state. Still, those faces were creepy and I’d rather they not be directed at me.

Overall, I’m glad I heard David Sanchez and his band Saturday night. The songs were long but the group interplay and rhythmic drive made it worthwhile. Regarding those mandatory Madison standing ovations, maybe I just need an attitude adjustment. We’ve got grade inflation, why not ovation inflation too? After all, what’s wrong with giving all performances an “A?” It makes everyone happy and it’s harmless. Right?

Craigslist ad for Jazz “Club”

I found this post on Madison Craigslist tonight and thought I’d share it:

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Reply to: comm-vg9qr-1097426599@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}
Date: 2009-03-29, 10:35AM CDT

I’m thinking of forming a weekly get-together of jazzers to trade ideas, materials, and such. Kind of like Evans’ basement apartment was for Miles and company. I don’t really have a place to meet up, but I figured I’d post this and maybe someone who likes the idea would have a spot. Shoot me an email if you like the idea. Looking for anyone who likes jazz, be it musicians or just listeners. An understanding of theory and a basic knowledge of jazz styles/standards would be a requirement. I don’t want to spend all night teaching people. I want to spend all night sharing ideas.