Ted Piltzecker has a long history of traveling the world, spreading his lyrical approach to playing the vibraphone. He often collaborates with fine local players, and for this performance he has recruited the Lawrence University Faculty Jazz Ensemble.

The new album “Concentric Orbits” from Trans-Atlantic improvisers Quin Kirchner and Rob Clearfield was recorded during the sessions for Quin’s 2020 release “The Shadows and The Light.” Madison is fortunate to host the first night of the release tour for this album of compelling synergy.

Whether he’s speaking in a whisper or a roar, Dave King’s voice is distinctive and recognizable. Indeed, along with a very select few others, he has redefined the role of drummer for his generation and those to follow. His originality extends to his compositions and the extraordinary bands with which he affiliates.

Cody Steinmann is on an earnest quest to realize the sound that fulfills his vision and the direction he wants to take his music. He’s also open about the life struggles early on that formed him as a player and some of the aspects of the music scene where he feels some incongruity.

Tim Whalen left Madison over a decade ago for Washington DC and the US Army band, but his legacy lives on here in the New Breed Jazz Jam, and Phat Phunktion—musical institutions formed with contemporaries at the UW Madison. He returns to showcase the Tim Whalen Nonet, another popular institution formed somewhat later during his Madison tenure.

Russ Johnson returned to Wisconsin to take a teaching position in 2011 after thriving on the New York scene for nearly a quarter century. The quality of his work from his New York days through his current endeavors along the Milwaukee-Chicago corridor rivals anything produced by his contemporaries, and deserves to be widely recognized. Russ is one of those musicians whose mere presence serves to elevate the entire scene.

The Montauk Project [più mosso] is a gathering of improvising musicians and dancers from the western Milwaukee suburbs, the Fox Valley, and Madison itself. A group that expands and contracts to fit the performance, this iteration will include four musicians and three dancers–all of whom come together with the underlying credo of “anything goes.” 

Today we’re talking to a multi-generational collective quartet of Chicago improvisers: a nameless band in the tradition of nameless bands—more on that later. The members of this group span a spectrum from L.A. studio veteran to up-and-coming software engineer, but they gather with the unified purpose of advancing their humanity through musical exploration.

Guitarist, arranger, ethnomusicologist Mike Allemana traces much of his inspiration back to the influence of Von Freeman, and his nights at the fabled Apartment Lounge where he engaged with both the elders and the youth of the culture. His band the Regulators pushes the limits of rhythm while always maintaining a Funk connection, and acknowledging the lineage of Steve Coleman, Von Freeman, and many others.

The Bridge is an exchange of music and culture between France and Chicago that began in 2012. Each edition includes a new batch of improvisors who join forces over an extended period of time, performing numerous shows in Europe and the U.S., and combining their individuality into a group sound that is coherent and unique. The performance in Madison includes Chicago reedmen Keefe Jackson and Dave Rempis, and French drummer Peter Orins.

For those keeping score: Christine Wodrascka joins this performance now that a piano is available.