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inDIGenous Jazz Series - Rick Flowers
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Rick Flowers  ***
Friday, September 21, 2018 - 7:30 pm
Memorial Union Play Circle - free
Harold Rayford, Jr - saxes
Becca Grant - piano
Richard Hildner - guitar
Bruce Alford - bass
Michael Walls - percussion
Rick Flowers - drums
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Rick Flowers grew up deeply immersed in the sounds of funk, soul and blues. His musical journey began at the ripe age of eight with the saxophone, though as he developed as a musician he found himself more at home behind the drum set. His early years were spent in South Central Los Angeles and some of his first gigs were playing in his father's blues band. A force in the Madison music scene ever since, you might have caught him at running the jam at R Place on Park Street, accompanying countless artists around town, or co-leading an ensemble with Corey Wilkes featuring Harold Rayford at this year's Greater Isthmus Jazz Festival. A devout Christian, Flowers works to bridge the gap between jazz music and gospel, creating stirring, soulful music in the process. He first started writing for this ensemble last year in preparation for a well-received set at Strollin' Middleton.
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inDIGenous Jazz Series - Father Sky
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Father Sky  ***
Friday, October 5, 2018 - 7:30 pm
Memorial Union Play Circle - free
Anthony Deutsch - piano/vocal/compositions
John Christensen - Upright bass
Devin Drobka - Drums/cymbals
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Presenting works from his 2017 lyric-song album encompassing the realms of beauty and reflection, Anthony Deutsch comes to Madison from Milwaukee to interpret his simple song formats in an acoustic piano trio context. A classically-trained pianist, Deutsch has been perfecting his craft since 2000, and cites a diverse cast of artists including Paul McCartney, Brad Mehldau, and Nina Simone as some of his key influences. Backed by John Christensen on bass and Devin Drobka on drums, the music of Father Sky exudes vulnerability, representing delicate, introverted soul songs.
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inDIGenous Jazz Series - Double Bill
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Executive Tea Set ***
Friday, October 19, 2018 - 7:30 pm
Memorial Union Play Circle - free
Paul Dietrich – Trumpet
Mark Siegenthaler – Piano
Bradley Townsend – Bass
Michael Brenneis – Drums
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| The group Executive Tea Set was formed at a time in history just before it was unfortunate to be associated with the word “tea.” Sfter a short time off from regular performances, the group returns to full force with their inimitable style, humor, and grace.
Michael, Mark, and Brad are psyched to welcome newest member Paul Dietrich on trumpet. Paul brings his unique panache, and subtle bluster, spurring the band into unknown universes. Their choice of repertoire combines self-described "difficult music" featuring polyrhythmic, multi-modal reading, metric mystery, and high-flying harmonic modulation with "gut-bucket tunes we can blow on". Original music of a jazz variety carries the day, penned by the members of the group themselves, with occasional masterworks from one jazz luminary or another.
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Brennan Connors & Stray Passage ***
Friday, October 19, 2018 - 7:30 pm
Memorial Union Play Circle - free
Brennan Connors - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones
Brian Grimm - Electric Bass and Contra-Cello
Geoff Brady - Drums
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Brennan Connors & Stray Passage is primarily an improvising unit focusing on the outside or experimental aspects of jazz. Each performance is dependent on the mind states of the individual musicians, the physical environment of the performance space, and the intense listening and sonic communication that occurs as they play. Their 2017 release Emergence is available on Bandcamp. The breadth of a performance ranges from focused minimalism to fiery high energy music, all while maintaining a sense of narrative organization and compelling ensemble interplay. Their repertoire includes original compositions, a few old favorites, and raw improvisation.
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inDIGenous Jazz Series - Immigré
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Immigré ***
Friday, November 2, 2018 - 7:30 pm
Memorial Union Play Circle - free
Tony Barba - tenor sax
Bryan Elliott - baritone sax
Paul Dietrich - trumpet
Jamie Kember - trombone
Matt Manske - guitar
Mike Kelly - guitar
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Peter Baggenstoss - keyboards
Ryan Lammey - bass
Tim Patterson - drumset
Paddy Cassidy - percussion
Djam Vivie - percussion |
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Immigre's style blends varieties of afrobeat from west Africa with funk, jazz, and afro-Caribbean influences. Both originals and interpretations of classic and contemporary afrobeat tracks are composed and arranged with the efforts of many members of the band. Swirling, repetitive guitar patterns, deep, funky bass lines, and a monstrous percussion section lay the foundation for the searing melodies of the horn section, accentuated by pulsing electric piano comps. We anticipate audiences won't be sitting long once the band takes the stage.
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Fall 2018 inDIGenous Jazz Series
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