Latin flavor, big bands, and a swamped sax player at Isthmus Jazz Fest
Local sax player Patrick Breiner, perhaps in an "exploratory" moment.
Just like any of Madison's little music communities, the local jazz scene is surprisingly varied, and maybe a little overwhelming to anyone who hasn't really dug into it yet. That's the appeal of the Isthmus Jazz Festival, scrunching 10 local acts onto the Memorial Union Terrace on Friday and Saturday, in addition to headliner David Sanchez's Saturday performance in the Union Theater. Sure, jazz is a genre that can intimidate or even bore the newcomer, but less so when there's a chance to sample a few of its many incarnations. Since that's what the fest offers, Decider took a look at some of its diverse angles.
Jazz odyssey
Nobody in the audience gets to experience the festival's variety in the exhausting way tenor sax player Patrick Breiner does. He'll open the event on Friday as part of his Patrick Breiner Trio (Friday, 4 p.m.), then join Gerri DiMaggio (Friday, 6 p.m.), New Breed Quintet (Friday, 8 p.m.), and Get Down, Mr. Cat! (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.) for their sets. "I would imagine that my trio is probably the most exploratory of the events on the Terrace, and the New Breed is gonna represent the hard-bop or post-bop movement," he tells Decider. The 25-year-old Breiner moved here from New York City last August and found that Madison jazz is more diverse than the fest lineup can fully encapsulate. He describes his trio (bass, drums, and sax) as "basically straight-ahead jazz but more fun," saying that the absence of a piano or guitar gives him and bass player John Christensen more room to improvise and experiment. Their set will comprise originals but also versions of some tunes by the late sax player Steve Lacy, including "The Bath."
"The Bath" by Patrick Breiner Trio
Big bands
Arrangements usually trump improvisation in brass bands and big bands at the jazz festival, making them a favorite of fans who want to know what they’re about to hear—sort of. Festival-goers can follow the evolution of the big band from its early 20th-century beginnings as a funeral accompaniment to its heyday in the '30s and '40s. Mama Digdown’s Brass Band (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., marching from Library Mall) captures the raw and boisterous New Orleans sound that gave the world Louis Armstrong, while five other jazz big bands (of various sizes) chart a course to the sophisticated world of Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club and beyond. If you counted all of its leader’s musical hats (piano player, composer, arranger, producer, and educator), the Tim Whalen Nonet (Saturday, 6:30 p.m.) would be a 13-piece. Tim Whalen, who would never be accused of underperforming in funk band Phat Phunktion, reigns in his over-the-top energy level to a low roar for his contemporary jazz “little big band.”
If a nonet seems like a little band, an octet must qualify as itsy-bitsy. Get Down, Mr. Cat! (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.) is certainly bigger than the duo of core members Doug Brown (guitar) and Michelle DuVall (vocals), and their eight-piece arrangements of classic swinging jazz tunes cut down to the essentials.
Con sabor Latino
The festival finds not only local music but also Latin-influenced jazz heading off in completely different directions. Puerto Rican-born tenor sax player David Sanchez's quartet (with a guitarist, drummer, and bass player), playing a ticketed show Saturday night in the Wisconsin Union Theater, pick up on the heady and increasingly hard-to-categorize developments of American bop but also richly incorporate Afro-Latin sounds. Sanchez's latest, last year's Cultural Survival, finds his sax gracefully and ambitiously tying together everything from a version of Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Mood" to the propulsive, ever-evolving rhythms of the 20-minute closer, "La Leyenda de Cañaveral." How you could dance to that is anyone's guess, but it should make for a fascinating performance. You can also save your steps for later in the evening when locals Madisalsa close things down. The local 10-piece band exuberantly piles on all manner of Latin music styles, complete with bongos, congas, and devilishly charming Afro-Cuban piano lines. This is a band that titled one of its CDs Se Permite Bailar ("dancing allowed"), so naturally it focuses on keeping those rhythms churning, creating a style that's less heady but equally colorful and broad.
Soft whispers, strong throats
Jazz might not have been invented specifically for the human voice, but what other instrument is capable of such unfettered improvisation? Two performances by veteran Madison jazz performers will be putting the vocals way out front: Gerri DiMaggio has a voice that can flirt with a melody with effortless grace, coaxing out the emotion of the song. She’ll perform with her Friends (Friday, 6 p.m.), including four other vocalists and a backing quintet. Jan Wheaton (Saturday, 5 p.m.) doesn’t sing songs, she devours them—for better or worse. Expect her to use her vocal strength, range, and warmth to pummel any tune—and audience—into submission.
