February 4 jam
Since our founding in 2010 the Madison Jazz Jam has always hosted a session on Super Bowl Sunday, and this year is no different. It's only fitting that on Super Sunday 2018 the "home team" consists of local jazz greats Ken Hoffman (ts), Johannes Wallmann (pno), John Mesoloras (bs), and Rodrigo Villanueva (dr). This promises to be potent lineup capable of passing motifs from man to man with ease as they deliver artistic hit after hit.
It will be a treat to hear jammers join the house band to tackle "Blue Seven," a blues from Sonny Rollins's Saxophone Colossus. This is one of those Rollins performances in which his use of space conveys his mastery and confidence while providing beginning improvisers a wealth of short ideas from which to build their own phrases. Right before halftime visiting jammers and the home team band will hit the field to play "If I Should Lose You." You may know this one from the Hank Mobley album, Soul Station. When Mobley recorded this one, he marched right down the field in a straightforward, swinging fashion, but you could call out your special teams to make it funky or Latin or Brazilian to deliver the win!
I promise there will be no football jokes at the next jam at the Rigby on February 4. There will, however, be great jazz. Come out to support the home team!
OMJ Jam - February 7, 6:30 - 9pm
Our Middleton Jazz Jam for Wednesday, February 7 we will offer the opportunity to play any songs from Real Book 1 or 2 and/or any 12 bar blues of your choice.
Please practice your song ahead of time and be ready to play the melody and improvise on the tune or learn a transcription of a great jazz musician and play that.
Come and enjoy playing music with other high school friends, community members and area professional jazz musicians.
This week we will feature:
Stan Godfriaux – piano (Godfriaux family has a long time jazz lineage in Madison, Stan is one of their best!) Listen here: https://www.facebook.com/stan.godfriaux/videos/1542790989077601/
Matthew Endres - drums (UW - Adjunct Professor of Music/jazz studies)
Dan Wallach – sax (leader of jazz combos at MHS and amazing all around saxophonist and teacher)
Laurie Lang – bass (MHS Jazz Mama)
Note:
February 21 - will be a showcase of WSMA Solo and Ensemble pieces by the best of Middleton High school -- Classical, showtunes and jazz music will be featured.
January 17- OMJ Jam 6:30 - 9pm
This week, Wednesday, January 17 and later, February 7 we will offer the opportunity to play any songs from Real Book 1 or 2.
Please practice your song ahead of time and be ready to play the melody and improvise on the tune or learn a transcription of a great jazz musician and play that.
Also pick any 12 bar blues of your choice in any key.
Come and enjoy playing music with other high school friends, community members and area professional jazz musicians.
This week we will feature.
Dan Wallach - sax (leader of jazz combos at MHS and amazing all around saxophonist and teacher)
*Becca May Grant - piano (composer & gospel jazz queen of Madison's FOL)
*Rick Flowers - drums (very talented multi-instrumentalist and composer)
Laurie Lang - bass (MHS Jazz Mama)
Becca May Grant's band - Rivers of Madison
Rick performing his dynamic compositions with his band in the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium's "Strollin' Middleton" series last fall.
January 21 Jam
I picked two tunes for this week without realizing that both are associated with Coltrane. "Afro Blue," composed by Mongo Santamaria, may be better known as a number on Coltrane's Birdland live set. It's an ABA form in F minor, and it's in three. While Trane played it as a modal tune, other artists play the head as written and then blow over minor blues changes. More recently artists like Robert Glasper, Erykah Badu, and Esperanza Spalding are doing it in four over hip-hop rhythms.
We'll also play "In a Sentimental Mood." The recording Coltrane did with Ellington (Duke Ellington & John Coltrane) in the early sixties is one of my favorites; in addition to Coltrane's reading of the melody, Ellington opens the recording with a simple, pretty-much-iconic piano figure that you'd recognize anywhere. This one is done lots of ways - as a ballad, medium-up, or whatever you like.
The house band of Ken Hoffman (ts), Dave Stoler (pno), Matt Rodgers (bs), and John Lombardo (dr, and the guy who books our house bands!) can play these tunes and all of the other tunes out there, so we'll be in good hands during the jam.
We look forward to seeing you on the 21st at the Rigby. Meanwhile you should follow us on Facebook, where I'll post performances of our jam tunes and items of interest every couple of days. See you soon!