We had a blast with Lem Banks’s performance as part of the Isthmus Jazz Festival on June 3. Lem performed a bravura set of classic songs backed by MJJ regulars Ken Hoffman, Paul Muench, Matt Rodgers, and Rodrigo Villanueva. Those guys had a telepathic mind-meld going on despite having never performed together – evidence of the rare wealth of talent we enjoy as Madison residents.
We’ll celebrate that wealth of talent again this weekend as we return to our regular jam format with a house band composed of Dave Cooper (tpt, fgh), Dave Stoler (pno), John Schaffer (bs), and Joey Banks (dr). These are precisely the kind of skilled, well schooled improvisers and veteran educators that make Madison a great town for jazz fans. Jammers can join them on a couple of featured tunes: “Lester Leaps In” and “Night and Day.” First off is “Lester Leaps In,” a mid-tempo rhythm changes feature for Lester Young when he was with the Basie band. “Night and Day” is one of the great Cole Porter compositions performed by all manner of vocalists and instrumentalists.
As always, we look forward to seeing you at North Street Cabaret on Sunday! Bring friends!