Events

Matt Ulery’s Loom at The Jazz Estate
Friday, July 14, 2017, 8 PM – 11 PM


The Jazz Estate
2423 N Murray Ave,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211

Matt Ulery Bass and compositions
Geof Bradfield Tenor/bass clarinet
Russ Johnson Trumpet
Rob Clearfield Piano
Jon Deitemyer Drums

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Chicago based bassist/composer and bandleader Matt Ulery has developed an instantly recognizable sound. Known for his sweeping lyricism, unconventional phrase structures,
expressionistic emotionalism, Ulery’s music is informed by the entire spectrum of jazz, classical, rock, pop, and folk—specifically American, South American, Balkan, and other European folk styles. He performs not only on upright and electric bass, but doubles on tuba.

For a decade, Ulery has been the leader of his own groups, Loom, By a Little Light, and a member, among others, of Eastern Blok, and the Grazyna Auguscik Group. Ulery has produced and released 6 albums of all original music under his name including his three most recent releases of critical acclaim, By a Little Light (2012), Wake an Echo (2013), and In the Ivory (2014), on Greenleaf Music.

Ulery earned a Master of Music degree at Depaul University and Bachelors degree in music composition at The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and has played in bands with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Phil Markowitz, Fareed Haque, Howard Levy, Patricia Barber, Goran Ivanovic, Jeff Parker, Zach Brock, and many others.

When not touring parts of the United States and Europe, Matt appears regularly in the Chicago area music venues and has played performed with his groups at prestigious venues such asCarnegie Hall, Chicago Orchestra Hall, Millennium Park Pritzker Pavillion, Chicago Cultural Center, The Krannert Center, Blues Alley, Jazz Showcase, The Metro and countless other finemusic listening rooms.

Check out Matt’s Tiny Desk Concert:

http://www.npr.org/event/music/237080011/matt-ulerys-loom-tiny-desk-concert

Charles McPherson at The Jazz Estate

The Jazz Estate
2423 N Murray Ave
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211

August 16th, 2017 8pm & 10pm

$20 Advance
$25 Door
Limited Front Row Reserved Tables Available

http://charlesmcpherson.brownpapertickets.com/

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Charles McPherson was born in Joplin, Missouri and moved to Detroit at age nine. After growing up in Detroit, he studied with the renowned pianist Barry Harris and started playing jazz professionally at age 19. He moved from Detroit to New York in 1959 and performed with Charles Mingus from 1960 to 1972. While performing with Mingus, he collaborated frequently with Harris, Lonnie Hillyer (trumpet), and George Coleman (tenor sax).

Mr. McPherson has performed at concerts and festivals with his own variety of groups, consisting of quartets, quintets to full orchestras. He was recently featured at Lincoln Center showcasing his original compositions and arrangements with a seven-piece ensemble. He has toured the U.S., Europe, Japan, Africa and South America with his own group, as well as with jazz greats Barry Harris, Billy Eckstine, Lionel Hampton, Nat Adderly, Jay McShann, Phil Woods, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, and others.

McPherson has recorded as guest artist with Charlie Mingus, Barry Harris, Art Farmer, Kenny Drew, Toshiko Akiyoshi, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. He has recorded as leader on Prestige, Fantasy, Mainstream, Discovery, Xanadu, and most recently Arabesque. His most recent recording is the highly acclaimed “Manhattan Nocturne.”

McPherson remains a strong, viable force on the jazz scene today. He is at the height of his powers. His playing combines passionate feeling with intricate patterns of improvisation. Throughout his five decades of being an integral performer of the music, Charles has not merely remained true to his Be Bop origins, but has expanded on them. Stanley Crouch says in his New York Times article on Charles, “He is a singular voice who has never sacrificed the fluidity of his melody making, and is held in high esteem by musicians both long seasoned and young.”

Charlie Sepulveda and the Turnaround

Thursday, July 13 at 7:30 PM – 1 AM
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3020992

The Jazz Estate
2423 N Murray Ave
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211

The Jazz Estate is pleased to welcome, from Puerto Rico, latin jazz legend Charlie Sepulveda and his ensemble The Turnaround.  Two shows: 7:30pm and 10pm.

Tickets, General Admission, $20 Advance, $25 Door.
A very limited number of reserved tables available.

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World-Class Trumpeter, Composer, Bandleader and Educator, Charlie Sepulveda stands as one of the few remaining pivotal figures in Jazz and Latin Jazz music today.   Charlie Sepulveda has traversed the globe many times over the past 30 years as a member of the legendary Tito Puente Golden Men of Latin Jazz, Eddie Palmieri Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra as well has his own ensemble “The Turnaround”.   Sepulveda has been charged with the responsibility and blessing of being a “Keeper of the Flame” in the evolving legacy of Latin Jazz genre.  The flame has been passed to Charlie by legendary stalwarts Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Maestro Ray Santos, Cachete Maldonado, and his cousin Eddie Palmieri, who continues to record and perform today at a youthful 80 years of age.  The responsibility as one of the Keeper’s of the Flame requires constant dedication to the preservation, promotion and dissemination of this most exciting genre of music that comprises over 40,000 years of historical evolution from Africa to the New World.    Charlie has assumed this responsibility with great respect and deference to the Masters who preceded him.

A talented trumpet virtuoso capable of switching between the straight ahead jazz, jazz- latin, ballad, popular and dance idioms, Charlie became internationally known as the lead trumpeter for the Batacumbele and Eddie Palmieri Orchestras after being endorsed by his mentor Juancito Torres.  While still a member of the Palmieri organization,  Sepulveda released two acclaimed recordings on the Antilles New Directions label entitled “The New Arrival” and “Algo Nuestro”.   These recordings have become cult classics and are considered essential listening for anyone learning about Latin Jazz.  Charlie has since gone on to perform with a who’s who of artists including Celia Cruz,  India, Sheila E., Prince, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tropi Jazz All-Stars, Fania All-Stars, and a myriad of artists around the world.

Residing in Puerto Rico for the past 20 years, Charlie has continued to teach legions of students at the prestigious Puerto Rico Conservatorio de Musica.  He continues to produce and record acclaimed albums under his own name as well as performing and recording in tandem with international superstars.   His most recent release “Mr. EP: Tribute to Eddie Palmieri” (High Note Records) by Charlie Sepulveda and the Turnaround as well as “To Beny More with Love” by Grammy winner Jon Secada & the Charlie Sepulveda Big Band are currently top selling discs on the Billboard, Gavin, and JazzWeek Charts.    In addition to Mr. Sepulveda’s tireless efforts at keeping the music alive in the classroom, concert stage and recording studio, he also takes to the airwaves and hosts his own acclaimed radio program “El Yunque Jazz with Charlie Sepulveda on FM 93 in Fajardo PR” covering the entire eastern half of Puerto Rico and the US Virgen Islands.   Charlie promotes and features the music of many up and coming artists as well as established artists from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and around the world through his radio show.

Charlie Sepulveda is a tireless and indefatigable champion supporter of the music.  In addition, Charlie spends time giving free lessons to underprivileged children in his home town of Luquillo, PR; he has forged successful partnerships with the mayor and political leadership in his municipality to support the arts; he directed a municipal youth band in Luquillo, he’s played in the local church choir; he plays monthly at one of the notable culinary establishments in Luquillo’s Famous Tourist Kiosks.  He has created a Jazz festival known as the Luquillo Beach Latin Jazz Festival to serve as a forum for live music featuring world class, local and student artists while serving as a catalyst for tourism and economic development in the area.   In August 2016 Charlie received another honor: he was asked to be a part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz for Young People Program-Puerto Rico Chapter, courtesy of his friend and colleague Wynton Marsalis.

In addition to leading his acclaimed sextet “The Turnaround”, Charlie leads  The San Juan Big Band in a weekly Saturday night residency at one of Puerto Rico’s famous El San Juan Hotel, and another residency at the Hotel Convento.  In July 2017, Charlie will bring The Turnaround to the midwest United States to headline the 2017  Chicago Latin Jazz Festival (July 14, 2017) and perform at one of America’s top intimate jazz listening rooms: “The Jazz Estate” in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.   Touring in support of the new album “Mr EP”,  be prepared to experience the exciting artistry of Charlie Sepulveda and the Turnaround – Michael Reyes, Esq.

Adam Larson Quartet at The Jazz Estate
July 6, 2017 at 9 PM 12 AM


The Jazz Estate
2423 N Murray Ave
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211

Rob Clearfield, piano
Clark Sommers, bass
Jon Deitemyer, drums

Twenty seven year-old saxophonist-composer Adam Larson, endorsed artist for P. Mauriat saxophones, D’Addario Woodwinds and Lebayle mouthpieces, began playing saxophone at the age of 11. As a high school student, Larson was a member of virtually every national program dedicated to showcasing excellence in young jazz talent including The Grammy Band, Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, Betty Carter Jazz Ahead, YoungArts Jazz Fellows, Telluride Student All-Stars, Jazz Band of America and many others. Described by critic Howard Reich of The Chicago-Tribune as “a player for whom the word ‘prodigious’ was coined”, by Peter Hum of the Ottawa Citizen as “a saxophonist who brings Donny McCaslin and Mark Turner to mind”, and by Nate Chinen of The New York Times as “a self-assured young saxophonist”, Larson has garnered numerous awards that distinguish him as one of the most promising artists of his generation. Upon completion of his Bachelors degree at The Manhattan School of Music in May of 2012, Larson was selected as a member of the inaugural Manhattan School of Music Jazz Institute to continue his studies as a Master’s student, where he graduated with honors as the recipient of the William H. Borden Award for Outstanding performance in Jazz, in 2014.  

With four records under his name, Larson’s latest, entitled “Second City”, will be released on the Inner Circle Music Label, in the Fall of 2017. Larson’s 2015 debut for Inner Circle, “Seclective Amnesia” was featured in the New York Times, Downbeat, Saxophone Journal and several other publications in print and online. Larson keeps an active schedule with his groups and as a sideman, having performed at several venues across the U.S. including Birdland, The 55 Bar, The Jazz Gallery, The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard, Smalls, Cornelia St. Café, The Kitano, Dizzy’s Club-Coca Cola, Jazz at The Bistro, The Jazz Showcase, and several others. As a sideman, Adam has performed with numerous groups including Jamie Cullum, Ted Rosenthal, The Ari Hoenig Nonet, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Otis Brown III Band, Michael Rodriguez Quintet and the Helen Sung Quartet. Larson’s sound can be heard on numerous recordings from bandleaders such as Nils Weinhold, Bastian Weinhold, Marcus Lewis, Joo Chan Im, Victor Bastidas, and others. 

Adam has been a part of several tours that have allowed him to see more of the world than he once thought possible. Larson’s quartet was selected as one of ten ensembles to tour on behalf of the U.S. State Department’s “American Music Abroad” program and toured Africa for 35 days in April 2015, visiting The Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin and Ghana. Larson has also toured India, Taiwan, Holland, and Germany as well much of the United States. In October of 2017, Larson will travel to Poland to be the a guest artist, performing at the Sopot Jazz Festival.

Beyond maintaining an active touring and recording schedule, Larson continues to be a sought after clinician and master class presenter at several high schools and Universities across the Midwest and beyond. Appearances include Temple University, Yale, Manhattan School of Music, University of North Texas, Elmhurst College, Roosevelt College, University of Illinois, Univesity of Colorado-Greeley, Northern Illinois University, University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire, Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Illinois Central College and Hutchinson Community College, among many others. Adam maintains an impressive portfolio of commissioned ensemble writing for school jazz ensembles, having written thirty original works to date. Larson is currently a Teaching Artist for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz For Young People, The New York Pops Ed education programs, and has a diverse private lesson studio of Skype students from the U.S. and abroad. Larson has also taught as a substitute at The Manhattan School of Music and New York University. Larson currently resides in Manhattan with his beautiful wife, Tierney and son, Jack. 

Brian Lynch & Greg Tardy at The Jazz Estate

Presented in collaboration with the Jazz Institute of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music
Friday, June 30 at 8 PM – 11 PM

We are pleased to welcome Grammy Award Winner Brian Lynch and saxophonist Greg Tardy to the Estate Stage. They will be backed up by Milwaukee’s own Mark Davis, Jeff Hamman, and Dave Bayles.

$15 Door Charge

Limited Front Row Reserved Tables: http://lynchtardy.brownpapertickets.com/
Sales start 7/3/17 12pm

Grammy© Award Winning trumpeter Brian Lynch brings to his music an unparalleled depth and breadth of experience. A honored graduate of two of the jazz world’s most distinguished academies, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and the Horace Silver Quintet, he received wide acclaim during his long tenures with Latin Jazz legend Eddie Palmieri and straight ahead master Phil Woods. He has been a valued collaborator with jazz artists such as Benny Golson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Charles McPherson; Latin music icons as diverse as Hector LaVoe and Lila Downs; and pop luminaries such as Prince. As a bandleader and recording artist he has released over 20 critically acclaimed CDs featuring his distinctive composing and arranging, and has toured the world at the helm of various ensembles reflecting the wide sweep of his music.

Greg Tardy Tenor saxophonist, who has released albums for the record labels SteepleChase Records, J Curve Records, and Impulse! Records. He has played with Elvin Jones, Avishai Cohen, Aaron Goldberg, Brad Mehldau, and Joshua Redman, among others. Tardy studied classical clarinet as a child, encouraged by his parents, both of whom were opera singers. His mother, Jo Anne Tardy, after singing classical music became a gospel-influenced jazz singer. After switching to tenor saxophone, Tardy played with funk bands in Milwaukee before his brother urged him to listen to jazz, after which he was especially influenced by John Coltrane’s recordings. He studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and at the University of New Orleans, along the way encountering Ellis Marsalis who became tutor and mentor. Resident in New York City from 1992, Tardy became deeply involved in the contemporary jazz and improvised music scenes. Among musicians with whom he has played are Rashied Ali, Omer Avitel, Jonathan Blake, Betty Carter, Steve Coleman, George Colligan, Ravi Coltrane, Sean Conly, Xavier Davis, Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell, Aaron Goldberg, Russell Gunn, Eric Harland, Tom Harrell, Antonio Hart, Andrew Hill, Elvin Jones, Joe Lovano, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Jay McShann, Mulgrew Miller, James Moody, John Patitucci, Nicholas Payton, Chris Potter, Dewy Redman, David Schumacher, Mark Turner and Bobby Watson, the latter being cited as an especially important influence.

Dave King Trucking Company and Hanging Hearts at The Cactus Club

Saturday, June 10 at 9 PM – 12 AM
Advance tickets on sale this Wednesday, April 19th at 10 am
$15 ADV // $20 DOS
Doors 9 PM // +21

Cactus Club
2496 S Wentworth Ave
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53207

Dave King Trucking Company
Erik Fratzke – guitar
Dave King – drums
Chris Morrissey – bass
Chris Speed – tenor saxophone
Brandon Wozniak – tenor saxophone

Hanging Hearts
Chris Weller – saxophone
Cole Degenova – keyboards
Devin Drobka – drums

Dave King Trucking Company
Prolific drummer/composer Dave King is well known for his propulsive work in a number of different bands. From The Bad Plus to Happy Apple to Halloween, Alaska, each group has its own sound and approach, but all are approached in a steadfast manner. These groups are all serious units of focused players who are completely dialed in, honing a solid band sound and identity. It is King’s attraction to a strong group concept that led to his creation of his Trucking Company band and his increasing focus thereon. On its third recording, Surrounded By The Night, the Trucking Company has solidified its identity with new material and a slightly changed lineup. The addition of the Minneapolis born, Brooklyn based bassist Chris Morrissey strengthens the Minnesota-New York connection that has been part of the identity of the ensemble, featuring the saxophone (and clarinet!) of Brooklynite Chris Speed alongside Minnesotans saxophonist Brandon Wozniak and guitarist Erik Fratzke, since its inception.

Hanging Hearts
Hanging Hearts is a free-spirited, Chicago-based trio described by European audiences as “hammering the walls between genres.” Bridging the gap between jazz, rock, and experimental music, the band offers listeners what is ultimately their own tribal music–a combination of their varying musical backgrounds ranging from jazz and classical, to funk, alternative soul, and full on metal. Each a bandleader and composer in their own right, Hanging Hearts features Chris Weller on tenor and bass saxophones, Cole DeGenova on keyboards, and Devin Drobka on drums.

In June 2016, Hanging Hearts went back into the studio at Howl Street Recordings in Milwaukee, WI with drummer Dave King of The Bad Plus as producer to make their second album, Into a Myth. A strong step forward from their last, the record features eight cut-to-the-chase originals referencing various themes from creation myths to cosmic rights of passage. Into a Myth releases on June 9, 2017 on the Minneapolis-based label Shifting Paradigm Records with supporting U.S. tours.

Jackie Allen at The Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts

Jackie Allen with
Johannes Wallman, piano
Hans Dturm, bass
Dane Richeson, drums
Wednesday, May 31 at 7:30pm

The Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts
926 E. Center St.
MIlwaukee, WI 53212

Jackie Allen is celebrating the release of her 12th CD as leader! Rose Fingered Dawn features a brand range of compositions, from sultry bossa novas to exotic middle eastern grooves and hard swinging blues. Each tune was lovely written for her over the years by her husband, critically acclaimed bassist and composer, Hans Sturm. Described as “utterly distinctive and even innovative” by Billboard Magazine, Jackie is renown for her transcendent interpretations. Her extraordinary talent has taken her on multiple tours of Europe, Morocco, Brazil, China and Taiwan. Nationally she has toured both coasts and in-between appearing in Los Angeles at Catalina’s, San Francisco at Yoshi’s, San Diego at Humphrey’s, and New York City at The Blue Note and The Josef Papp Public Theater. She was featured artist with the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic in Chicago’s Millennium Park and Auditorium Theater for Ella Fitzgerald’s 95 Birthday Celebration. She has performed international festivals in Detroit, Chicago, Paris, The Hague, Stuttgart, Edinburgh, Bologna, Beijing, Hong Kong, Thessaloniki, Sao Paulo and more.

Survival Unit III – Joe McPhee, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Michael Zerang

Tuesday, May 30th | 8pm
The Sugar Maple
441 E Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee, WI

$15 General Admission

Joe McPhee (reeds, brass)
Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello, electronics)
Michael Zerang (percussion)

Legendary master musician and improviser, Joe McPhee, returns to Milwaukee with one of his essential bands, Survival Unit III. This trio features two of the most significant musicians from the Chicago scene, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Michael Zerang, who are both critically acclaimed on an international scale and rightfully so.

“They are firmly of the American post-Impulse! free jazz continuum, and they make no concession to anything much outside it, except of course that the tradition has often incorporated sympathetic innovations from the broader culture… reference to Jimi Hendrix and sound artist Maryanne Amacher, gives pretty accurate co-ordinates for the Survival Units’ musical range and stance. Their playing is an update and a progression of the tradition, and a seriously powerful and affecting one at that.”
– The Jazzmann

Charlie Hunter Trio – The Back Room at Colectivo

Sunday, April 9
Doors 7PM / Show 8PM
The Back Room @ Colectivo Coffee
2211 N Prospect Ave, Milwaukee, WI
(414) 273-3753

http://www.pabsttheater.org/show/charliehuntertrio2017

An amazing BACK ROOM show!!! Charlie Hunter, it seems, has always loved a good groove — from his early days in the San Francisco Bay area playing with the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy to his work with his own trio and with T.J. Kirk, the three-guitar band that drew its name and inspiration from Thelonious Monk, James Brown and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He is both incredibly swift with technique and open to the spontaneity of improvisation. Piecing together songs with his custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars, bass and drums, his songs are calculated and full of genuine expertise.

Russ Johnson New Quartet with Aruàn Ortiz, Michael Formanek, Gerald Cleaver

Russ Johnson New Quartet
Saturday, February 18 at 8 PM

The Jazz Estate
2423 N Murray Ave
Milwaukee, WI
 
Aruán Ortiz – Piano “An avatar of creative and progressive improvisation,” Cuban-born, Brooklyn-based pianist, violist, and composer Aruán Ortiz has written music for jazz ensembles, orchestras, dance companies, chamber groups, and feature films. His work incorporates influences from contemporary classical music, Cuban-Haitian rhythms, and avant-garde improvisation; and consistently strives to break stylistic musical boundaries. He has been called “the latest Cuban wunderkind to arrive in the United States” by BET Jazz. Although Aruán tours predominantly with his own trio, he has also played, toured, or recorded with Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Wadada Leo Smith, Don Byron, Greg Osby, Wallace Roney, Nicole Mitchell, Steve Turre, Cameron Brown,and Nasheet Waits, to name a few.

Michael Formanek – Bass One marker of bassist Michael Formanek’s creativity and versatility is the range of distinguished musicians of several generations he’s worked with. While still a teenager in the 1970s he toured with drummer Tony Williams and saxophonist Joe Henderson; starting in the ’80s he played long stints with Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Fred Hersch and Freddie Hubbard. (As a callback to those days, Formanek recorded with hardbop pianist Freddie Redd in 2013). The bassist has played a pivotal role on New York’s creative jazz scene going back to the ’90s when he notably led his own quintet and played in Tim Berne’s barnstorming quartet Bloodcount. Nowadays Formanek’s in the co-op Thumbscrew with Brooklyn guitarist Mary Halvorson and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. Formanek is also a composer and leader of various bands. His principal recording and international touring vehicle is his acclaimed quartet with Tim Berne on alto saxophone, Craig Taborn on piano and Gerald Cleaver on drums, which records for ECM; 2010’s The Rub and Spare Change and 2012’s Small Places both earned coveted five-star raves in Down Beat.

Gerald Cleaver- Drummer Gerald Cleaver, born May 4, 1963 and raised in Detroit, is a product of the city’s rich music tradition. Inspired by his father, drummer John Cleaver, he began playing the drums at an early age. He also played violin in elementary school and trumpet in junior high school and high school. He gained early invaluable experience with Detroit jazz masters Ali Muhammad Jackson, Lamont Hamilton, Earl Van Riper, and Pancho Hagood. While attending the University of Michigan as a music education major, he was awarded a Jazz Study Grant, from the National Endowment for the Arts, to study with drummer Victor Lewis. He graduated in 1992 and began teaching in Detroit where he worked with Rodney Whitaker, A. Spencer Barefield, Marcus Belgrave, Donald Walden, Wendell Harrison, and with visiting musicians Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, Kenny Burrell, Frank Foster, Cecil Bridgewater, Ray Bryant, Eddie Harris, Dennis Rowland, Howard Johnson, Diana Krall, and Don Byron. In 1995 he accepted an appointment as assistant professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Michigan, and in 1998 also joined the jazz faculty at Michigan State University. He moved to New York in 2002.
He has toured and/or recorded with Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell, Lotte Anker, Matt Shipp, William Parker, Craig Taborn, Kevin Mahogany, Charles Gayle, Mario Pavone, Ralph Alessi, Jacky Terrasson, Muhal Richard Abrams, Tim Berne, Jeremy Pelt, Ellery Eskelin, David Torn, Miroslav Vitous, Terje Rypdal, Michael Formanek, Tomasz Stanko, Charles Lloyd, and Bill Frisell, among others.