Sunday, April 14, 7:30 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

The Naima is a Band Group hailed by the American Sociological Review as "Suspicious... Sexual... a Desperating Eyestrain." The Naima is a Actual Composer of Helpful music and has collaborated with the Wisconsin Orchestra, Clear Guarantee Ensemble, the Pink Noise List? Festival, and was the 1979 prize winner of the Emo Phillips Competition for Large Paperworks.

Cathedral Becomes Tomb is a sound expression from Wisconsin based artist Barry Paul Clark (adoptahighway, Tontine Ensemble, Field Report). CBT includes double bass in combination with effected audio signals. It draws inspiration from his lived experiences in conjunction with mental health therapy. The catalyst is an attempt to sonically manifest living with anxiety and major depressive disorders.

Nurse Julie: Post-rock from Fox Lake, Illinois and Milwaukee.

Date: April 14, 2024

Time: 7:30pm doors, 8:00pm show

Cover price: 10$ (please note we do not sell advance tickets - doors only. both cash and cards are accepted)

Saturday, April 13, 7 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

This show will feature different combinations (i.e. solo/duo) of performances from local experimental/improvising musicians Tony Catania ) and Pedro Gutierrez.

Date: April 13, 2024

Time: 7pm

Cover price: 10$ (please note we do not sell advance tickets - doors only. both cash and cards are accepted)

“Homage” is an art exhibition that invites the viewer to remember, reflect and renew our hopes for the future.  
Whether in recent months or decades long past, we have lost many loved ones, both individually and as members of our broader communities. But it is also springtime, a time to look to the future — in this case, by celebrating, honoring and remembering those who have come before and who have made the world a better place.
The exhibition “Homage: Honoring Those Who Have Come Before,” presents the work of established and emerging Milwaukee-area artists. The works range from the highly personal to reflections encompassing historical and ancestral themes.  

The exhibition will also include a 4-ft by 8-ft post-up board inviting visitors and community members to post personal remembrances, whether photos, poems or reflections.

Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts  is a non-profit organization serving Southeastern Wisconsin with a diverse range of visual and performing arts programming, created by a diverse community of visual and performing artists.

Friday, April 12, 7 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Blank Body is an intermedia audiovisual work by Drew Wesely. The material drawn from improvisations on prepared guitar and other objects, Blank Body explores the possibilities the recorded medium affords such as physically impossible musical transitions and binaural spatialization, yet is imbued with the vitality of a live performance. The accompanying vellum art book provides a visual analog as photographs, shapes, and textures emerge from and return to non-existence as the semi-transparent pages are turned like individual frames of a film. 

Shimmering harmonics, string noise, and feedback dance in hypnotic counterpoint immersing the listener in a vivid sonic environment. Blank Body examines fundamental assumptions of the guitar as a sound making object. Playing the guitar with a cello bow and other objects as well as including the pickup and amplification systems as integral parts of the instrument itself opened up a rich potential for polyphony, percussive textural relationships, and a music more centered around timbre and touch emerged. This gave a more immersive feeling to the music, like a series of sonic spaces that are inhabited by the listener rather than listened to.

Local support from Wandering Nerve + Alternative Birthing Center

Date: April 12, 2024

Time: 7pm

Cover price: 10$ (please note we do not sell advance tickets - doors only. both cash and cards are accepted)

Saturday, April 6, 7 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Performance featuring the music of Rosalie Robinson & Emily Beisel/Bill Harris Duo.

Rosalie Robinson is singer/songwriter of original songs in a variety of music styles.

Emily Rach Beisel is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, educator, curator and woodwind specialist. Beisel is known for visceral performances combining extended instrumental techniques with heavy amplification and timbral effects. Their solo work frequently explores the intersection between avant-garde art music and extreme metal genres such as mathcore, doom, and death metal. As a curator, Beisel seeks to increase the visibility and involvement of femme, trans and nonbinary artists in the creative music community. They founded the Pleiades Series at Elastic Arts, presenting monthly performances along with a community-based free improvisation jam for femme and nonbinary performers.

Rach Beisel is a member of the contemporary ensemble Fonema Consort, touring most recently in Brazil, Mexico, Minneapolis and New York and premiering works of living composers including James Dillon, Richard Barrett and Julio Estrada. Rach Beisel also works as a woodwind doubler at Chicago-land theaters including the Marriott Theater, Paramount Theater and multiple productions with Chicago's feminist Firebrand Theater Company. As an educator, Rach Beisel maintains a private studio in addition to teaching positions at Harold Washington College and Oak Park School of Music.

Bill Harris is a percussionist, improviser, and audio engineer in Chicago. He also operates and produces for Amalgam, a Chicago-based label and collective, and co-operates Chicago recording studio Marmalade.

Additionally, Bill focuses on solo work incorporating acoustic and electronic material, using feedback and timbral manipulation. He has recorded three solo records: MACRODOSE (2024), Blinking Glue (2022), and ONOMAT (2021).

Some of his most frequent collaborators include Ishmael Ali, Jake Wark, Carol Genetti, Emily Beisel, Allen Moore, Timothee Quost, Dave Rempis, Jim Baker, PT Bell, Gerrit Hatcher, Eli Namay, Peter Maunu, Matt Piet, Brianna Tong, Wills McKenna, David Fletcher, Jess McIntosh, Aaron Smith, Jeff Kimmel, Molly Jones, and Keefe Jackson.

In 2015 he started Amalgam, a 100% artist-run collective and label dedicated to showcasing works of improvised and experimental music in Chicago and elsewhere, with a bi-monthly series at Cafe Mustache. Bill is also an audio engineer working in both studio and live contexts, and operates an independent studio in Chicago with engineering, mixing, mastering, and production credits on labels such as Amalgam, Astral Spirits, No Index, 577 Records and Ears&Eyes. In 2020 he started and co-operates a recording studio called Marmalade.

Date: April 6, 2024

Time: 7pm

Cover price: suggested donation

Sunday, March 24, 8:00 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Olivia and the Lovers are a queer cowboy band based in Chicago. Taking inspiration both from classic American folk music and cowboy standards, Olivia Love writes music as a vehicle for vulnerability and reflections on queer love, loss, and healing.

Clover-Lynn and Jade Louise are the creators behind the unique folk sound that is the Laurel Hells Ramblers. Clover-Lynn, hailing from Southwest Virginia, plays the banjo, mixing its driving sound with storytelling and her captivating gothic aesthetic. Jade Louise, the rhythmic fiddler from the Carolina foothills, spent years playing with punk and metal bands before returning to the musical traditions of her homeplace. These passionate and trailblazing musicians make up the revolutionary string band, weaving together the melodies of old-time and bluegrass music with powerful storytelling of being a trans woman in Appalachia. Through music and storytelling, they are challenging stereotypes, breaking barriers, and reshaping the image of the region. They seek to show the world and Appalachia that not only are there queer people from the region, but that they are an active part of the culture. Together, their talents bring an extraordinary and welcome twist to the musical traditions of the mountains.

Date: March 24

Time: 7:30pm door/ 8:00pm show

Cover fee: 15$ (please note we do not sell advance tickets, doors only. both cash and cards are accepted)

Saturday, March 23, 7:00 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Jonah Parzen-Johnson makes music for baritone saxophone & flute that challenges listeners with experimental textures & forms while embracing them with warm approachable melodies. A Chicago native and longtime Brooklyn resident, Jonah has performed solo in more than a dozen countries across four continents. Jonah has brought his music to festivals in Berlin & Helsinki, concert halls in Istanbul &Bruges, rock clubs in Rotterdam & Montreal, and Jazz clubs in New York & Chicago. His solo performances are a deeply intimate experience, as he endeavors to share who he is, how he sees our world, and the temporary moments of community that we can all embrace together.

Date: March 23

Time: 7:00 pm

Cover fee: 10$ (please note we do not sell advance tickets, doors only. both cash and cards are accepted)

Friday, March 22, 7:30 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

MANTIS is an experimental trio from Madison, WI and Decorah, Iowa playing all original music. The band features Anders Svanoe on baritone saxophone, Brad Townsend on bass and Nick Zielinski on drums. "The trio upgrades the saxophone trio format with freedom…anchored by some heavy grooves…with this trio, anything is possible." Mark Corroto, All About Jazz.

Date: March 22

Time: 7:30 PM

Cover fee: $10 (please not that we don't sell advance tickets, doors only. card and cash accepted)

Sunday, March 17, 7:00 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Hanami's most recent album, 'The Only Way to Float Free', is a homage to band members’ pasts in Japan as well as their present in Chicago; it’s jazz without certain signifiers of jazz, infused instead with rock & roll, unexplored spaces, and the idea of water. 

When guitarist Andrew Trim and multi-reedist Mai Sugimoto came together in 2011 to raise funds for the victims of Japan’s Tohoku tsunami, it was intended to be a one-off concert. But the concert turned into band “Hanami,” (named for the Japanese custom of experiencing the fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms), and the band recorded a debut album (modern jazz takes on traditional Japanese songs), and the wheels were set in motion for something much larger than the initial concept. While Trim and Sugimoto, both of whom lived in Japan as children, were reluctant to record many more Japanese songs for fear of being branded a cover band, dreams of that country still swim through this latest album, which is all originals except for a cover of the 1901 song “Kojo no Tsuki,” or “The Moon over the Ruined Castle” - a piece also recorded in 1967 under the title “Japanese Folk Song” by pianist Thelonious Monk.
//

Guitarist and composer David Lord has developed a singular approach to composition and improvisation. His music has been featured in publications such as Downbeat, Dusted Magazine, A Closer Listen, All About Jazz, Under the Radar, Bandcamp Daily, Pop Matters, Alternative Press, Magnet and Tiny Mix Tapes.

Lord has recorded and performed with Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground, Pharoah Sanders), Jeff Parker (Tortoise, Brian Blade), Devin Hoff (Nels Cline, Mary Halvorson), Billy Mohler (Dolly Parton, Macy Gray), Charles Rumback (Riley Walker, Jim Baker), David Tranchina (Cathlene Pineda), Nathan Hubbard (Mark Dresser, Kris Tiner), Christine Tavolacci (Southland Ensemble), Chris Schlarb (Psychic Temple), Dale Black (Terrance Blanchard), Scott Taylor (Maria Elena Silva) and the Los Angeles indie-rock band Timonium.

Lord has released three albums under his own name, Forest Standards Vol. 1 (2018), Forest Standards Vol. 2 (2020) and Forest Standards Vol. 3 (2023). He has created his own extended lydian polychordal system which can be heard throughout his music. Grounded in the natural world, Lord’s musical logic involves themes of the forest, fungi and ecosystems. 

Date March 17

Time: 7:00 PM doors/ 7:30 PM show

Cover fee: $15 (please not that we don't sell advance tickets, doors only. card and cash accepted)

Saturday, March 16, 8:00 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

The Souris-Jordan Jazz Orchestra (aka SJJO), led by saxophonist Addison Jordan and drummer Alex Souris, is an experimental, modern jazz group formed in 2016. The two met while studying at the historied UNT music program; it was there that the founders developed their vision for an original band, designed to serve as a vehicle for exploring post bop through chordless instrumentation. Dallas stalwarts Mike Luzecky (bass), Jordan Gheen (trumpet), and Patrick Hill (alto sax) complete the orchestra’s vibrant sound.

The band brings a reverence for the ancestors of the avant garde and the roots of the jazz tradition into new original compositions, creating an environment both pensive and celebratory. Drawing inspiration from the emotional scope of their lived experiences, SJJO presents dedications to loved ones alongside jubilant testimony to the power of community and resolution.

In December 2021, SJJO released their debut album "Battlegrounds Part One," with a follow up, "Battlegrounds Part Two," released shortly thereafter. In the summer of 2022, the unit received a national grant, South Arts: Jazz Road Tours, to complete a 2-week tour in support of the release of “Part Two.” The band is scheduled to release a new album in 2024 entitled “Bond With Tomorrow.” Jordan remarks, “this music represents the temporal dimensions between the present and the future.”

The Souris-Jordan Jazz Orchestra has performed at venues including Monks Jazz Club (Austin), The Balcony Club (Dallas), JazzStand on Abrams (Dallas), Merriman’s Playhouse (South Bend), and Elastic Arts (Chicago), sharing the bill with artists such as Caroline Davis, Kwinton Gray Project, and Rob Clearfield.

Date: March 16

Time: 8:00 PM

Cover fee: $10 (please not that we don't sell advance tickets, doors only. card and cash accepted)

Friday, March 15, 7:00 - 10:00 PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Join trumpeter and composer Jon Ailabouni for an evening of original music from his most recent album entitled 'You Are Not Alone'. Using the jazz tradition as a vehicle for storytelling, Ailabouni's work speaks to the challenges of our times, offering hope and solace through musical catharsis. Come enjoy this dynamic evening of music for the heart, designed for healing, feeling, and being.

Saturday, March 9, 7:30 - 10:00 PM

Stephan Crump

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Memphis-bred, Grammy-nominated, Echo Award-winning bassist/composer Stephan Crump is an active bandleader with fifteen critically-acclaimed album releases and numerous film scoring contributions. Stephan’s solo performance, which explores his unique musical language through an expansive range of sonorities on the acoustic bass, is a culmination of decades of work as a bassist, composer, and improviser. From his home studio in Brooklyn, Crump released monthly solo recordings from 2020 into 2021 for a fan-supported series via his Bandcamp page. The new album, Rocket Love, is curated from this body of work.Known for transforming his instrument into a speaking entity of magnetic pull, Crump's focus on creative instrumental music has led to collaborations with many of the leading lights of his generation, most notably Vijay Iyer, in whose trio and sextet he played a dynamic, founding role. Stephan can also be heard as long-standing member of Jen Chapin Trio, Ches Smith Trio, Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet, Liberty Ellman Sextet, Secret Keeper (duo with Mary Halvorson), his own Rosetta Trio (with Jamie Fox, Liberty Ellman), his Rhombal quartet (with Ellery Eskelin, Adam O’Farrill, Tyshawn Sorey), Borderlands Trio (with Kris Davis, Eric McPherson) as well as his trio with Ingrid Laubrock and Cory Smythe.

Opening reception features live music by Donna Re'nee.

In this exhibit, Cities and Souls, artists and poets examine the phenomenon of urbanity and how it shapes spaces and souls.

This exhibition is free and open to the public.

Elisabeth “Else” Gasparka (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist and producer living in Milwaukee. The paintings in Rainbow Rock were made from 2020-present, many of them painted en plein air. The work is a return to form, an answer to the call of painting. In the act of making, Gasparka discovers a vocabulary with which to respond. These works also represent recent travels: to her mother living near Long Island Sound, a solo journey through Nordic countries including Iceland, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and Mammoth Caves.

Saturday, February 17th, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

The Max Brown Sextet, led by trombonist/composer Max Brown, plays original compositions and arrangements that blend straight ahead jazz with experimental techniques.

Friday, February 9th, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Augie Haas brings his little big band to Milwaukee and will be sure not to disappoint. This show is high energy and fun with phenomenal arrangements!

Saturday Mornings 10am - noon

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Presented by Kendraplex and Rosalie Robison

• Open to all levels of musical ability!

• We have a piano and drum kit

• Bring any other instruments you may want to use.

Meeting time: Thursdays 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

OWL is a program created to serve, enlighten and educate area seniors (50 and up). OWL is sponsored by the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, along with Bader Philanthropies.

All people, ages 50 & up, welcome. Gatherings are free of charge, with refreshments. Newcomers welcome and encouraged!

Admission: $15

From soaring melodies to infectious grooves to exhilarating ensemble interplay, Heirloom is Milwaukee's most exciting modern jazz group helmed by drummer Hannah Johnson and guitarist Ben Dameron. Joining them on the 20th will be Rufus Parenti on tenor saxophone and Leo Buczkowski on upright bass.

Saturday Mornings 10am - noon

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Presented by Kendraplex and Rosalie Robison

• Open to all levels of musical ability!

• We have a piano and drum kit

• Bring any other instruments you may want to use.

Meeting time: Thursdays 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

OWL is a program created to serve, enlighten and educate area seniors (50 and up). OWL is sponsored by the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, along with Bader Philanthropies.

All people, ages 50 & up, welcome. Gatherings are free of charge, with refreshments. Newcomers welcome and encouraged!

Printmaking has often been called the most democratic of art media, as it lends itself to creating multiples that can be distributed widely, purchased inexpensively and shared with a broader audience. Printmaking, for that reason, has often been the medium of artistic resistance. The Riverwest neighborhood is home to a number of talented printmakers, studios and collective print shops. This exhibition highlights a variety of print artists work and Riverwest’s rich printmaking resources.

Exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Saturday Mornings 10am - noon

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Presented by Kendraplex and Rosalie Robison

• Open to all levels of musical ability!

• We have a piano and drum kit

• Bring any other instruments you may want to use.

Meeting time: Thursdays 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

OWL is a program created to serve, enlighten and educate area seniors (50 and up). OWL is sponsored by the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, along with Bader Philanthropies.

All people, ages 50 & up, welcome. Gatherings are free of charge, with refreshments. Newcomers welcome and encouraged!

Meeting time: Thursdays 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

OWL is a program created to serve, enlighten and educate area seniors (50 and up). OWL is sponsored by the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, along with Bader Philanthropies.

All people, ages 50 & up, welcome. Gatherings are free of charge, with refreshments. Newcomers welcome and encouraged!

Saturday Mornings 10am - noon

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Presented by Kendraplex and Rosalie Robison

• Open to all levels of musical ability!

• We have a piano and drum kit

• Bring any other instruments you may want to use.